Takeshi Yamada flew from Japan to Austin last week to present on teamLab, an international art collective combining digital art, animation and engineering to create immersive art experiences for galleries and outdoor spaces.
Both students and non-students gathered in the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center on Thursday to hear from Yamada, head of recruitment at teamLab, as he celebrated their first time in Austin with a presentation and Q&A organized by the School of Design and Creative Technologies’ Buckman Center. Yamada showed students the work environment of teamLab and the process in which they put together these exhibitions.
In teamLab exhibits, digital art is displayed on the walls and floors to give the visitor a sense of immersion in the space. The scenery blends seamlessly from room to room and often incorporates moving images and interactive elements. In one display, teamLab utilizes the area of a botanical garden in Osaka for a light show that moves with the wind and interacts with the nature around it.
“The type of work that they do is really unique,” said Doreen Lorenzo, the School of Design’s assistant dean. “I love how it makes people gather. It makes people want to be part of something. And I love that aspect of what they do.”
Lorenzo said they invited teamLab to talk because of their notoriety in the design field.
“Takeshi was surprised at how popular they were,” Lorenzo said. “I kept saying to him, ‘We’ve gotten (outreach) from the community, beyond UT, to want to come to see the presentation.’ And he was humbly surprised about that.”
UT’s Japanese Association said teamLab reached out a few weeks ago to collaborate on a separate Q&A for their organization.
“I thought it would be interesting to see how a person in the industry in Japan describes their company,” biology junior and Japanese Association officer Gia Son said. “It was a cool experience to see how (so much) diversity exists in (the) Japanese industry.”
Many students wanted to see Yamada because of his association with teamLab and their future career goals. However, some students in the Japanese Association attended the presentation due to the collective’s connection to Japanese culture.
“I always felt like my personal needs were really aligned with how Japanese normal life is,” Son said. “You go to work, and then when you’re coming back from work, (you) buy something to eat … then enjoy a cup of beer. That’s my ideal life.”
Students had the opportunity to ask Yamada questions during the Q&A at the presentation on Thursday.
“The students gave me … clear questions, (that) tells me that they have a clear sight for their future,” Yamada said. “I was happy if I could give them at least a (little) information for them to think about.”
