Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces: TeamLab's New Location in Ibaraki Scheduled to Open Fall 2024

International art collective TeamLab has announced a new location for the installation teamLab: Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces in Izura, Kitaibaraki-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture. Blending with nature, this permanent exhibition will transform the old rice fields hidden in the forest into a large-scale light art installation. The grand opening is scheduled for the fall of 2024.

Details are yet to be revealed, but the official website's concept reveals the story behind the installation:

In Izura, where the scholar and art critic Tenshin Okakura (1863-1913) lived in his later years, there was a mountain forest by the sea that was difficult to enter. After passing through the forest deep in the mountains, there was a valley. Here the remains of rain-fed rice terraces had become a marsh covered with reeds. They appeared to be secret terraced rice fields.

Thinking about the existence of the long period of time in which the activities of nature and people are continuous, we decided to create artworks of the remains of the terraced rice fields. Then, walking around the forest and surveying the vegetation, we thought to make the entire forest covering the ruins of the rice terraces into a space for artworks that are at one with the surrounding plants.

The Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces installation is set to combine the art experience with the beauty of the night forest and the nature of the Izura coast, much adored by art critic and philosopher Tenshin Okakura. In addition, "Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces Hot Spring - Izura" will open simultaneously with the installation, allowing visitors to stay overnight in the same location. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.