Inverted Globe, Giant Connecting Block Town

teamLab, 2018-, Interactive Digital Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

Inverted Globe, Giant Connecting Block Town

teamLab, 2018-, Interactive Digital Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

A space that feels as if the world has been turned inside out.

Make the city come to life by placing giant building blocks of houses and stations, running various vehicles such as cars and trains, and developing transport systems.

When blocks of the same kind are placed nearby, they are connected to let the vehicles move along the routes created. Connect the blocks, and the vehicles will evolve more and more. Helicopters fly from the building and the world seen from the helicopter is projected on the screen in the sky.

The world has a river running through it. When it rains, the river floods and the water runs into the city. However, building a waterway with pond blocks and connecting the waterway to the sea will cure the flood of the river.

Background of Artwork

Waterways and Transportation

The creation of cities and flood control

The creation of cities and countries is deeply related to the history of construction done by humans to prevent the overflowing of rivers. Firstly, civilization started by cultivating crops using river floods. Because of crop cultivation, cities were made, but rivers overflow when rain falls. In order to maintain the cities, there was a need to construct something that would prevent flooding.It is thought that countries were formed to gather many people to work.

Preventing flood disasters is called “flood control.”

City development and transport

Transporting crops and goods from town to town was extremely important for human progress. In the past, roads were built and transport was carried out by people and horses. However, rivers started being used by ships with more transporting power than horses to transport goods. Through the linking of towns by the river, each town developed. In more modern times, humans desired a newer transportation method, which is why they built railways for trains, and roads for cars to be driven on, connecting towns.

How to interact with the artwork

1
Place giant blocks shaped like houses, stations, buildings to make a town.
2
Connect similar kinds of blocks to create roads and railways and waterways. Different kinds of vehicles will start to move along the routes created.
3
Lining up more blocks causes the town to evolve.
4
The town will gradually develop when moe blocks are connected.
5
When the river is flooded place water blocks close to the river to create a waterway, and then connect the waterway to the sea to halt the flooding.