Key #37: Odaiba. Part I -The Art of Tricks

As if 6,852 natural islands (later, that number has more than doubled) were not enough, Japan built an artificial one - initially as a fort meant to defend Tokyo against Commodore Perry's fleet. Hence its name, Daiba ("fort" or "batteries"), with the honorific "o" attached to it. Fast forward about 1,5 centuries and several transformations, and the island of Odaiba becomes a major thematic hub revolving around the concept of "the future". Some of it is purely symbolic - like having to cross the Rainbow Bridge to get to the island. "Somewhere over the rainbow" turns out to be not that far, in this particular case - and it's served by trains, not tornados. Futuristic architecture and installation art, such as the Gundam statue, are more conceptual but, arguably, the second most striking Odaiba attraction is the one that provides the big picture - quite literally so. 

Located around the middle floor of a local shopping mall, and sporting an intriguing name, "The Trick Art Museum" can be easily mistaken for an art gallery. With no previous knowledge and no personnel to provide an explanation, one would see but many rather small rooms dotted with pretty big pictures or picture-like installations similar to the one above. Skillfully crafted and thematically diverse, the pictures are quite entertaining because most of them somehow violate the laws of physics

However, that trick alone wouldn't suffice for a major breakthrough. Both merging human bodies with inanimate objects, and distorting space has been done in arts before, Moebius' strip, Klein's bottle and MC Escher's pictures being the best examples. So, the Trick Art takes it to the next level by inviting its guests to step into the pictures, thus turning from spectators into participants. While many a selfie of goofing around fun-seekers have been taken in every nook and cranny of the world, the Odaiba museum might be the only one on the planet that is designed to incorporate such "foolishness" and reimagine it into artistic self-expression. It is that design that allows newly-minted "actors" to literally blend into professionally created works of art, that turns the experience into a first-rate wonder.

The design is stunning but not utterly perfect. Not for everybody, in any case, because the effect in question requires a rather precise angle and distance. In other words, one can't just take a selfie to achieve it but is dependent on outside help - so, the museum staff is trained to help those who came alone. Considering Japanese hospitality, that kind of help translates into an hour-long V.I.P service - a one of a kind, highly refined Japanese wonder that almost overshadows the exhibition itself.