An immersive art space in the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto is offering a novel experience to visitors from around the world, aiming to dissolve the boundary between observer and art.

Titled “Biovortex”, the exhibition is the latest and largest permanent installation in Japan created by teamLab, an art collective that has risen to global fame for its pioneering approach blending art, technology and nature, said Reuters.

Biovortex, which opened on October 7, presents more than 50 immersive digital artworks spanning 10,000 square meters (107,639 square feet) and is attracting a broad spectrum of visitors from toddlers to the elderly.

In one of the installations, called "Morphing Continuum”, countless glowing spheres float in space as a monumental sculpture emerges from the ground and drifts in midair, constantly shifting and reshaping in response to visitors' movements.

"Viewers become one with the sculpture, while the boundaries between themselves and artwork grow indistinct and float in air," said teamLab founder Toshiyuki Inoko. "It creates an experience unlike anything humanity has ever made in terms of material objects - something that defies ordinary expectations. I think the artworks offer an experience which expands human perceptions."

Visitors expressed surprise at the intensity of emotion and physical immersion that the experience offered.

"Just wonderful," said Dimitri VanCorstanje, a 25-year-old tourist from the Netherlands. “It immersed me more than just with my eyes.”

Founded in 2001 by a group of artists, engineers, and architects, teamLab has expanded its collections beyond Japan, from New York to Singapore and Jeddah, attracting millions of visitors each year. One of its permanent exhibitions, teamLab Planets in Tokyo, set the Guinness World Record for the world’s most visited museum dedicated to a single art group with 2,504,264 visitors in the fiscal year of 2023.

Thieves have stolen several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from the national museum in the Syrian capital, leading to temporary closure of the facility, two officials from the country’s antiquities department said Tuesday.

The daring theft in the classical department of the National Museum of Damascus comes as the country is reeling from the 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule last year.

The museum in central Damascus, the country’s largest, houses invaluable antiquities dating back to Syria’s long history. After the war started, security was boosted with metal gates and surveillance cameras.

Two officials from Syria’s Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums confirmed the theft when contacted by The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations because the government has not yet made a statement.

One of the officials said six marble statues were stolen from the museum, adding that an investigation is ongoing.

The other official said that the theft occurred Sunday night and was discovered early Monday, when one of the doors at the classical department was found broken and several statues dating back to the Roman era were missing. The official refused to give an exact number.

The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) is showcasing an exhibition titled “Architecture of the Two Holy Mosques and the Holy Sites” as part of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition 2025.

The pavilion offers a visual journey through key stages in the expansions of the Two Holy Mosques and the development of the holy sites over the decades, from the earliest construction works to the completion of major projects that define the sacred places today, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

The pavilion takes visitors back to the first expansion phase of the Grand Mosque, featuring rare photographs showing the construction of the second floor of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah corridor (Al-Masaa), highlighting the advanced architectural and engineering work of that time.

The exhibition also includes documentary footage capturing the final moments of the first and second expansions, with scenes showing heavy equipment, excavation, and concrete works at construction sites.

Extending to Madinah, the display presents historical photographs of the Prophet’s Mosque, including the western façade and the installation of large sunshades built under the directive of the late King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, which marked a major milestone in enhancing comfort within the mosque courtyards.

A prominent section of the pavilion is dedicated to the Kiswa (the covering of the Kaaba) and the evolution of its craftsmanship over the decades.

It features samples and photographs documenting the stages of production - from spinning and weaving to embroidery and modern design technologies - as well as images of artisans at the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswa, meticulously working with gold and silver threads, blending manual artistry with advanced technology in service of Islam's holiest site.

Beyond the Two Holy Mosques, the exhibition highlights the development of the holy sites, showcasing archival images of pilgrims’ tents in Mina in earlier years and their gradual transformation into organized and fully equipped accommodations for lodging, prayer, and meal preparation.

It also presents historic images of Jamarat Bridge following the construction of the surrounding barriers to better manage pilgrim movement during the ritual of stoning - representing one of the key milestones in crowd management at the holy sites.

Blending engineering with history, and documentation with imagery, the pavilion presents a coherent chronological narrative showing how the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites evolved from modest structures into one of the world’s most sophisticated infrastructure systems.

Visitors leave the pavilion with a vivid understanding of the architectural and service transformations that have shaped the Hajj experience through decades of continuous development.