Future Park, an exhibition presented by Toyota and hosted by Powerhouse Museum, offers an insight into how the technology of the future could have an impact on the way families interact with one another. With several works showcasing the possibilities of AR and mapping technology, the future has arrived early with Future Park, and it is glorious. Between the visuals, the message and the functionality of this exhibition, Future Park presents to its audience an aesthetic wonderland filled to the brim with bright colours, captivating visuals and a welcoming aura that makes people from all walks of life feel at home.
The undeniably beautiful Future Park is an event that is designed with families in mind. Complete with cheerful colours, holistic visuals and a dreamy aesthetic, people were drawn to pieces of the exhibit like moths to a flame. By using activities such as colouring-in exercises promoting creativity and interaction with pieces such as ‘Sketch Town’, Future Park is great for engaging children without being too abrasive.
The simplicity behind the concepts and functions of the pieces in Future Park allows for an intuitive understanding of the pieces. While this makes Future Park palatable for a wide array of audiences, it was particularly great at encouraging collaboration amongst children. However, where it did fall short was holding older audiences’ attention. It would have been great to see the exhibition take the incredible concepts in ‘Sketch People’ and ‘Hopscotch For Geniuses’ and provide a more in-depth and thought-provoking iteration of these pieces suitable for the older demographic so that they can be just as engaged as the children.
Judging from the sheer joy seen from the children interacting with the ‘Hopscotch’ piece, it is undeniable that this interactive feature is a success. With toddlers giggling with glee once animations activated around them, the joy they feel from these interactions with technology is downright infectious. Similar reactions were present within the ‘Graffiti Animals’ exhibit, and it was because of this interaction that the exhibition overall was a hit.
When observing the experience as a whole, it is pleasant to see emerging technology being presented in a positive and non-intimidating manner. With ‘Future Park’, the exhibit encourages audiences to embrace this world of technology. It allows us to see the future as one full of possibilities as opposed to one rife with despair.
Future Park is an eye-opening experience particularly for those of us interested in seeing art and technology merge as one. It was great to see the positive impact technology can have on the art world, as well as the wider world around us.
All photos by Teresa Pham. See full gallery here.
