In one of the galleries in Dubai’s recently opened Museum of the Future, near the beginning of its futuristic displays, flickers in lavender-green neon the ancient Chinese proverb, written in three languages, Arabic, English and Mandarin: “The ancestors plant the trees/ the descendants enjoy the shade.”

The writing on the wall is literally and figuratively clear. Given the multiple pressing challenges our planet faces today, it becomes all the more paramount for the present generation to acknowledge and address these mounting crises to safeguard the planet for future ones. It’s a task that no doubt must be a collective, concerted undertaking.

The Museum of the Future, whose soaring, arching Arabic calligraphy-engraved stainless steel presence sits in the heart of Dubai’s business district, focuses on harnessing the lessons from our present day to construct the future, inviting the viewers to participate in doing so through a highly inclusive approach.

Utilising a variety of virtual and augmented reality, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and human machine interaction installations and displays, the museum takes the visitors on a voyage into the future through the framework of five chapters, suggesting the idea of an unfurling global narrative.

One minute, you are in Dubai 2022; the next, you are in the first chapter: a spacestation in the outer reaches of the galaxy, OSS Hope, in 2071, exploring how human beings are at the forefront of space technology. (That chosen date, nearly 50 years into the future, incidentally, also marks the 100th anniversary of the formation of the United Arab Emirates.)

Chapter 2 takes visitors to the Heal Institute, the first section set in a dazzling digital re-creation of the Amazon in Leticia, Colombia. They subsequently encounter the “Vault of Life”, an illuminated immersive installation consisting of a DnA library of 2 400 species, carefully selected from millions of species to catalogue the world’s incredible biodiversity, as well as a laboratory of experimental species, all designed to compel the viewers to consider the impact of climate change.

The subsequent chapters explore other iterations of future, such as a mind-body calibration in the “Al Waha” chapter; how we might access today’s emerging technologies for tomorrow’s gain in “Tomorrow Today”; and, finally, “Superheroes”, which focuses on young people already thinking through solutions to the climate crisis.

“The Museum of the Future is different to any other conventional museum,” said Khalfan Belhoul, the CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, which manages the government-funded museum, in an email interview. He described the space as a “living museum” which “will constantly be renewed, enhanced and enriched over time”, an aspect deliberately reflected in the flexible nature of the museum’s interior architecture, a fluid, multi-storied and pillarless space that is highly adaptable and open for interpretation for future programming.

Given the appearance of landmark museums in neighbouring Abu Dhabi (the Louvre and the upcoming Guggenheim) as a way to signal the country’s renewed desire for knowledge and exploration of culture, science and art, the arrival of Museum of the Future “constitutes an unparalleled opportunity for a new generation to become part of the future and all its aspects”, according to Belhoul. Part of this involved the curatorial team’s engaging of local and international artists, designers, scientists and futurists from around the world to provide a platform for devising solutions to global challenges.

The “Today Tomorrow” section, for example, takes as a reference point the question posed by influential architect Cedric Price in 1966, “Technology is the answer, but what was the question?” On view are more than 50 exhibits to how exactly technology has been essential to shaping our future, including prototypes and current products focusing on areas such as waste management, environment, food security, agriculture, irrigation and city planning.

While the Museum of the Future has said it has welcomed numerous visitors since its opening at the end of February (the museum declined to provide any attendance figures to ARTnews), Behoul emphasised that it is more than “just a visitor experience. It’s a place where great minds come together to design and shape the future”.

How exactly that will take place remains to be seen, but some of the museum’s initial programming points to the fact that this isn’t just fluff. Aiming to be a place for discussion and debate, the museum has so far hosted a series of “Future Talks” with innovators, scientists and prominent figures from leading industries on a diverse array of subjects.

In the second “Future Talk,” Oussama Khatib, director of Stanford Robotic Lab at Stanford University, spoke about how our oceans hold the answers to critical existential questions and the ways in which humans and robots can collaborate together to navigate the oceans. The third Talk saw Alex Kipman, Microsoft’s vice president of artificial intelligence and mixed reality, explore the future and potential of the Metaverse.

In addition to having a research publishing arm, the Museum of the Future will also serve as headquarters for the Great Arab Minds fund, a five-year initiative, with AED 100 million (US$27,2 million) in funding from the Dubai government to create “the Arab world’s largest movement designed to search for exceptional talents among Arab scientists, thinkers, and innovators across key fields, aiming to highlight leading thinkers in the region and inspire young people with their example”, according to a press release. — ARTnews.