This is the first exhibition in a series within the macro-project Expolab. Its aim is to reflect on the changes that have happened in education, communication, art, and the exhibition techniques themselves, over the last fifty years because of the introduction of technology as a tool andalso as a a way of thinking and organizing.

This first exhibition will open in June 2010. Its aim is to present how digital technologies have changed different aspects of our lives. It will be organized around six areas of interest. For each one a new physical exhibit will be designed and creted. On this six areas different ways of exhibition will be develioed reflecting different perspectives on the concept of exhibition from contemplative and passive to to participatory and active.

This exhibition is done in cooperation with the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. They have developed an intereseting approach to collaborative exhibit creation by using Secon Life as a virtual environment were designers can develop the physical aspect of exhibits. The idea of mixing the participatory processes developed onffline in Cornella with the possibilities of massive virtual collaboration was what started the whole process of reflection about how new participatory dynamics could be explodred. i Little by little we have worked all these concepts and decided we begin a new adventure.

On next January 14th, we will invite the general public to tell us how their life has changed as a result of Internet and explain it to others in a design workshop. Thanks to the collaboration of the participants it will be possible to create guidelines to start designing the exhibition in the virtual Second Life. The designs will be developed there will be permanently on show so that people wil be able to express their opinions about them. This will go on until March 26, at which time the final votings on the the winning design will take place. Once it is chosen the actual xhibition will be built by specialist in materials and construction. On June 17th the inauguration of the exhibition “From contemplation to participation, and beyond” will take place. However the job will not be finished. For more than six months, this exhibition will be open to the public, who will have the opportunity to send their comments via this blog, your photos, your videos, your programs … After, this exhibition will trabel to other technology centers, schools, auditoriums etc ….

Well, we’ll see what we are able to do together! And to see it, we need your help too… How? Being a participating in this first experiment, the first Expolab exhibition!