At the Interior Design Show this past January, show-goers who enjoy doing surveys could mosey over to a black-shrouded dark space in the front of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building where they encountered five tall, blade-shaped structures made of wood, cloth, rope, steel and Japanese washi paper, which is tougher than the standard wood-pulp product.

Printed on each blade were 10 statements, each from a different category of technology deemed to be critical to the future of our society: nanotechnology; genetic engineering; artificial intelligence; augmented reality; connectivity; drones; automation and mass customization.

So, to the assertion that “A computer can learn to do anything that a person can do,” or “You can control your technology with your mind,” visitors were invited to push buttons corresponding to whether they reacted to the premise with fear or hope. The light level of the blade brightened or dimmed depending on the response; results were also projected onto a screen at the rear of the space.

Download Project PDF