Mat Disney’s work featured in ‘The Future Starts Here’ at the V and A

NCEO and UCL’s Mat Disney attended the preview of major new exhibition ‘The Future Starts Here’ at the V and A earlier this month. The exhibition showcases Disney’s 3D LiDAR work alongside a range of new objects and technology that can potentially shape our future. It is a radical departure for the V and A, looking forward rather than back, and is the first big show produced by the gallery’s design, architecture and digital department.

It was opened by the museum’s director, Tristram Hunt, who described it as a “defining moment” for the V and A, with the gallery being both “mediator and collaborator” in revolutionary conversations. “It explores groundbreaking emerging technologies and the way they will affect our lives in the near future and, crucially, the collective choices we have to influence their progress.”

Disney was approached by Rory Hyde, the curator of the exhibition, to show his 3D LiDAR work from tropical forests, as an example of how new technology is allowing us to understand and hopefully manage our world better. Disney’s work is included as a video installation, among other fascinating exhibits including a chargeable shirt which can power a phone; a drone ship which can clean up oil spills; an autonomous flying wing intended to cruise the skies using solar power and broadcasting internet access to remote areas; AI bots intended to help mediate and hopefully improve political discourse and democratic process.

The exhibition runs at the V and A from May to November 2018 and then goes on tour. Disney’s work also features in the glossy accompanying book, and he said “It’s quite an experience to be part of this exhibition – a really different way to show our work, and amazing to see it amongst all these other incredible ideas and technology”.