Speculative architect Liam Young invites you to explore a thought-provoking future at London’s Barbican Centre. His immersive exhibition, In Other Worlds, delves into artificial intelligence, planetary infrastructures, and climate technology.
The exhibition extends across three distinct locations, including the Curve gallery and the Barbican’s underground car park. It showcases diverse futures through films, installations, audio stories, and set designs, exploring concepts like planetary supercomputers and hyper-dense mega-cities.
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A Glimpse into Futuristic Realms
One of the highlights is World Machine, a newly commissioned film by Young that premiered at the Barbican this month. It imagines Earth’s surfaces as part of a vast circuit, managed by a planetary supercomputer driven by AI.
Another compelling project, Planet City, envisions a meticulously designed mega-city housing 10 billion people, allowing the rest of the planet to rejuvenate naturally.
Engaging Immersive Experiences
The exhibition envelops you in its narratives through audio stories voiced by talents like Diego Luna, Maxine Peake, and Richard Ayoade. Collaborations with cinema, literature, and design experts, alongside original music from Forest Swords and Space Afrika, deepen the immersive experience.
“We’re trying to bring together a series of new planetary imaginaries,” Young explained, aiming for hopeful and aspirational futures that challenge reality.
Interactive Installations and Visual Narratives
Young’s vision is further expressed through set design, graphic narratives, and sculptural installations, creating vivid, speculative worlds. He encourages visitors to confront and engage with these challenging visions of the future.
“It might be confronting and it might be frustrating, but hopefully people are empowered by seeing the possibilities that are on show,” Young remarked, emphasizing the need for cultural and political shifts globally.
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A Transformative Exhibition at Barbican
This is Young’s first major solo UK exhibition, spanning multiple spaces within the Barbican Centre. “Barbican is a utopia,” Young stated, inspired by its vision of different living solutions.
In Other Worlds will be open at the Barbican Centre until 6 September 2026. Visit the Dezeen Events Guide for ongoing updates on global architecture and design events.
This article was crafted by Dezeen for the Barbican Centre in collaboration. Discover more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.
Source: dezeen.com