Exploring the Future of Art: Wonderspaces at the Museum of Arts and Sciences

The Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences and Wonderspaces is pushing the boundaries of art and creating an otherworldly experience with its latest exhibit, Wonderspaces. This technologically groundbreaking collection offers a series of immersive installations that stretch the imagination and redefine creativity.

The Museum of Arts and Sciences (MAS) has partnered with Wonderspaces, sponsored by the Knight Foundation, to present a series of five "multimedia immersive" art exhibits that use impressive technology to create a unique experience for museum visitors. The exhibits will be displayed in the museum's Burgess Gallery for 16 to 18 weeks each through 2026.

Wonderspaces, the organization behind the exhibit of the same name, was founded in 2016 and has worked with over 100 artists to produce exhibits in San Diego, California, Scottsdale, Philadelphia, and Austin, Texas, and now Macon, Georgia.

If you’ve ever wanted to walk into the future, or at least feel like you’re in a sci-fi dreamscape, this exhibit might be your ticket. Here's a closer look at the five art exhibits that will be on display as part of Wonderspaces.

HOSHI by NONOTAK Studio - November 2024 to March 2025

HOSHI by NONOTAK Studio (Photograph by Jerrod Johnson)

Stepping into HOSHI feels like entering a parallel universe where physics have temporarily taken a vacation. Created by NONOTAK Studio, this installation uses 16 mirrors and 40 fluorescent tubes to simulate infinite space. Light, sound, and reflections blend seamlessly, creating an environment where you might briefly forget what planet you’re on. 

The Paris-based duo behind the work, illustrator Noemi Schipfer and architect-musician Takami Nakamoto, are known for crafting “dreamlike environments,” and HOSHI is definitely that.

Fans of DJ Snake may recognize the piece from his somewhat risque music video The Half, but seeing it in person is an entirely different experience. It is eerie seeing yourself and room you are in seemingly expanded into infinity with mirrors reflecting flashing lights and strange music that is disorienting, mysterious, and also somehow beautiful.

On a Human Scale by Matthew Matthew - March 2025 to June 2025

On a Human Scale by Matthew Matthew (Photograph courtesy of Society Hill Films)

Have you ever wanted to play a harpsichord made of people? Well, now’s your chance. On a Human Scale is an interactive audio-visual experiment that connects human voices from around the world into a playable instrument. Starting as a quirky New York street experiment, Matthew Matthew (yes, that’s his real name) has evolved this project into a full-fledged 49-key installation housed in an antique harpsichord.

Each key represents a voice, creating a melody that celebrates the global human experience. The piece invites visitors to participate, so prepare to unleash your inner maestro when you visit On a Human Scale when it goes on exhibit in March.

Plume by Ian Brill - June 2025 to October 2025

Plume by Ian Brill (Photograph courtesy of Yadira Villarreal)

Imagine standing under a dome that feels alive like a breathing, pulsating entity of light and sound. That description fits the Ian Brill's Plume. Pittsburgh-based artist Ian Brill describes this artwork as an “ephemeral and ethereal ecosystem,” which sounds fancy until you realize he’s talking about motion-triggered light shows. His use of video feedback is said to transform simple shapes into what seems like vast, flowing volumes that shimmer like the aurora borealis.

For those feeling reflective, the installation explores the concept of “becoming versus being,” a phrase that practically dares you to stay under the dome for an existential crisis. But hey, at least it’ll be a beautifully lit one.

Fuji by Joanie Lemercier - October 2025 to February 2026

Fuji by Joanie Lemercier (Photograph courtesy of Charles Darr)

French artist Joanie Lemercier transforms the legend of Princess Kaguya from Japanese folklore into a hypnotic audiovisual spectacle. Fuji combines hand-drawn landscapes with light projections to recreate an abstracted Mount Fuji as a “monument to the glory of nature,” as Lemercier describes it.

Joanie Lemercier's "CONSTELLATIONS" (2018) combine water particles, light, and sound in a creative and beautiful way

This 14-minute installation immerses visitors in the mythological world of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, where light becomes a character, emotions shimmer, and the sublime takes center stage. Fuji will be at the Museum of Arts and Sciences starting in October and will be on display through February 2026.

Erupture by Nicole Banowetz - March to July 2026

Erupture by Nicole Banowetz (Photograph courtesy of Society Hill Films)

Erupture brings an otherworldly take on microscopic life, scaling it up to create an inflatable, surreal landscape that is simultaneously calming, comforting, and just a bit disorienting. Denver-based artist Nicole Banowetz hand sews each element of this installation, crafting delicate forms that appear to burst at their seams like dioramas from a biology class gone wonderfully wrong.

The installation explores themes of growth and decay, echoing life’s struggles and vulnerabilities. Powered by large air blowers, Erupture shifts and tilts with every inflation, morphing into something new each time. The stark white sculptures invite visitors to fill them with colors of their own imagination, a creative blank slate that encourages introspection.

Banowetz’s work blurs the lines between decoration and decay, empowering fragile objects with layers of protection that ultimately erode. By embodying both growth and fragility, Erupture reflects the beauty and transience of life itself.

Wonderspaces stretches the imagination in a different way than normal art exhibits: it’s an immersive environment that will have you  rethinking what an art exhibit can be. Each installation feels like stepping into a high-tech daydream, where art and technology merge seamlessly to create something entirely new. Whether you’re in it for the social media photos, the intellectual stimulation, or simply to escape reality for a few hours, this exhibit promises to leave you inspired, bewildered, and maybe just a little more hopeful about the possibilities of human creativity.

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