by Katharine Logan

"Massive Change: The Future of Global Design," an ambitious new exhibition on the domain of contemporary design, began its three-year international tour at British Columbia's Vancouver Art Gallery in October.

A 16,000-square-foot (1500-square-meter) installation of staggering scope, Massive Change gallops the visitor through the current issues in design, from the challenges of an ever-expanding built environment and an increasingly modified nature, through the possibilities of composting plastics and aerated super-insulating glass, to the dilemmas of genetically engineered salmon and a human nose growing all alone afloat in a glass jar.

Along the way and without slowing down, the exhibition poses the question: "Now that we can do anything, what will we do?"

"Design is one of the most powerful forces at work today," says the exhibition's principal designer, Bruce Mau, known for his interdisciplinary design practice and his manifestos Life Style and "S,M,L,XL," the latter in collaboration with Rem Koolhaas. "Design is no longer simply a mechanism for adapting to the world in which we live," Mau says, "but is profoundly affecting change on a global scale."   >>>

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In the exhibition, Massive Change, a collage of sound and images projects onto wall-to-wall massing models of earth's ten densest cities, highlighting critical issues in contemporary urban design. Photo: Maris Mezulis A paradoxically static "Movement Gallery" celebrates the potential of recent advances in mobility technology. Photo: Robert Keziere/ Vancouver Art Gallery   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.