Good day astronauts of spaceship Earth. This is the pre-boarding announcement for Evoluon, the training facility to encourage humanity to work together as a harmonious crew — for the future generations to come.
Welcome to the new Evoluon
The unique design of the building is reminiscent of a spacecraft that has landed in the middle of Eindhoven. Though the building may resemble a spaceship, we acknowledge Earth as our mothership. Therefore Evoluon must be a trainingship; it encourages the astronauts on spaceship Earth to work together as a harmonious crew for the future generations to come.
We are thrilled to announce the collaboration between Next Nature and Evoluon Foundation. In the coming years, we plan to organize public exhibitions and events to introduce the new Evoluon. Together we will explore a more inclusive and sustainable world. A world in which humanity and the planet at large enters a new evolutionary phase.
"There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew."
—Marshall McLuhan
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A future lab
The Evoluon was built in 1966 as a technology and science museum on behalf of Frits Philips to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Philips company. From its opening the museum was extremely popular, attracting over 500,000 visitors by 1970 with its educational and interactive exhibits on science and technology. It functioned as a museum until it—despite many protests—was withdrawn from operation in 1989.
Working with the unique ecosystem of technology and design in Eindhoven, we can’t wait to reopen the Evoluon as a place of wonder, inspiration, knowledge transfer and education; an experience for young and old. It will become a future lab for the wonderful world of technology, design and innovation.
The concentric rings form circular balconies inside of the museum. Each ring unfolds a next level and rewards the visitor with a newly obtained crew role for spaceship Earth. This is how we train the crew of spaceship Earth.
Level 1: Geosphere
Where did we come from? How did the Earth originate? The first ring narrates the origin of the universe (13 billion years ago) and Earth (4.5 billion ago). Here we learn about the big bang, the formation of quarks, atoms and molecules. It is the basis of everything.
Level 2: Biosphere
What is life? How did it evolve? The second ring tells the story of the origin of life on Earth. From the very first cell to the creation of vertebrates in the Cambrian explosion. It’s an evolutionary story that you might find in a natural history museum—than you would expect in a technology museum, but understanding the impact of technology is indispensable knowledge.
Level 3: Technosphere
What is technology? How is life on Earth transforming? The third ring deals with the transformative impact of technology on our planet. Technology is more than the latest smartphone or computer. Houses, sewers, highways and even the alphabet are also forms of technology. The sum of our technologies forms a technosphere, which scientists have calculated to weigh over 30 trillion tons. Technology is an evolutionary force. It is our next nature. How are we going to design, build and live in this?
Level 4: Mindsphere
What does everything that you have experienced in the previous rings mean for your personal life as a human being on Earth? Are we going to live with artificial intelligences? Is there a planetary consciousness emerging? How can you find your way in this as a person? The fourth ring is the most personaland psychological deepening layer, in which we want to help visitors find their role as crew member for spaceship Earth.
In the run-up to a fully reopened Evoluon from 2025, we want to rebuild the building step by step making it accessible to the general public. Depending on the available budget and time there will be temporary events and exhibitions organized in the coming years. In the Fall of 2021 we transformed the Evoluon into a VR Time Machine that warped a lucky few far into the future. Not ten, a hundred or a thousand years, but billions of years ahead, past the moment the sun burns out. For those still thirsty for time travel, we will debuting our first major exhibition RetroFuture on the 24th September 2022. The worlds first exhibition about the future of the past.
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