History teaches us where we have been. Until just over 100 years ago, humans lived a simple existence, and their impact on the planet was minimal. Then came the Anthropocene, an era in which humankind’s footprint has spread worldwide, from country to country and from continent to continent. Our excesses are blatantly obvious to all who do not turn a blind eye. This is the now, and this is reality. What we do not know is our future. We do not know what repercussions today’s existence, today’s choices and today’s excesses will have on the people and the world of tomorrow. But the past – and present – are prologue. And the Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) looks forward 50 years into humanity’s impact on our environment and on life itself. The museu is Rio’s newest interactive museum that puts you, the visitor, in the hands of yesterday, today and tomorrow. When you arrive at Praça Mauá, Rio de Janeiro’s renewed port area, the first thing you notice is the magnificent architecture of the museu, which serves as the centerpiece of the port, “floating” as it does out over Guanabara Bay. Designed by Spanish neofuturistic architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter Santiago Calatrava, the building features solar panels that track the sun movements throughout the day. Cold water pulled deep from the Bay serves as the coolant for the air-conditioning system. Afterward, the water is filtered and returned to the bay. Bay water also fills the adjacent reflecting pools that cool the surrounding visitor queuing area by more than two degrees Celsius. In Rio, where the heat can climb to an excess of 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on summer days, that can really help. A large revolving globe greets you as you enter. It shows the earth’s surface in a constantly changing landscape of continents, weather patterns, cloud coverages and more. If there are active hurricanes, their names and locations are visible. Hot spots, Artcic temperatures and the ocean currents are tracked in real time. It is a beautiful start to a fantastic journey. The main exhibition space comprises five main areas: the Cosmos, Earth, the Anthropocene, Tomorrows and Us. The first stop on the journey is the Cosmos. Visitors can sit or lie on floor pillows and view a 360-degree journey, witnessing the growth of elementary particles, to distant galaxies and to the center of the sun, all projected onto an elliptical dome. This eight-minute sensory projection guides the viewer through time and space showing the formation of galaxies, the development of life, to people, cities and more. Afterward, visitors can enter an area called Cosmic Horizons to further their exploration via interactive touch screens. The Cosmos is the only exhibit that does not permit photos. Next is Earth, made up of three 23-square-foot cubes representing Matter, Life and Thought. The Matter cube’s exterior contains 180 images of earth taken from space showing various locations throughout our world. The interior features an installation by American artist Daniel Wurtzel. (He also designed Magic Carpet, the opening and final closing scene in the touring Cirque du Soleil.) Dancing fabrics gracefully illustrate the free-flowing movement of air, ocean and light waves. Very invigorating! The Life cube’s exterior is made up of DNA sequences, giving the viewer an introduction to the genetic material of all life on the planet. The interior features 200 pictures and videos that illustrate the rich biodiversity of Guanabara Bay. The Thought cube interior is dedicated to the mind, while the exterior shows the constant changes in brain waves and activity. Although brain functions are common to all humans, the diversity is immense. This diversity, displayed via a thousand images from around the world, shows how humans celebrate, love, live, speak, eat, dress and have conflicts. Outside the three cubes are interactive tables that offer more information. The Anthropocene section is in the center of the museum and is the most powerful of the exhibits. It exposes humanity’s impact on the world today. Humankind’s footprint is growing each day, making irreversible changes in our world. This exhibit is composed of six large video towers, displayed in a circle, with continuous real-life images of humanity’s impact on the earth. This display shows, in no small way, how human activity is affecting the planet by means of oil extraction, waste disposal, telecommunications, technological advances, urban sprawl, agriculture development (industrial farming), water pollution and more. The exhibit aims to inspire action. Four interactive structures surround the towers that enable visitors to continue to explore human impact and its potential consequences. Tomorrows leads visitors into the future. It addresses six planet-shaping trends that have the greatest impact in the coming decades. These are the focus of the museum: Climate change, alterations in the environment, growing population and increased life span, greater cultural and regional integration and differentiation, advances in technology and expanded knowledge. It is projected that by 2060, ten billion people will inhabit this earth. Over the next 50 years, the amount of change that will occur will be comparable to the previous 10 million years. “The temperature of the planet is increasing every year, and poor countries are going to suffer the most from this change,” said Carlos Nobre, president of the Brazilian Network for Research on Climate Change, who is also a consultant to the museum. “We have already begun to see climate change cause great migrations, which create problems for society on a global level,” he says. The final exhibit area of the museum, Us, features a light and sound display. More than 1,000 light bulbs are ablaze in the wooden longhouse. They turn on and off and change color in sync with soft music, evoking sunrise and sunset. Visitors will take away the idea that there is always a new day beginning somewhere and that every day is different. The Us setting is based on “oca,” an indigenous Brazilian house of knowledge, where elders share information and wisdom. Details: The price of admission is 10 reais ($2.50 at the current 4.01 to 1 exchange rate). All visitors receive a programmed card in one of three languages – English, Spanish or Portuguese – that is used to explorer the interactive experiences throughout the museum.
Hours: are Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The museu is losed Mondays. Get there early, as the lines can be long. How to arrive: Take a cab 20 to 30 minutes from Zona Sul depending on traffic or take the Metro to Uruguaiana and walk 10 to 12 minutes through downtown to Praça Mauá. There are signs to follow. Accessibility is available to visitors with physical and other disabilities. Tactile flooring, audio and video guides tours in sign language and tactile models facilitate new forms of interaction for people with or without disabilities. Should you get to Rio, do not pass on The Museum of Tomorrow. (Joseph Capp is a long time Pacific Beach resident who has lived part-time in Rio de Janeiro for the last five years. He will be sharing news and updates from Rio with sdnews.com readers through the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Have a question? Write him at [email protected]. He will be happy to reply.)