THE FUTURE HAPPENED:
DESIGNING THE FUTURE OF MUSIC


Conceived and operating as lead curator studio LADdesign produced The Future Happened, Designing the Future of Music, for the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA). LADdesign also developed the look and feel of the graphic ecosystem for the exhibit.


The Future Happened is an online exhibition examining how design and art deepens our relationship with music.  With a focus on Atlanta the exhibit charts the city’s vast sphere of influence locally and globally, while highlighting 40 artists from Europe, Africa, Japan and across the United States. Featured artists represent a spectrum of genres – from Afro-fusion and hip-hop to indie rock, nu metal, punk, electronica, rapper poet, house pop and soul – and include Adama Jalloh, Charlotte Adigéry, Clipping, Peter Saville, Nep Sidhu, Daito Manabe, Spillage Village and more.

visit thefuturehappened.org





Through six primary categories – technology, timelessness, community, power, Atlanta and healing – viewers can explore how creative expression at the intersection of music and design can drive change across a variety of disciplines, including fine art, augmented reality, spatial audio, film video, animation, photography, fashion, zines, speculative design, choreography, happenings, performance and graphic design.




Featured projects include an interactive sonic and walkthrough experience through the original home and studio of Atlanta’s legendary Dungeon Family, based entirely on new interviews with the founding members of Organized Noize; music events through Volta, an artist-driven VR platform that empowers musicians to create custom performance experiences by converting their music into an interactive world; music-inspired work of internationally acclaimed London-based photographer Adama Jalloh; an exclusive deconstruction of the artifacts and ingredients created for use in the Shabazz Palaces’ film
Welcome to Quazarz by Black Constellation artist Nep Sidhu; new work inspired by the exhibition from Atlanta-based freestyle organization Soul Food Cypher; exclusive interviews, process archives and prototypes from the designers, artists, technologists and filmmakers behind works for Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Burna Boy, Chicano Batman, The Church of Coltrane, Clipping, The Deftones, Jidenna, KAZU, Fela Kuti, New Order, Sampa The Great, The Sex Pistols and Record Culture Magazine; music-based design speculations on the future from CCA -California College of the Arts and Imperial College London; and much more.













Along with the virtual exhibition, viewers can purchase print-on-demand artwork from an online museum shop benefitting the artists featured in the exhibition, enjoy live performances from notable artists including Imogen Heap, Salva, David Phipps (STS9), AmpLive and Rhyme So, and participate in online programming for adults and children exploring Zine culture – a DIY and tactile way to share stories that draw from personal perspectives. Inspired by Zines first used in the 1970s to help promote punk music, the educational program will i nvite participants to learn how they can make and share their own story through Zines.













The Future Happened is co-curated by Lawrence Azerrad; Ruby Savage, an internationally known creative director, DJ and music & culture curator; Floyd Hall, a media strategist, cultural producer and documentarian from Atlanta; and Marlin Fuentes, a designer, researcher, ethnomusicologist and entrepreneur working at the nexus of culture, emerging technology and design.






About Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

Located within the Midtown Arts Corridor since 2011, MODA is the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design. The museum defines design as a creative process that inspires change, transforms lives and makes the world a better place, an idea that informs all of is exhibitions and programs. MODA offers an extensive range of adult programs, as well as educational programs and camps for children.

Learn more at museumofdesign.org