NEW CIRCADIA: AN EXHIBITION FOR A CITY THAT DOESN'T SLEEP

Beyond Tradition | Erika Serodio

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The first time I went to New Circadia (Adventures in Mental Spelunking), it was a Tuesday. A friend and I fit our visit into a pocket of time during a busy week. I took advantage of being with someone who wasn’t studying museums like myself, and I suggested we bypass the exhibition text on the main floor and head straight to the installation downstairs. A few weeks later, I nervously asked one of the curators, Professor Richard Sommer, about the ideas and intentions behind the text that I had not taken the time to read. To my relief, Sommer explained that they did not want this exhibition to be pedagogical. The didactic part of the show was designed by the team of curators which included Richard Sommer, Natalie Fizer and Emily Stevenson of Pillow Culture, and Laura Miller. A recent Daniels graduate, Zainab Al-Rawi, helped with the research. According to Sommer, the text was intentionally separate from the installation because they didn’t want people to have to work for the experience.

How do you organize your time? Photo courtesy of Erika Serodio

New Circadia taps into our current cultural moment by cross-examining our never-ending push for productivity. The curatorial team set out to design a space for idling and mental decompression. Sleeping in the space, says Sommer, was not outside of the goal. “We’ve had faculty fall asleep in there.” But Sommer adds that there was a broader sense of ambitions. The space was designed for anyone to fall into a state of semi-unconscious, to be lulled into a dream state. However, the positive reaction from students who are using the space to rest on campus has not gone unnoticed. The team at Daniels made the choice to extend their hours during the most intense time of the year for students; they stayed open all night at the end of last semester.

One of the puzzles in designing a space for people to disconnect is addressing the inconspicuous and insidious ways in which our cell phones are tied to our waking life. The curatorial team carefully considered how to make this space tech-free without being draconian about it; they did not want to make a no-phone rule. They chose instead to take a laissez-faire approach, hoping that the space itself would inspire phone-free behaviour. In my experience this has worked quite well.

Dream Parliament. Photo courtesy of Erika Serodio

A wide range of events are set to compliment the space in the coming months. Last Thursday, Matthew Spellberg and David Leo Rice led a comfortably horizontal audience through An Exercise in the Democracy of Sleep. Through his talk about the history of sharing dreams and the benefits of dissecting this common experience, Spellberg made a case for reclaiming sleep in a society that tends to devalue it. Recorded dreams had been printed in large fonts and affixed to the walls of the cave-like installation. Some of those dreams were collected through Oneiroi, a dream-sharing project that operates in tandem with New Circadia. An audience member asked Spellberg what we know about controlling our dreams. His response was that we do not, conclusively, know very much, but we do know that talking about our dreams will make it more likely that we remember them. Spellberg told us that after tonight’s talk it was very likely that we would all remember our dreams tomorrow morning. Sure enough, for the first time in what felt like weeks, I woke the next morning from a vivid dream to the sound of my landlady roaring the snow blower outside my window.

New Circadia (Adventures in Mental Spelunking) runs from November 7, 2019 to April 30, 2020, and is free to attend.

The upcoming programming associated with New Circadia is not to be missed:

February 13, 2020 – Performance: Christine Sun Kim
February 25, 2020 – Lecture: Mark Kingwell, “Wish I Were Here: Boredom and the Interface”
March 5, 2020 – Lecture: Franny Nudelman, "Activist Encampments and the Fight for Public Sleep"
March 13, 2020 – Performance: Beau Rhee
April 2, 2020 – Performance: Kay Turner, “Persephone’s Return/Persephone’s Revenge”

YOU ARE AN ART COLLECTOR: OWNING AND INTERACTING WITH INTERNET ART

Collections Corner | Jaime Meier 

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Photo courtesy of Jaime Meier

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of seeing "Age of You" at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The exhibition is a fantastic dive into our complicated relationship with technology and its inseparable presence in our lives. A quote by Liam Young has continued to haunt me, "Ideology rarely evolves at the pace of our technology. As we turn our gaze towards the machine landscapes, we need to radically embrace our uncomfortable place in a world where we are no longer at its center." As an ever dedicated Musing columnist, I began to ponder the implication of this for collecting.

Traditional art collecting is considered to be different than simply owning art because creating a collection requires a plan for acquisition and an overarching theme. Advice for collecting typically comes down to knowing your taste and purchasing art you like, not just investment pieces. This guidance has been applied to traditional art forms for centuries but has began to be called into question by evolving technology. New software and technological advances have rapidly produced an artistic medium that moves beyond canvas and clay, the machine landscapes of the internet.

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Internet artist, Rafael Rozendaal, displays his web-based works online and in galleries. His art, typically priced at $7,500 has been purchased by private collectors and museums such as the Museum of the Image in Breda and Borusan Collection in Istanbul. Since his works continue to exist on the internet after purchase, anyone with an internet connection is able to view the art an unlimited amount of times. With the art's eternal presence, the collection is no longer at the center of containing the art work, but rather it belongs to the internet itself and the people who utilize its spaces.

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Loren Schmidt and Katie Rose Pipkin are also internet artists who take the ownership of internet art a step further. Their twitter project, @mothgenerator, allows users to tweet a word at them that signals a software generator to create a personalized moth using that word. People are given this personalized artwork that remains on display for the public, creating an intersection of ownership between artist, moth requestor, and the public.

To understand the role of the internet in our lives, we must re-evaluate our definition of collecting. Our ideology about the internet and its ownership are far behind where the internet has taken us. Traditionally, a majority of art collections exist in the shadows and only re-appear for an exhibition or special request.  Someone who possess art is a guardian and the art becomes integrated into a personal canon that expresses interests, desires, and fears. The internet does not allow for its art forms to hide or disappear from sight, instead they become a permanently accessible feature.

Many web-based art forms rely on an interaction to set it a part. Going through a randomly generated art website, such as"My Boyfriend Came Back From War" by Olia Lialina. No one will ever will the exact same webpage nor experience it in the same way, it is not a static art form you can return to again and again for consistency. How can someone own your unique experience? They cannot, this is yours and you get to own it.

As the world continues to criticize, analyze, and relish in the presence of web-based media in our daily lives, one thing becomes clear - we cannot own art the same way we once did. Each person is able to add or refuse art work into their personal collections. I have imbedded 16 links in different letters for you to explore and to aid in the formation of your internet art collection,  are you able to collect them all?

NON-NEUTRAL SPACES: ALUMNI CHECK-IN WITH ERIN CANNING

Alumni Check-In | Elizabeth Cytko

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Erin poses in the Aga Khan photobooth.
Photo courtesy of Erin Canning. 

Erin Canning is the Digital Platform Administrator at the Aga Khan Museum. They defended their Master’s thesis Affective Metadata for Object Experiences in the Art Museum in 2018 and graduated from the University of Toronto in 2019. Erin also sits on the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) Linked Open Data advisory committee; CHIN’s mandate is to assist Canadian museums in documenting, managing, and sharing information about their collections now and in the future.

What is your favourite memory from your time in the Museum program?

My favorite memory is probably my thesis defense. It can be really stressful. And there definitely was a lot of stress involved with it. But it was also probably like what a lot of exhibitions students feel with their exhibition opening. It's a culmination of all of this work that you've put in and a real critical point that shows all of the different things that you've learned during your time at the iSchool. For myself as a CRO*, it was really a chance to work across both departments, applying the things I learned in the MI program to the MMSt context, and just get a chance to really look back at all the work that I had done in putting the pieces together and seeing it actually work.

*Concurrent Registration Option, now known as the Combined Degree Program

Why did you decide to pursue a thesis instead of the exhibition project?

I did my MI studies in Information Systems Design and User Experience Design. I'm really interested in information structures and information systems design in the arts and culture heritage context. The exhibition option didn't really speak to those things. Additionally, I'd spent a number of years working at an artist-run center during my undergrad, so I had a lot of exhibitions experience already and I was looking for something that could sort of take what I was interested in now to the next level.

Did your thesis feed into your current position?

Definitely. All the database courses, database structure, coding, etc., that's what I do. I spend most of my days in SQL and in the back end of databases. But having that museum studies knowledge and being able to understand it through that lens and in that context is really essential for doing the work well, making it fit the institution and knowing the kinds of questions that I need to raise or that should be discussed, and finding the people to talk about those with. Databases are not these neutral things: we make them, we actively configure them, and the ways that we label and structure and present information is very political. We need to make sure that the ways that we're developing our information systems speaks properly to the concerns that we have around collections, and that theory really comes from the museum studies side. The work that I do really encompasses a lot of the core concepts that I was taught about in the MI and the MMSt sides at my time at the iSchool.

What pulled you toward digital platforms?

I've worked in digital for quite some time. In my first jobs out of undergrad working in the commercial art scene, one of the biggest issues that I always noticed was that we had great artists, we had amazing art, we had amazing collectors, but we weren't really great at connecting the information about the art in the artists with the collectors in the ways that they wanted to see it. A lot of that came down to the fact that our databases weren't really working for us. I realized that everything could be much more efficient if we had our information systems geared up in a way that actively works to support our end goals. That got me really interested in digital platforms because databases now are digital; this led me back to the iSchool for my Master's program.

What is digital infrastructure?

It’s the plumbing in your house, it’s the lay of your foundation. If I'm going to put it up an exhibition online, that may be your public presentation, but the infrastructure is the piece behind that links all these things together. So if we want to create a publication after the website we don't have to recreate pulling our assets together. Infrastructure is the work that the public doesn't see that has to take place in order for us to produce the best exhibitions and programming and educational initiatives because we can spend our time focused on those public presentations as opposed to finding the things that we need in order to make them.

Databases are not all Erin works on. Here is a "hologram" they made.
GIF Courtesy of Erin Canning

What should current Museum Studies students keep in mind when it comes to digital collections?

Just because you see digital collections one way doesn't mean that is the way that it will always be or the way that is the best. It means that it's the way that we are currently trying, because it's the best that we've gotten to so far. You might see an online collection and think, “that doesn't really come across very well, therefore, digital doesn't do anything for me”. That makes about as much sense as going to one exhibition and saying that all museums aren't working: you're seeing just one thing in just one way, because we're trying things that are new. Keep that open mindedness towards it, but come at it with a critical eye as well.

Don't shy away from it and don't shy away from learning about the mundane tasks that are required in order to make those things happen. With any of those projects, there's a monumental amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. No matter where you're working in the museum, being able to understand a little bit of that is really helpful.

Is there anything you wish you had done while you were in the program?

I didn't start going to conferences until my third year, I wish I started going earlier. My advice here would be to go to all the conferences you can, take advantage of that student funding. Everyone that I've ever met at a museum conference has been nothing but welcoming, and willing to Skype with me about their projects. Take advantage of those things and start doing it as early as you can.

JUST ANOTHER WEEKEND ON THE INTERNET

Beyond Tradition | Erika Serodio

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A few Saturdays ago, on September 28th, Jia Tolentino – a staff writer at the New Yorker – spoke to a sold out Toronto crowd about her new book Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self Delusion.

Trick Mirror. Photo Courtesy of Erika Serodio.

A few Sundays ago, on September 29th, I rode my bicycle to Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art where the Age of You exhibition has taken over floors two and three of the factory-turned-museum building.

Age of You at MOCA. Photograph courtesy of Erika Serodio. 

These two shows felt like companions to each other. Both focused broadly on two words that have become increasingly difficult to define: the self and the internet. Why, you might ask, would I choose to fill my weekend with the bleak and bitter words describing my generation’s demise? The answer is twofold. First, to compare how a more traditional museum space and a space that’s definitely not a museum engage their audiences in an important conversation. And second, because I think it’s an important conversation.

I like to think I’m not a fan-girl kind of girl. But Jia Tolentino has not only made me her fan-girl, she has forced me to reconsider the ways that I think about myself. Her new book is a collection of essays about “the incentives that shape us, and about how hard it is to see ourselves clearly through a culture that revolves around the self” (according to the book’s jacket.) Tolentino was interviewed about the book by Kathleen Newman-Bremang, senior writer for Refinery29. Over 700 people attended the sold out show at Hot Docs cinema. Obviously I’m not the only fan-girl.

Kathleen Newman-Bremang & Jia Tolentino. Photograph Courtesy of Erika Serodio.

Tolentino’s subject matter is dismal. She spoke about the performance of self, about how the internet has monetized identity and selfhood, and about how when we are burdened with an economic mandate our sense of self becomes unclear. And yet, with an uncanny lightness, both her book and her speaking event have made spaces where I feel comfortable and compelled to critique the way that I present myself on the internet compared to in-person.

Age of You at MOCA. Photograph courtesy of Erika Serodio. 

In Age of You, the MOCA exhibition curated by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, the artworks interrogate how “you –and all your online behaviours, enriched data sets and millions of meta-data points –are this century’s most valuable resource.” Age of You was a whole lot more apocalyptic than Trick Mirror. People walked through the exhibition quietly and uncomfortably. I was disturbed by the images and the words presented. This is actually a feeling I love in museums – please, make me feel something! I thought I would come away from this weekend with a better understanding of how algorithms and data sets are affecting me. Both shows made me realize that it’s impossible to understand the effects of the internet because it’s moving faster than we can comprehend. What might be the most important thing is to remain critical of our online behaviours.

Tolentino joked about how several interviewers have commented on the fact that her essays do not have conclusions. But then she said something that had the entire audience laughing in agreement. She asked us to think about some of the best conversations we have ever had and how they usually end without a conclusion. She acted out her version of this scenario by nodding with a bewildered look and said “Yeah, man.” To Jia Tolentino, “a neat ending absolves us of productive discomfort.”

Age of You at MOCA. Photograph courtesy of Erika Serodio.

The last piece in the Age of You’s exhibition is titled The Impossibility of David Bowie Being Dead in the Minds of the Living. It’s an effigy of Bowie’s face that represents his immortal persona. Yeah, man.

DATA DRIVEN VISITORS: ALUMNI CHECK-IN WITH CAITLIN TRACEY-MILLER

Alumni Check-In | Elizabeth Cytko

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Caitlin Tracey-Miller and her daughter Edie at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Photo courtesy of Caitlin Tracey-Miller

Caitlin Tracey-Miller is the Visitor Research Coordinator at the Cincinnati Art Museum. She graduated from the Museum Studies program in 2013. Caitlin transforms visitor information collection techniques with an eye for inclusion and long term outcomes.

What is your favourite memory from your time in the Museum program?

I had many wonderful experiences during my time in the program, including trips to Montreal and Ottawa, engaging conversations, and great projects, including a fun one about the Dodo bird I worked on for Curating Science. I also made lasting friendships that continue to be important to me both personally and professionally. I connect with my MMSt buddies at least once a week!

Is there anything you wish you had done while you were in the program?

I wish I had managed to fit in an internship or other hands-on opportunity that worked directly with collections. My experiences focused on forward facing museum work, such as programs, volunteers, visitor research, and digital learning. I do not work directly with objects in my job, and I would have enjoyed a chance to do more of that.

What has changed in museums from the time you graduated to now?
I graduated in 2013, so I do not think things have dramatically changed  in terms of practice as a whole, but I think a lot about museums as a place for empathy, conversation, and connection during a divisive and difficult time here in the United States. I also make an effort to think about inclusion and diversity when I create research tools, analyze data, and think about outcomes.

Front view of the Cincinnati Art  Museum
Photo courtesy of Caitlin Tracey-Miller

Can you tell me a little about the Cincinnati Art Museum?

The Cincinnati Art Museum has been around since the late 19th century and our collection spans more than 6,000 years. Visitors see art from around the world as well as work that connects intimately with the Cincinnati region. We offer a rotating calendar of dynamic exhibitions, a diverse set of programs, and have a hands-on space for children and their families to engage in art-making. Last summer we had an exhibition featuring the Terracotta Army and this summer we have No Spectators: the Art of Burning Man. We recently hosted Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion, which I believe the ROM welcomed as well. The museum aims to contribute to the vibrancy of our city and the region through connecting and inspiring people with art.

What does a Visitor Research Coordinator do?

My position lives under the umbrella of Visitor Experience, but I work with departments across the museum. I'll complete front-end studies for upcoming exhibitions, summative evaluations at the conclusion of projects, coordinate participation in citywide studies, maintain monthly experience and demographic reports, and even design and execute fun interactive visitor research tools.
 
What does a typical day entail at your job?

My day to day work varies dramatically. Some days I work directly with volunteers or interns on training or I might work with team members in meetings. On other days, I am at my desk sifting through data and creating reports or presenting my findings to others. I work hard to make reports visual and easy to digest, so that they are as useful as possible.

What do you find most fulfilling about your work?

I value the opportunity to listen to and share visitor voices. I love thinking about the outcomes and value of museum work, and finding ways to measure what we do so we can share that information with stakeholders, funders, colleagues, volunteers, etc.

Interactive ball chart.
Photo courtesy of Caitlin Tracey-Miller

What was one of your favourite / most illuminating research projects that you have done to date?

I successfully applied for our department to serve as an AmeriCorps host site, which has been a rewarding and fun project. This project takes us out into nearby neighborhoods to ask visitors about their experiences with and impressions of the Art Museum and helps us break down barriers to visitation. As a part of this project, we designed some fun research interactives, such as a ping pong ball charts.

What is the best way to prepare to present your research results to stakeholders?

Less is more! I have found that visual and concise reports are important. I always include an email memo with my reports pulling out a few highlights. I'll point stakeholders in the direction of more in-depth information, but I want them to know what the big takeaways are up front. People are busy. If it isn't easy to tell what they're supposed to see, the report will sit unused.

Is there something you wish you had more time to do but which your current position prevents you from?

I wish I had more time to travel and visit other museums for inspiration in my free time. The Art Museum generously grants professional development grants, so I have been able to attend the Visitor Studies Association conference and develop great relationships with my counterparts in other Art Museums. I contact them regularly to bounce ideas around.

What is the best way to connect with volunteers?

Personally, I have done large-format trainings for our iPad surveys, but nothing beats one-on-one conversations. Some volunteers have truly become survey champions, and I could not collect all of the data I do without them. Emails and other written communications are important, but they can get lost.

IPad survey
Photo courtesy of Caitlin Tracey-Miller

How has technology made your job easier/harder?

Easier! I use iPad survey kiosks in all of our special exhibitions, and they have dramatically increased the number of responses we receive to our special exhibitions. Technology helps me store, sort, analyze and present research in a visual way.

What technology skills do you suggest Museum Studies students develop while in the program?

For my job, comfort with Excel and tablets have been important. I utilize Infogram to create infographics and our museum's metrics dashboard and QuickTap Survey for iPad research. We also use Survey Monkey and Microsoft Teams.

What are some of the greatest risks you have taken in your career?

I moved to Toronto and took a chance on the MMSt!

What is one of your failures that was a great learning experience?

I created an interactive to accompany a front-end study that I thought was a lot of fun. It involved drawing what came to mind when presented with a set of terms. Unfortunately, it was confusing for visitors and volunteers hated facilitating it. It was difficult to describe in written directions and it was a flop. I think it was a great example of the importance of prototyping before you roll out a tool that you hope will yield results.

What is your best networking advice?

Seek relationships first. I've made great connections networking that have led to great opportunities, but I don't think you should go into networking looking for instant results. Museum friends have been hugely important to my work and I always enjoy talking about a field I'm passionate about.

What advice would you give to museum professionals entering the sector today?

Patience. Sometimes it takes some work to build a resume or land the perfect position. When I look around at my colleagues from the program, many of them are doing really amazing work in the field they chose. There were doubts and frustrations along the way, but it's neat to see where people have landed.

If you could travel back in time, what would you advise your younger self?

I think I would advise my younger self to take a deep breath and relax a bit. I often over-committed myself in a desperate attempt to build my resume and never let an opportunity float away. A couple of years out of the program, I experience some feelings of burnout and had to cut back on some of the extra unpaid museum opportunities I had taken on.

What is your advice to young museum professionals in creating a solid financial base for their future?

If possible, avoid huge student loans. I'll be paying mine for a long time! Also, be realistic about the salaries in museums. Do some research and see what people are making in the positions you are interested in. I am happy I am in this field, but it is important to be aware.

THE MAGNETISM OF AN 'IN-BETWEEN'

SPECIAL EDITION – MI FEATURE

BY: CHRISTINA BONDI

On Saturday, July 21st, I set out for the Ontario Science Centre, donning my Back to the Future t-shirt and hoverboard necklace. The reason for this expedition was POPnology, an exhibition visiting from May 19 to August 6, 2018. I eagerly walked into Proctor & Gamble Great Hall. Before me, popular culture and science/technology had actively joined forces, allowing for conversation. I stood at the threshold, between one and the other, and explored this thrilling ‘in-between’.

Baxter, a robot designed by Rethink Robotics, is positioned near the entrance of POPnology. Visitors are first greeted, and then introduced to the exhibition space. During Baxter’s brief presentation, its arms move and facial features change. The sign just below the robot reads, “Demos every 5 minutes. Even robots need rest!” Reflecting further, it is clear that Baxter illustrates an enduring need for humans to convey anthropomorphic features or mannerisms onto robotics.

Baxter welcomes visitors to POPnology. Photo courtesy of Christina Bondi.

Baxter mentions four central ‘spheres’ in which to reflect upon the term popnology: ‘How We Connect,’ ‘How We Play,’ ‘How We Live & Work,’ and ‘How We Move.’ Throughout the exhibition space, visitors are able to learn about how science fiction and science coexist and converse with each other: in wrist and handheld devices, robotics, virtual reality, video games, 3D printing, space exploration (i.e. Mars and aliens), autonomous vehicles, AI, and so on. For example, I found the visual timeline of real versus fictitious robots to be quite effective. In the image below, you will see that these robots—whether they be conceptually or materially constructed—were, are, or will be a part of our popular culture.

Robots: a timeline. Photo courtesy of Christina Bondi.

The exhibition features a time capsule structure with several significant individuals, in relevant fields: the visions and realities of select authors, scientists, inventors, and business people throughout history. These include, but are not limited to, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Elon Musk, and Steve Jobs. The capsule even includes four small displays (one for each ‘sphere’ of POPnology), which make up a popular culture collection (i.e. books, photographs, and other objects) of a time past.

The POPnology time capsule. Photo courtesy of Christina Bondi.

Also, it was truly inspiring to see the Back to the Future DeLorean time machine and hoverboard; I always appreciate learning about how others envision and contemplate the future. But more to the point, I am a devoted Back to the Future fan.

 The Back to the Future DeLorean time machine. Photo courtesy of Christina Bondi.

Both children and adults are encouraged to engage with POPnology’s exhibition space. The many interactive elements balanced and complemented the themes’ written text. Visitors manoeuvre robotic arms in order to remotely lift dinosaur eggs and create block structures. A rover drives around a small area of Mars, based on remote-control implementation and human engagement (i.e. click the buttons to assign movement). During my own visit, I thoroughly enjoyed a game of tic-tac-toe with ToeBot. Though quite clever and determined, I did find a way to double-trap the robot.

An engrossing game of tic-tac-toe with ToeBot. Photo courtesy of Christina Bondi

To further obscure the real and the virtual, I also had the chance to ‘transport’ myself into two virtual settings (of ten) via an Oculus Rift headset. The experience was brief yet intense. In one setting, for example, I had been placed on the top of a building, overlooking a dystopic/futuristic cityscape. I spent the time struggling to convince myself that it was simply a virtual construction. Did I dare move forward and risk stepping off the platform?

Desperately seeking a return to some kind of material form, I then thought of 3D printing. The 3D printing booth at POPnology features both Formlabs and MakerBot printers—the latter in ‘additive action’ for passersby to witness! Even the ground-breaking, inaugural 3D printed car (Local Motors) is on display, to praise and applaud. 3D printing is quite a multi-purpose process, as it can produce prosthetics (i.e. Exiii HACKberry arm), medical models, and decorative items, just to name a few.

3D printing booth (left), Local Motors 3D printed car (centre), and Exiii HACKberry prosthetic arm (left).
Photos courtesy of Christina Bondi.

POPnology offers engagement with both traditional (i.e. arts-and-crafts) and digital forms of making. For instance, a workshop is available for children to construct a Mars lander, consisting of a parachute and other craft supplies as needed. This allows for a more traditional crafting experience. Nearby, STEAMLabs (a Toronto-based makerspace) calls for interaction via coding/programming. The result involves moving a robotic arm, so as to lift Minecraft-themed objects.

Coding with STEAMLabs. Photo courtesy of Christina Bondi.

As a small treat, I will end by sharing one last experience. Whilst exploring the exhibition, I came across the POPnology photo booth. Because of my Back to the Future attire, I thought it was especially fitting to document the visit. Below, you will find me, presumably, in transit through time; when selecting photographs for this article, I had noticed that the Back to the Future DeLorean time machine replica features the same backdrop (see image 4 to compare).

 “Where am I?” Photo courtesy of the POPnology photo booth, Ontario Science Centre.

Examine (through both written/visual content and experiential activities) the deep-rooted attraction between popular culture and science/technology at the Ontario Science Centre’s POPnology. This exhibition closes on August 6, 2018. No need to jump into your DeLorean time machine quite yet. There’s still some time!