WNDR Museum describes itself as being at the intersection of art and technology. This week, it's coming to Boston for the first time.
The museum has a Museum of Science-meets-Institute of Contemporary Art feel to it. While several rooms feature moments that seem to be made for Instagram, the experience also features art installations from established artists and new, local creatives in Boston.
The first WNDR Museum opened in Chicago in 2018. The new space at 500 Washington St. in downtown Boston is WNDRs largest yet, at 17,000 square feet.
The museum doesn’t have a specific target audience, Chris Freeman, president and CEO of WNDR said.
“Without being everything to everybody, if you are creatively-minded, there will be something for you,” he said.
The centerpiece installation is Yayoi Kusama’s “Let’s Survive Forever,” a mirror box room with suspended stainless steel balls. According to WNDR, there will be 20-plus installations at any given time, and they will rotate in and out two-to-four times per year.
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WNDR Studios, the curation-arm of WNDR, is made up of designers, artists, and coders. Some more traditional art at the museum is augmented or enhanced by technology, while some is made entirely by the tech. One current installation will use AI to create art from visitor-input.
It’s meant to advance the traditional museum-going experience with numerous interactive elements, scents, sounds, motion-sensors, and lights.
The museum will also be available for corporate rentals, according to Freeman. Some of the lights-based fixtures can be retrofitted to incorporate company logos, he said.
The museum is scheduled to open Feb. 1. Tickets start at $32.
