CAMBRIDGE, MASS.- As part of a new institutional initiative, MIT Museum has announced its first thematic season, dedicated to the concept of Time. Connecting exhibitions, installations, workshops, displays, education initiatives and community-building social events, the year-long TIME season marks a shift towards thematic programming that will use a variety of formats to foster conversation and spark creative thinking regarding the major topics of our times. TIME will be a year-long thematic focus, with two thematic seasons per year thereafter.
From the climate crisis, to wormholes, to time travel, TIME will explore nearly a dozen subthemes, bringing together installations, exhibitions and events to provide a conceptual, educational and thoughtful look at our ever-changing understanding and complex relationship with the subject.
Michael John Gorman, Director of MIT Museum said: ‘MIT Museum occupies a unique position in the cultural landscape with a far-reaching program that explores the big ideas and urgent questions in the world of science, technology, art and design.
A public laboratory for MIT research and beyond, our new thematic approach will create connections between our disparate and varied areas of research, collections and programming to tell a bigger story, authentically connecting our audiences with the ideas and subjects that are shaping our future. We are thrilled to be working with Janet Echelman, Carsten Höller, and Liliane Lijn to kick off our first thematic season.’
Remembering the Future
An installation by Janet Echelman in collaboration with MIT Associate Professor Caitlin Mueller
Launching: September 17, 2025
Created during Echelman’s Visiting Artist residency at the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST) in collaboration with MIT Associate Professor Caitlin Mueller, Remembering the Future is a site-specific installation commissioned by the MIT Museum, inspired by Earth’s climate timeline, translating historical records and possible futures into sculptural form.
Constructed from colored twines and ropes that are braided, knotted and spliced to create a three-dimensional form, the large-scale artwork will be suspended throughout the museum’s lobby and ascending staircase, providing a dramatic gateway into the museum and the wider season concept of TIME.
The installation is informed by the work of Professor Raffaele Ferrari, Co-Director of MIT Lorenz Center, and unites artistic and experimental technical practice, visualizing Earth’s climate history from the last ice age to potential futures, prompting viewers to consider climate change, think about what it means to be human now and imagine what the future holds for the planet and all living things.
Part of the project was rooted in the exploration of new digital tools, combining engineering, soft forms and architectural knowledge with an interactive digital twin serving as a test model of the innovative software developed specifically for this project.
The artwork will also be supported by further video content showing the importance of Echelman’s work as soft interventions in public and urban spaces.
Lighten UP!
Exhibition dates: October 28, 2025 – Summer 2026
Opening Reception: October 28
Symposium: October 29
Bringing together 16 works by international artists including Liliane Lijn, Colin Fournier, and James Carpenter, Lighten Up! explores the secrets and importance of circadian rhythms and the importance of (day)light to our wellbeing and daily lives. Activated through immersive environments, soundscapes and lighting installations, the exhibition uses art as an entry point into the scientific field and the daily factors that impact our physical, mental, and behavioural changes each day. Featuring a mix of new, site-specific, and adapted works, the exhibition evokes emotional responses combined with scientific thinking as visitors move through the spaces.
As part of the exhibition, celebrated artist Carsten Höller will exhibit in collaboration with MIT alumnus Adam Haar Horowitz and the MIT Museum Studio and Compton Gallery’s Seth Riskin.
Lighten Up! Was curated by Professor Emeritus, Anna Wirz-Justice (Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel), Prof. Marilyne Andersen (Director of EPFL’s Laboratory of Integrated Performance in Design, LIPID), among other curators from the EPFL Pavilions. A full list of artists, curators and works will be revealed later this summer.
After Dark Series
September 2025 – November 2026
MIT Museum’s monthly evening event series returns, bringing together talks, events, live demonstrations and interactive play centered on TIME. This adults-only series will see dedicated events celebrating different facets of TIME, combining programming with music, food and more. Debuting for the first time in September for adults ages 18 +
Spacetime - September 11, 2025
Rhythm – October 09, 2025
Circadian Rhythm – November 13, 2025
Science Fiction Film Series
September 2025 – May 2026
Presented in collaboration with the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival, this four-part series will be focused on contemporary cinema and popular culture’s relationship with the concept of time travel and its exploration as part of utopian and dystopian storytelling.
Time After Time – September 26, 2025
Looper – December 5, 2025
Cosmic Coda: A Journey Through Space, Time, and Discovery
September 29, 2025
Physicists Lisa Barsotti, David Kaiser, and Lyman Page join us at the MIT Museum for an evening of film and conversation exploring the documentary Cosmic Coda and LIGO’s groundbreaking discovery of gravitational waves.
Lighten Up! Symposium
October 29, 2025
This one-day event explores how living organisms connect with the natural cycles of light and dark, bringing together academic and artistic perspectives. Presented in collaboration with Swissnex.
AI and Your Time at Work
December 2, 2025
A conversation with MIT’s David Autor and Neil Thompson, moderated by Kara Miller, on how AI is reshaping the future of work. Presented with support from CSAIL Alliances.
