A dress that looks like a thunderstorm, a prosthetic arm that shoots glitter and a real-life jet pack—what do these objects have in common?

All of them represent wearable technology, a category expected to expand exponentially in the coming decade, transforming our daily lives. And, as part of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry’s Wired to Wear exhibit, each of these futuristic marvels needed next-level lighting to attract and engage millions of museum visitors.

The exhibit’s lighting needs were formidable: safety and clear visual direction for high-traffic areas, comfortable yet exciting ambient illumination, and enhanced display for a wide range of objects—some with highly specialized lighting requirements. Lighting also needed to support the exhibit’s futuristic look and feel, as an integral part of the overall concept exhibit designers had outlined. 

Morlights, a frequent MSI collaborator, brought deep knowledge of exhibit lighting, a keen focus on budgeting and limitless creativity to the task. In spite of existing infrastructure challenges, the Morlights team was able to find solutions that expressed both a desire to avoid extensive retrofitting and a drive to fully realize the exhibit’s artistic vision. Through Morlights’ creative lens, opportunities were found to use lighting to meet and even expand that vision, bringing added excitement to Wired to Wear. The finished product? A fascinating, immersive experience for museum visitors, and an inspiring showcase for the next-level tools of society

“Thinking about the technology of the future always gets my creative juices flowing. We were able to bring all that creativity to bear on this project, and deliver an amazing experience for MSI and its visitors.”-Avi Mor