Inter(mediate) Spaces: Philadelphia Living Labs

As new technology continues to shape our lives, how can we use these tools to help imagine a society that reflects our shared values?

Bring a memory of a place that matters to you. Over one weekend, you write it, record it, and turn it into a world of images and sound generated from your own words. Your world is shown at Cherry Street Pier from December 11 to 18, 2026, as part of the Inter(mediate) Spaces installation, and participants get first access on December 11.

Living Labs are free. No experience is needed. You can write and record in any language.

Dates

Living Lab 1: November 14 to 15, with Eunice Levis and Richelle Kota. Co-hosted with the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival (PHLAFF). Register by Thursday, November 12.

Living Lab 2: November 21 to 22, with Taj Rauch and Richelle Kota. Register by Thursday, November 19.

Living Lab 3: November 28 to 29, with Micah Lockman-Fine and Richelle Kota. Register by Wednesday, November 25.

Each Lab

Saturday, 11am to 5pm: reflection, writing and recorded conversations in pairs. Lunch provided.

Sunday, 12 to 4pm: you make your own world on the Lab platform and share it with the group.

Bring

Bring a friend! We also pair individuals.

A smartphone on both days and a laptop on Sunday.

Location & Registration

WRT Design, 123 S. Broad Street, Suite 1450, Philadelphia. The building needs the guest list 24 hours before each Lab, so register by the date for your weekend and keep your confirmation email. Everyone attending needs their own registration.

Under 18?

You're welcome with a parent or guardian on site and a signed parental consent.

About the Labs

Each Living Lab is guided by artist Chloé Lee, creator of Reflections of Little Red Dot (SXSW XR Jury Award 2025). Prior Living Labs have been held in Berlin, New York City and Montréal; Philadelphia is the newest chapter.

Living Lab goals

Reflect individually and as a group on memory, space, and technology's promise of connection. Bridge generations and backgrounds by bringing people together to share stories of the places that shaped them.

What you will get:

Your own story about Philadelphia, or another place meaningful to you, turned into a world shown at Cherry Street Pier in December, with your name on it. A hands-on, more critical understanding of how AI shapes our everyday lives. Time with artists, filmmakers, researchers, urban designers, architects and decision-makers, and a chance to discuss how you see future shared spaces in Philadelphia.

Refer a friend who might be interested and has a story to share.

Inter(mediate) Spaces is created, directed and produced by Chloé Lee, with Technical Director Lucas Martinic. A Present Futures (Berlin) production, co-presented in Philadelphia with WRT Design, with the public presentation hosted by Cherry Street Pier. Funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Agog.

AI & Data Privacy

Your words stay with the studio and are used only for this project. They appear in the archive and the online gallery only if you agree on your release. The tools are open-source models run by Present Futures on its own server in Germany, and nothing goes to an outside AI service.

Questions?

[email protected]