Future Sensations

Saint-Gobain's Future Sensations was paraded through the internet as one of the season's must-see attractions. With the French company's North American headquarters in Center City, Philadelphia is the only U.S. stop on its worldwide tour. That in itself was enough to make the blogosphere wet with glee. "Suck it, New York!" 

But as Inga Saffron was quick to point out, the exhibition is little more than a thinly veiled promotion. The materials corporation used four unique pavilions to showcase their products, and a fifth for a sale's pitch. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. After all, that's exactly what anything dubbed an "exhibition" is. We pay a pretty penny to see the Auto Show and the Flower Show, and we know we're walking right into a commercial.

Saint-Gobain didn't set us up for a promotion, though. Much like Frank Gehry's "exhibit" at the Pennsylvania Museum of Art, we went in expecting to experience pavilions dedicated to history and the arts, and what we got was a lesson in the materials Saint-Gobain offers. We got Saint-Gobain's history.

Nonetheless, it's a dazzling spectacle to see. The lines have died down since opening day and they're worth a look. Even if some of the pavilions leave you wondering what the point is, they pods are uniquely designed creations that are, at the very least, pretty cool.

The Future Is Coming

This summer, Philadelphia will join Shanghai, Sao Paulo, and Paris as the only North American city to host Saint-Gobain's Future Sensations, a traveling exposition celebrating the materials company's 350 year anniversary. With five pavilions, one designed exclusively for Philadelphia, Future Sensations focuses on science, storytelling, and art.

That's gonna look pretty sexy on Eakins Oval (image from Uwishunu.com).

Saint-Gobain's North American headquarters are located in Philadelphia, so the city was an obvious choice. But don't confuse the tour with an event on par with a traveling convention. Saint-Gobain is impressive. With Philadelphia quickly becoming a technologies hub, this event becomes even more significant. Industry leaders will be visiting for the pavilions on Eakins Oval, but will linger to consider the city's place in the field, Comcast's sweeping influence, and other innovative companies that have opted for Philadelphia over the Silicone and Cascade Valleys. 

So, yeah, we're kind of a big deal right now.