New Ideas CityHello Museum

Wherefore Store

Cover Image:

Wherefore Store is a storefront scenario, a format for imagining future economies by suggesting what global-scale economic change could mean for everyday, street-level commerce. Photo credit: Matthew Sussman

We want more people to think about economic futures, not through abstract theory but rather through lived experiences of actionable, long-term possibilities. Wherefore Store is a storefront scenario, a format for imagining future economies that considers what global-scale change could mean for everyday, street-level commerce.

It is an experiment in collaborative storytelling about our individual and collective future. By interacting with a staged concept store, visitors will be encouraged to imagine how their lives might change if and when the material intensity of the global economy declines. We believe that this is not a necessarily bleak circumstance but rather an opportunity for alternative, compelling economics to emerge. Our proposals are meant as suggestions, not prescriptions; visitors will be urged to contribute their own insights and ideas.