Specular Projects was approached to create an exhibition for the Museum of Future Government Services, set to open in Dubai. Specifically, Fitzania is a future echo of what fitness could look like for citizens of the UAE.

Our imagined future is a series of exercises that you’re led through, all the while having your vital responses measured and analyzed. The test begins when you pick up the tracking orb, which was specially covered in a retroreflective coating so taht we could track it in thee dimensions. An immersive environment then leads you through a series of movements, specifically made to get you moving around in space. At first these movements are all lateral, on a 2D plane, before we ask you to move your feet and move through the space. The final stage culminates in a game-like interaction that ends with a satisfying boom, before you return the ball to the pedestal. Based on your physical response, a custom perscription for a health drink in the future cafe next door would be waiting for you.

While this was a prototype, it is a future we could see imagine and improved upon some day. However, for the moment we were happy to see hundreds of people, from kids, to high ranking government officials come through and enjoy Fitzania all the same.

The 2015 Museum of Future Government Services is a project by the Prime Minister’s Office of the UAE directed by Tellart with an international team of top design studios including Specular, SOFTlab, Bompas & Parr, Octo, Idee und Klang, and Future Cities Catapult. The onsite build and installation was done by Tellart in collaboration with Publicis Live, Neumann Miller and Projex.