The Internet has undoubtedly transformed the world we live in; its unprecedented access to and layering of information lead to greater interaction and engagement, and a complex understanding of our place in the world. However, this innovative method of accumulating and remixing data is also occurring across the fields of architecture and design. A fluid exchange between these disciplines—fueled by advances in production processes, materials research, social and environmental concerns, and influences drawn from scientific and biological research—is resulting in new attitudes to architecture and design that are opening up these subject areas and stretching their range of influence. Diverse in perspective and output, the works included in Hyperlinks make clear that by fostering rigorous cross-disciplinary relations, architects and designers are carving out new avenues for experimentation that are helping shape insightful solutions to urgent issues, ultimately enhancing the quality of our daily lives.

Founded in 1879, the Art Institute of Chicago collects, preserves, and interprets works of art of the highest quality, representing the world’s diverse artistic traditions, for the inspiration and education of the public and in accordance with the museum profession’s highest ethical standards and practices. Containing more than 270,000 objects in eleven curatorial departments, the museum’s permanent collection is renowned for its French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist holdings and includes one of the most comprehensive museum collections of international modern art ranging from early works by Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, and Constantin Brancusi to Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, and the surrealists. Its photography collection spans the history of the medium from its formal beginning in the 1830s to the present and is widely recognized as one of the strongest in the world. The museum is also home to iconic works in the history of American art and boasts an extensive contemporary collection.