The future is both a certainty and an unknown territory, occupying much of humanity’s thought. How will it unfold? Who controls it? When will it get here? Creative art and design studio, Electric Coffin, built an apparatus to facilitate discussion around these questions: Future Machine. The Future Machine at the Bellevue Arts Museum was an exhibition aimed at ushering in our entry to the future and illuminate the way forward. The installation consisted of five distinct phases: Idea, Fuel, Mechanics, Illumination, and Future. Each signaled a stage of development in the unfolding of Future Machine and the future alike. This was embodied by the addition of new pieces in the space and a conversation series to foster discussion around each phase’s theme. Creativity and collaboration served as central lenses to decipher the shape of the future throughout the process. Over its seven month term at BAM, Future Machine transformed and expanded through collaborations with local artists, makers, industry leaders, nonprofits, and other creatives—demonstrating the innovation that diverse voices invite. Partner contributions served as a metaphor for the way unconventional collaborations work to drive us forward. Some of the collaborators included Microsoft AI, Gensler, and Value Village. This immersive presentation-turned-creative-laboratory invited visitors to witness the unfurling of an idea from start to finish, inviting new ways of thinking along the way.