Arizona is planning to launch the Wonder House at SXSW 2022! See you in Austin!
Wonder Makes Us
Illuminate Austin at
South by Southwest®
Come with us to Austin as we introduce Tucson and the University of Arizona to the cultural and tech mecca of South by Southwest®.
We'll bring the sights, sounds, colors, tastes and smarts of the Sonoran Desert to Austin. Stay tuned for updates on speakers, musicians, surroundscape experiences, behind-the-scenes glimpses and opportunities for VIP access to invite-only samplings, recording sessions and fireside chats.
March 11–13, 2022 | 11:00 am – Midnight
Fogo de Chao, 309 E 3rd St, Austin, TX
WONDER WITH US
We are thrilled to partner with Fogo de Chao in the heart of Austin, across from the Austin Convention Center. Entrance on 3rd Street.
Fogo de Chao, 309 E 3rd St, Austin, TX 78701
11:00 am – Midnight, March 11-13, 2022
Join the Experience
Let us know you are going to be at SXSW® this spring! We're excited to spend time with alumni, fans, and the curious.
To our Texas alumni, help make the WONDER HOUSE come to life. Join us.
COUNT ME IN
SPEAKERS & INNOVATORS –
UPDATES COMING SOON!
Join University of Arizona visionaries as they coalesce to discuss tech, culture, film, music, and more at one of the largest conferences in the world.
* We're adding new experiences and speakers. Come back to see what's new at the WONDER HOUSE.
| TIME* | LOCATION | EXPERIENCE* |
| 10:30 a.m. | ALL | Doors Open |
| 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Bar/Lounge | Sonoran Tasting Menu. As a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Tucsonan chefs have been making delicious food from the desert bounty for more than 2,000 years. Try edible cactus, Sonoran hot dogs, Tohono fry bread, aquas frescas and signature cocktails. |
| 11:00 a.m. | Surround Stage |
Life Beyond Earth: Chris Impey and Betül Kaçar |
| 1:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | In the Room: David Kennerly
How will democracy stand if the cornerstone of photojournalism and the free press crumbles? This trusted photographer has a way of being in the right room for the right moment, from the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy to the 2020 presidential campaigns. |
| 5:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | Decolonize Your Taco, Conversation and Tasting: Rose Hattab and Kaitlyn Armendariz
Both the first U.S. UNESCO City of Gastronomy and the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States, Tucson is built upon hundreds of years of culture and it is evident in today’s extraordinary food scene – some of which traveled thousands of miles before finding a home here. Explore the cultural legacy of the Sonoran Desert through the decolonization of southwestern cuisine while you learn and taste the history and foodway traditions of this unique region. |
| 6:00 p.m. |
Surround Stage |
Monsoon Takeover
"8 minutes and 33 seconds of pure visual beauty", said Brian Matiash, F-Stoppers, of Mike Olbinski's Monsoon V. Surround yourself in terrible beauty of the desert monsoon time lapse while staying dry. |
|
7:00 p.m. |
Surround Stage | In the Room: David Kennerly (ENCORE)
How will democracy stand if the cornerstone of photojournalism and the free press crumbles? This trusted photographer has a way of being in the right room for the right moment, from the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy to the 2020 presidential campaigns. |
| 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | VR Bar | 360 Shorts. Imagine you are at the center of the action. With these 360 VR film shorts, young filmmakers surround you with horror, insanity, and daily life dramas. The action is all around you. Inside Giant Telescopes. Walk into and through some of the largest telescopes on and above Earth. |
| 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Digital Oasis | Ripple Effect. Artist Dorsey Kaufmann makes water contamination beautiful and easy to comprehend. Blind River. Alex Turner's border wall game cameras capture many unexpected things at night. Primary Influence. Computational Social Scientist Yotam Shmargad and Designer Karen Zimmerman show how political influence in the world of social media ebb and flow. |
| 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Rooftop | Tucson over Austin. Relax, have a prickly pear drink or an aqua fresca and take in the Tucson/Austin skyline. |
| 9 p.m. | Entertainment Stage | Opening Band: June West & Band. Don't miss June's rich desert wildflower voice bull of borderlands soul. |
| 10 p.m. – midnight |
Entertainment Stage | Headliner: XIXA Experience the dark, psychedelic rock-cumbia groove of this quintessentially Sonoran Desert band – a blend of Tom Waits-style vocals and irresistible dance beats. |
* We're adding new experiences and speakers. Come back to see what's new at the WONDER HOUSE.
| TIME* | LOCATION | EXPERIENCE* |
| 10:30 a.m. |
ALL |
Doors Open |
| 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Bar/Lounge | Sonoran Tasting Menu. As a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Tucsonan chefs have been making delicious food from the desert bounty for more than 2,000 years. Try edible cactus, Sonoran hot dogs, Tohono fry bread, aquas frescas and signature cocktails. |
| 1:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | Discovering a World of Wonder: Christian Carl
Advertising needs to take more cues from entertainment, and the brands that have done so have carved out a space for themselves in culture. One-off stunts just aren’t enough to create a real connection, whereas worlds built around fleshed-out characters and places let the audience live in your brand. Step inside the process of one of contemporary advertising's creative luminaries. |
| 2:00 p.m. | Surround Stage |
Make Every Drop Count: Kirk Dimond, Aletheia Ida and Michael Kothke |
| 3:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | Starting Life on New Planets: Betül Kaçar
Why do we need to understand the origins of life on this planet, and create it ourselves, even, to find life on other planets? Dr. Betül Kaçar will walk us through understanding the value of finding out whether we are alone in the universe, and how we can go about it. |
| 4:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | The Extraordinary Power of "Yes, And": Joe C. Klug
From improv classes to a young professional’s extraordinarily fast-moving career, see how the power of “Yes, And” works. Joe’s commitment to “Yes, And” has brought him a life he loves, surprises and new adventures around every corner, and continued responsibility and success. |
| 6:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | Monsoon Takeover
"8 minutes and 33 seconds of pure visual beauty", said Brian Matiash, F-Stoppers, of Mike Olbinski's Monsoon V. Surround yourself in terrible beauty of the desert monsoon time lapse while staying dry. |
| 7:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | Cornrows and Cowboy Hats: Tyina Steptoe
Beyoncé’s art conveys a strong sense of place, whether through the repetition of the word “Texas” at the beginning of “Daddy Lessons,” or through the use of Houston and New Orleans as the setting for numerous music videos. Explore Beyoncé’s visual and sonic allusions to the “western South,” notably black southern, Creole and Tejano musical cultures. The use of acoustic guitars, accordions, and New Orleans brass in her music draws on the cultures of the western South to create a sonic Borderlands. |
| 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | VR Bar | 360 Shorts. Imagine you are at the center of the action. With these 360 VR film shorts, young filmmakers surround you with horror, insanity, and daily life dramas. The action is all around you. Inside Giant Telescopes. Walk into and through some of the largest telescopes on and above Earth. |
| 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Digital Oasis | Ripple Effect. Artist Dorsey Kaufmann makes water contamination beautiful and easy to comprehend. Blind River. Alex Turner's border wall game cameras capture many unexpected things at night. Primary Influence. Computational Social Scientist Yotam Shmargad and Designer Karen Zimmerman show how political influence in the world of social media ebb and flow. |
| 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Rooftop | Tucson over Austin. Relax, have a prickly pear drink or an aqua fresca and take in the Tucson/Austin skyline. |
| 9 p.m. | Entertainment Stage | Opening Band: June West & Band. Don't miss June's rich desert wildflower voice bull of borderlands soul. |
| 10 p.m. – midnight |
Entertainment Stage | Headliner: XIXA Experience the dark, psychedelic rock-cumbia groove of this quintessentially Sonoran Desert band – a blend of Tom Waits-style vocals and irresistible dance beats. |
* We're adding new experiences and speakers. Come back to see what's new at the WONDER HOUSE.
| TIME* | LOCATION | EXPERIENCE* |
| 10:30 a.m. | ALL | Doors Open |
| 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Bar/Lounge | Sonoran Tasting Menu. As a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Tucsonan chefs have been making delicious food from the desert bounty for more than 2,000 years. Try edible cactus, Sonoran hot dogs, Tohono fry bread, aquas frescas and signature cocktails. |
| 1:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | Managing Our Planet Through Biosphere 2: Joaquin Ruiz Arizona, 1987: scientists built a research facility to mimic and research our planet’s living systems and, with a few scientists living and working inside, be self-sufficient. But the experiment was short-lived: the dome lost oxygen and the crew couldn’t grow enough food. Arizona, 2020: this incredible facility hosts some of the world’s largest earth sciences experiments, helping us understand the survival of our oceans and much more. What’s the moral of the story? |
| 2:00 p.m. | Surround Stage |
Don't Give Up on Delight: Jeff Shelton |
| 5:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | Decolonize Your Taco, Conversation and Tasting: Rose Hattab and Kaitlyn Armendariz (ENCORE)
Both the first U.S. UNESCO City of Gastronomy and the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States, Tucson is built upon hundreds of years of culture and it is evident in today’s extraordinary food scene – some of which traveled thousands of miles before finding a home here. Explore the cultural legacy of the Sonoran Desert through the decolonization of southwestern cuisine while you learn and taste the history and foodway traditions of this unique region. |
| 6:00 p.m. | Surround Stage | Monsoon Takeover
"8 minutes and 33 seconds of pure visual beauty", said Brian Matiash, F-Stoppers, of Mike Olbinski's Monsoon V. Surround yourself in terrible beauty of the desert monsoon time lapse while staying dry. |
| 7:00 p.m. | Entertainment Stage | A Modern Conversation: Noam Chomsky and Evan Smith
The nation's public intellectual exposes contemporary issues with skilled interviewer, Evan Smith, host of PBS' Overheard. |
| 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | VR Bar | 360 Shorts. Imagine you are at the center of the action. With these 360 VR film shorts, young filmmakers surround you with horror, insanity, and daily life dramas. The action is all around you. Inside Giant Telescopes. Walk into and through some of the largest telescopes on and above Earth. |
| 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Digital Oasis | Ripple Effect. Artist Dorsey Kaufmann makes water contamination beautiful and easy to comprehend. Blind River. Alex Turner's border wall game cameras capture many unexpected things at night. Primary Influence. Computational Social Scientist Yotam Shmargad and Designer Karen Zimmerman show how political influence in the world of social media ebb and flow. |
| 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Rooftop | Tucson over Austin. Relax, have a prickly pear drink or an aqua fresca and take in the Tucson/Austin skyline. |
| 9 p.m. | Entertainment Stage | Opening Band: June West & Band. Don't miss June's rich desert wildflower voice bull of borderlands soul. |
| 10 p.m. – midnight |
Entertainment Stage | Headliner: XIXA Experience the dark, psychedelic rock-cumbia groove of this quintessentially Sonoran Desert band – a blend of Tom Waits-style vocals and irresistible dance beats. |
* Once the WONDER HOUSE heads back to Tucson, we still have Arizona speakers on SXSW stages.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION | EXPERIENCE* |
| March 17, Tuesday Fantastic Future Track |
3:30 p.m. | Hilton Austin Downtown Salon F, 6th Floor 500 E 4th St. |
Stretchable Electronics: On or In You for Health: Marvin Slepian To move beyond large lab-based systems to mobile, home and “on person” systems, we need new materials. Learn about novel advances in materials development, specifically the emergence of stretchable, transient and piezo electronic materials, new polymer- and paper-based systems such as smart skins, wearables/implantables, body-powered devices, and edible electronics. |
Noam Chomsky & Evan Smith
A Conversation
The nation's public intellectual exposes contemporary issues with skilled interviewer, Evan Smith, host of PBS' Overheard.
Marvin Slepian
Stretchable Electronics:
On or In You for Health
Learn about novel advances in materials development, specifically the emergence of stretchable, transient and piezo electronic materials, new polymer- and paper-based systems such as smart skins, wearables/implantables, body-powered devices, and edible electronics.
Tyina Steptoe
Cowboy Hats and Cornrows
Explore how Beyoncé brings together black southern, Creole and Tejano musical cultures to create a sonic Borderlands.
David Hume Kennerly
In the Room
How will democracy stand if the cornerstone of photojournalism and the free press crumbles? This trusted photographer has a way of being in the right room for the right moment, from the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy to the 2020 presidential campaigns.
Betül Kaçar
Starting Life on New Planets
Why do we need to understand the origins of life on this planet, and create it ourselves, even, to find life on other planets? Dr. Betül Kaçar will walk us through understanding the value of finding out whether we are alone in the universe, and how we can go about it.
Jeff Shelton
Don't Give Up on Delight
Santa Barbara's architectural wizard reminds us that, now more than ever, we need to live our lives with joy, fun and beauty, and buildings should support this human need. He also reminds us that every great creative endeavor requires a community of shared belief.
Ripple Effect
by Dorsey Kaufmann
An interactive art exhibition that visualizes water quality data through sound, light, and water. Through software technology, water contamination levels are translated into sound waves. The more contamination, the more strangely beautiful, and communicative.
Joseph C. Klug
The Extraordinary Power of "Yes, And"
Scenographer Joe Klug takes lessons from an improv class early in life seriously. He's built an award-winning career by taking set design to the extreme, all the way to the operating theatre.
Kaitlyn Armendariz
Decolonize Your Taco, Conversation and Tasting
Explore the cultural legacy of the Sonoran Desert through the decolonization of southwestern cuisine while you learn and taste the history and foodway traditions of this unique region.
Kirk Dimond
Make Every Drop Count
How can we build human habitation in harmony with the natural environment? Lessons from practicing in the Sonoran Desert, where resources are scarce.
Chris Impey
Life Beyond Earth, a Conversation
with Betül Kaçar
Is there life beyond Earth? Astronomers try to answer one of the biggest questions in science.
Black Hole Bites, Producer
Five minute shorts explaining everything you could ever want to say about black holes at a cocktail party!
Aletheia Ida
Make Every Drop Count
How can we build human habitation in harmony with the natural environment? Lessons from practicing in the Sonoran Desert, where resources are scarce.
SHAPE of Tucson, Producer
Responding to you and the environment, this hydrogel actuated column releases sound, light and and color to reflect the beauty of the Sonoran desert.
Rose Hattab
Decolonize Your Taco, Conversation and Tasting
Explore the cultural legacy of the Sonoran Desert through the decolonization of southwestern cuisine while you learn and taste the history and foodway traditions of this unique region.
Michael Kothke
Make Every Drop Count
How can we build human habitation in harmony with the natural environment? Lessons from practicing in the Sonoran Desert, where resources are scarce.
Christian Carl
Discovering a World of Wonder
Advertising needs to take more cues from entertainment, and the brands that have done so have carved out a space for themselves in culture. One-off stunts just aren’t enough to create a real connection, whereas worlds built around fleshed-out characters and places let the audience live in your brand. Step inside the process of one of contemporary advertising's creative luminaries.
Evan Smith
A Conversation with Noam Chomsky
Skilled interviewer, Evan Smith, host of PBS' Overheard joins Noam Chomsky for a conversation of the nation's public intellectual contemporary issues.
Joaquin Ruiz
Managing Our Planet Through Biosphere 2
Arizona, 1987: scientists built a research facility to mimic and research our planet’s living systems and, with a few scientists living and working inside, be self-sufficient. Arizona, 2020: this incredible facility hosts some of the world’s largest earth sciences experiments, helping us understand the survival of our oceans and much more. What’s the moral of the story?