The Denver Art Museum’s new “Biophilia” gives people what they want in an art exhibition these days: multi-sensory objects that come in blazing colors, that light up before the eyes, that change shape and stature in response to the movement of whatever body is in the room.

It is an interactive and high-tech affair, and about as far away from a traditional display of pretty pictures hanging on a gallery wall as you can get. “Biophilia” is a cool show that might make for a swell outing on a hot summer day.

Consider the installation “Meadow,” created by the Dutch design team Drift, for which “advanced robotics and complex software create a field of blooms in perpetual motion.” The piece consists of a few dozen pendant lamps, shaped like fluffy flowers, whose fabric petals open and close in a speeded-up rhythm meant to mirror the change from day to night.

Low, flat sofas are placed strategically on the gallery floor, directly beneath the piece, and visitors can lie on their backs and stare up at the light show hanging from the ceiling.

The point: to reflect and reconnect with nature, according to the museum’s signage. Thus, “Meadow” is right in line with “Biophilia’s” overall theme of demonstrating how designers and artists respond to nature.

As a concept for an exhibition, that is not deep and it is not new. Nature has always been a dominant theme in design, probably the most persistent source of inspiration that ever existed, and there is millennia-long tour through the history of art, textiles, fashion and furniture to prove the point.

We could start, late in the game, with the flowery patterns of medieval tapestries; stop randomly at the flowery patterns of wallpaper created by still-adored British designer William Morris in the 19th century; and complete the trip right where “Biophilia” picks it up, with the display of a pair of flowery, runway-ready gowns by Iris van Herpen, one of the brightest stars of the fashion world right now.

What is closer to new is the use of technology in the creation and display of many works. Clothing designers used to rely on silk and wool, products manufactured by animals themselves. Van Herpen’s dresses are made from laser-cut Mylar and cotton that has been “heat-bonded onto organza.” The dresses are a marvel — bouncy, sexy, comfy and lighter-than-air. This show could use more of them.

“Biophilia,” organized by the museum’s design curator Darrin Alfred, has a variety of objects on its checklist. There are bowls, tables, sofas and chandeliers in the mix. Fans of what museums used to commonly call decorative arts will find plenty to like, as well as familiar materials, in the show’s inclusion of delicate marble “Tau” vases, by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid; or in Czech designer David Valner’s “Fungus” vases, made from glass.

There are also wool rugs from Argentinian weaver Alexandra Kehayoglou that resemble topographical maps of threatened land in the Amazon forest; and a bight, red leather “Bulbo” chair, formed into a flower bud, from Brazilian brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana.

But visitors are more likely to fixate on the digital, or interactive, attractions, and those are the stars of this show. That includes the 2020 piece “Flowers and People — A Whole Year Per Hour,” by the art collective TeamLab, which formed in Tokyo. The work is a six-channel, digital projection of an animated field of pink and yellow petals that float across the gallery wall. It comes with instructions for viewers: “Stand still at a certain distance and the flowers grow more abundantly — move around, and they fade.”

Again, the purpose is quite simple, and even hackneyed, suggesting that humans and nature are inseparable. The piece does not break any artistic or intellectual ground, but it is thrilling to look at, and to play with.

Where “Biophilia” succeeds best is in ambition. Curator Alfred has a handle on the international design scene and brought in some of the most respected, and in-demand, global names. In addition to van Herpen and Drift, there are “Remolten” stools and tables, from the Chilean design firm gt2P, made from local volcanic rock that has been pulverized and used as a ceramic glaze.

There is Spanish designer Nacho Carbonell’s “One-seater Concrete Tree,” a table-lamp combo that visitors can actually sit in (and take photos); a petal-covered “Hortensia” armchair by Argentine artist Andrés Reisinger, who is known best for his digital works; and a model of Beijing-based MAD Architects’ urban design masterpiece, the Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center, a set of sky-scraping buildings whose silhouettes come together to resemble a mountain landscape.

MAD is the same firm that designed One River North, the new residential building — with the giant canyon cut into its facade — that just opened in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood, and that gives the exhibition a local hook.

In the same vein, there is an impressive architectural model of Populus, the building — designed by Chicago’s Studio Gang — that is currently going up next to Denver’s Civic Center, that resembles the trunk of an aspen tree. The model offers new insight to anyone who is curious about the thinking behind the structure.

Art exhibitions that attempt to show new technologies are difficult to pull off. Technology changes so quickly now that even relatively new works lack an edge. The pendant light-based “Meadow,” for example, was made way back in 2017 and it already feels like an old-school classic, rather than something new.

In that way, new is a lot to ask for here — maybe too much, if you want to be fair. But “Biophilia” delivers in other ways.

Design shows that cover so much ground rely on good taste to come together, and this outing has a lot of that on display — for example, Mathieu Lehanneur’s “50 Seas” ceramic plates, whose blue-ish color palette borrows from the world’s great oceans; or Marc Fish’s “Ethereal Double Console” table, which lives up to its name by appearing practical but lighter than air.

It comes together as a grand effort, a treat for local audiences who want to beat the heat and be around some cool stuff.

IF YOU GO

“Biophilia: Nature Reimagined” continues through Aug. 11 at the Denver Art Museum. Info: 720-865-5000 or denverartmuseum.org.

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Two drivers and one pedestrian died Sunday morning after a crash on northbound Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

At 4:45 a.m. police received a call about a car driving in the wrong direction on I-25 and multiple calls about a head-on collision, according to a release from the Colorado Springs Police Department.

After the crash occurred, another driver stopped and attempted to help. While trying to cross the interstate, they were hit by a northbound vehicle, according to police.

The pedestrian and one driver were declared deceased on scene. The driver who had been going the wrong way down I-25 was taken to the hospital but died upon arrival.

The interstate closed between exit 139, Martin Luther King Jr. Bypass, and U.S. 24 at mile point 139 around 5 a.m. and reopened around 9:45 a.m., according to CDOT.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department posted a photo of the crash on X around 5:20 a.m. but later removed the post.

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There was no Sunday hangover for the Rockies.

After a crushing 8-4 loss Saturday night, they rebounded with a 5-2 victory over the Phillies to take the three-game series.

Starting pitcher Cal Quantrill once again delivered for Colorado. And, for a refreshing change of pace, the bullpen was lights out. Matt Carasiti, Nick Mears and Tyler Kinley each pitched a scoreless inning. Kinley earned his second save.

Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez came to Coors Field pitching like the leading Cy Young Award candidate, carrying a 9-0 record and a 1.36 ERA. He pitched a complete-game shutout against the Rockies last month in Philadelphia.

But Colorado beat him up early on Sunday to post a 5-0 lead. Ryan McMahon hit a two-run homer to right in the first, driving in Brendan Rodgers, who reached base on a one-out single. It was McMahon’s 10th homer of the season, and he’s driven in a team-high 32 runs.

The Rockies scored three more runs in the second on an RBI double by Hunter Goodman, a run-scoring groundout by Rodgers and a throwing error by Philly third baseman Alex Bohm.

Suarez settled in after that and pitched through six innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on just three hits. But he walked four to go with his nine strikeouts.

Quantrill was superb again. He allowed two runs on three hits over six innings and struck out five.

In his five May starts, Quantrill is 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA.

His only demerits on Sunday were two leadoff walks, but only one of those came back to bite him.

Quantrill walked Kyle Schwarber to open the fifth, Bryce Harper reached on an error by first baseman Elehuris Montero and Alex Bohm’s single to right scored Schwarber. Quantrill quashed Philly’s hopes for a big inning by inducing Bryson Stott to ground into a double play.

Philly scored its second run in the fifth on a one-out double by Brandon Marsh and a two-out single by Johan Rojas.

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