On the road again, and as usual I am taking you with me. This time we are going to Vancouver, British Columbia, about five hours away.

The Vancouver Art Gallery is currently showing “Fashion Fictions,” an exhibition exploring experimental design practices that explore the intersection of fashion and other modes of cultural production. Featuring more than 50 designers worldwide, the exhibition shows the influence of research-based, materially driven practices on the global fashion scene while acknowledging the proliferation of creative practices that challenge fashion’s aesthetic, material and technological conventions.

The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections: “Material Futures,” which explores the relationship between technological and scientific innovations in material research to create fabrics; “Aesthetic Prophesies,” which highlights the fusion of cultural traditions with speculative creations and designers who push the boundaries of wearability with extreme fashion; and “Responsible Visions,” which explores the importance of sustainable discourse in fashion culture, with designers incorporating adaptive reuse, upcycling and digital design into their explorations.

“‘Fashion Fictions’ is a timely and urgent exploration of the intersection of design, art and personal agency, in the tradition of numerous Vancouver Art Gallery exhibitions that broaden the public’s understanding of visual culture,” states Vancouver Art Gallery CEO and Director Anthony Kiendl.

“Fashion Fictions” is more than mannequins and dresses. It’s an exploration of creativity drawing on cultural traditions, science fiction, technology, and an interest in the natural world and sustainability. The curatorial approach favors the unexpected: Established and celebrated brands are juxtaposed with emerging designers; couture is exhibited alongside street wear; and objects that blur the boundaries between design and contemporary art are peppered throughout. Contributing curator Amber-Dawn Bear Robe selected work by several Indigenous designers and artists addressing social and environmental issues through designs.

“I am thrilled for Indigenous fashion to be integrated into the larger conversation of global fashion with this exhibition,” said Bear Robe. “The Indigenous designers curated into the show represent such a tiny fraction of the extraordinary work being fashioned by Indigenous designers across Native North America. Many more fashion stories of the original designers of this land need to be shared.”

“Fashion Fictions” will be on view at the Vancouver Art Gallery until Oct. 9.

• David Lynx is executive director of the Larson Gallery at Yakima Valley College. He writes this weekly column for Explore. Learn more at www.larsongallery.org.