THE EXHIBITION<\/div>

Vedere l’invisibile. Dall’infinitamente piccolo, all’infinitamente grande<\/strong><\/em>
\n28 October 2022\/26 February 2023
\nAPE Parma Museo
\nStrada Farini, 32\/a, Parma<\/p>\n

The leitmotif of the exhibition concerns an exceptional range of scales from the subatomic particles of the infinitely small to the extreme distances of our universe of the infinitely large, passing through the invisible, either because it is inside the human body or because it is inside the ground or because it concerns the hidden digital environment of cities.<\/p>\n

The exhibition recounts the invisible through ENLARGED REALITY, the display of HISTORICAL INSTRUMENTS, the projection of IMAGES AND VIDEOS with the presence of INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS and explanatory panels.<\/p>\n

ROOM ZERO: the infinitely close, immersed in the everyday<\/p>\n

The artistic introduction of this first room invites us to study the theme of the Invisible by reversing its point of view.<\/p>\n

Introduction to the sections<\/p>\n

The term invisible has been used to define how much, object, thing or phenomenon is hidden from the sight of the human eye.<\/p>\n

There are many reasons for this: because it is too small or too far away, or simply because it is hidden from view.<\/p>\n

Scientific instruments thus become a real extension of the eye, allowing us to broaden our knowledge of the world and the human being by observing things and phenomena that were previously invisible and discovering new ones in order to study, understand and, if necessary, modify them.<\/p>\n

The exhibition is intended as a brief overview of this ongoing investigation into the invisible, scientific, artistic and literary, through examples from the past, contemporary research and technologies and future developments.<\/p>\n

The exhibition is divided into four main sections:<\/p>\n

– The Zero Room: The Infinitely Near, Immersed in the Everyday<\/p>\n

– The Invisible because infinitely small<\/p>\n

– The Invisible because it is hidden<\/p>\n

– The Invisible because far away, coming from afar or insensible to the eyes<\/p>\n

ROOM ZERO: THE INFINITELY CLOSE, IMMERSED IN THE EVERYDAY<\/p>\n

The artistic introduction to this first room invites us to study the theme of the Invisible by reversing the point of view.<\/p>\n

The Invisible is not \u2018hidden because it is hidden from view\u2019, but on the contrary, it is already in front of our eyes: it is we who do not see it, who are no longer aware of it.<\/p>\n

Invisibility is not caused by the infinitely small, hidden or distant. This is why in \u2018Zero Room\u2019 the Subject is placed at the centre of the problem, and of its solution. The problem is therefore not Reality, but Man who immerses himself in it and confronts it unconsciously.<\/p>\n

THE INVISIBLE BECAUSE INFINITELY SMALL<\/p>\n

In this section, starting with the smallest material particle known to date, we show the elements that are invisible because they are too small to be seen by the human eye. The tour then moves on from electrons, through atoms and molecules, and ends with the biological parts that make up viruses and cells.<\/p>\n

1. DEFLECTING ELECTRONS<\/p>\n

The electron was the first subatomic particle observed; it is the lightest and also the smallest. It has a negative electric charge and, together with protons and neutrons, makes up the atom, and its number determines its chemical properties.<\/p>\n

On display is a cathode ray tube, an instrument developed by the English physicist William Crookes in the second half of the 19th century, who revealed that cathode rays are nothing more than beams of electrons accelerated by electric fields in the tube. With this observation, elementary particle physics began.<\/p>\n

What if I told you that you too can MOVE ELECTRONS? Come and find out how!<\/p>\n

2. ATOMS<\/p>\n

Have you ever seen an atom? It is an object a million times smaller than a human hair, five thousand times smaller than the wavelength of light! A size invisible to our eyes and even to the most powerful optical microscopes, which use light to illuminate objects.<\/p>\n

Yet, thanks to the impressive progress made in recent decades in the field of microscopy, it is now possible to look inside matter, right down to the atoms. Ready for the journey?<\/p>\n

3. THE MOLECULE UNVEILED<\/p>\n

Our eyes can see molecules because they are too small to be illuminated by visible light. Not even the most powerful optical microscopes are capable of magnifying the image of a molecule, and indeed the existence and structure of molecules was controversial until the end of the 19th century.<\/p>\n

However, if we search for an image of the aspirin molecule on the web, we find many pictures showing coloured balls and sticks connected together (ball&stick), which look just like aspirin molecules. This is an example of a molecule model. What if I told you that you could cross one?<\/p>\n

4. MOLECULAR LANDSCAPES<\/p>\n

There are microscopes so special that they can detect the profiles of molecules attached to surfaces: atomic force microscopes (AFM). Reliefs or depressions on the surface of the sample move this tiny stylus that records the patterns, like a real profilometer, but much smaller (a few microns or even a few nanometres). We have enlarged parts of it just for you!<\/p>\n

5. CORONAVIRUSES ON THE ATTACK<\/p>\n

Viruses, although incapable of independent life, are among the oldest living forms. Ten per cent of our genetic material is made up of relics of retroviruses that invaded the genome of our (non-human) ancestors some 100 million years ago and then contributed to the evolution of our genome.<\/p>\n

As we are seeing in the last 3 years, viruses evolve very quickly, can jump from one host species to another, and can do us harm. Very badly!<\/p>\n

Understanding how viruses are made and how they work is therefore essential for developing new and increasingly effective containment and prevention strategies: vaccines, but not only…<\/p>\n

6. MAGNIFYING CELLS<\/p>\n

Cells are the smallest structures to be classified as living beings. Understanding their structural characteristics and their mutual relationships is therefore of fundamental importance to the life sciences.<\/p>\n

The starting point for the description of structures is the observation of them in order to understand their morphology. The exhibition includes historical microscopes that are valuable for our history, a modern super microscope and… a small portable microscope that you can try out by attaching it to your smartphone!<\/p>\n

THE INVISIBLE BECAUSE HIDDEN<\/p>\n

The third section concerns that which is invisible because it is hidden from view.<\/p>\n

We thus move from the invisible within the human body, thus embryos and pathophysiological processes such as ageing, to the invisible because it is within the earth’s soil, to the invisible because it is immaterial, such as the collection of digital data on city parameters.<\/p>\n

7. AT THE ORIGIN OF LIFE<\/p>\n

What was I like inside my mother’s womb before I came into the world? How does it change in a few weeks? How does the structure of my organs change to enable me to acquire all the functions necessary to live outside the womb? Videos and 3D images show us the evolution of a human embryo’s growth at different stages of pregnancy.<\/p>\n

8. LOOKING THROUGH: IMAGING<\/p>\n

How do we function? What changes when we fall ill? Can we measure the effect of a therapy? Does a woman’s body function like a man’s? Can we hit targeted targets for treatment? How can we see them?<\/p>\n

Inside the human body there is a world that speaks to us: it is up to researchers to learn how to interpret the messages that come in so many different ways and get new information about how we function, why we get sick, or whether a therapy is actually reaching its target.<\/p>\n

9. THERE IS LIFE IN THE SOIL<\/p>\n

Generally regarded as an inert and unchanging mass, silent and therefore devoid of life, soil is on the contrary a constantly changing reality, a very complex living system extraordinarily rich in biodiversity, in which plant roots, microorganisms and animal organisms interact with each other and with the abiotic environment. Like the depths of the sea, caves or other \u2018extreme\u2019 environments that characterise the Earth, soil offers very special living conditions: there is no light, the spaces between the particles that make it up are very small, and the organisms that live in it have been forced to adapt to very different conditions compared to the surface environment.<\/p>\n

Come and see some soil insects… alive!<\/p>\n

10. THE DIGITAL CITY<\/p>\n

The ancient city was built of stone, brick, concrete and wood. In it, the overlapping of different layers was clearly visible.<\/p>\n

The contemporary city is also built of stone, bricks, concrete and wood, i.e. houses, public buildings, churches, museums and stations, but superimposed on its material layers is a new layer, which cannot be seen even though it is very concrete. It is composed of bits: it is the set of digital traces left by the devices that support the new models of intelligent, sustainable, ecological, circular cities. It is a layer composed of large amounts of data, continuously produced by the sensors that measure the city, by the cameras that monitor and even recognise citizens, but above all by the devices that every person who lives in the city carries in his or her pocket.<\/p>\n

THE INVISIBLE BECAUSE FAR AWAY OR COMING FROM INFINITELY FAR AWAY OR INSENSITIVE TO OUR GAZE<\/p>\n

The third section focuses on all that is invisible because it is infinitely far away or insensitive to our gaze, such as the surface of planets and black holes or coming from infinitely far from our gaze such as cosmic rays and gravitational waves.<\/p>\n

11. THE INVISIBLE COLOURS OF PLANETS<\/p>\n

What if I told you that we can explore the surface of rocky planets or unreachable areas of the Earth from the comfort of our computers? This is possible thanks to imaging spectrometers mounted on platforms ranging from aircraft to satellites orbiting the planets. The spectrometers measure the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the surface. Remote interpretation of the data uses libraries of spectra measured in the laboratory on various known terrestrial materials.<\/p>\n

12. MESSENGERS FROM THE COSMOS<\/p>\n

Cosmic rays are stable elementary particles, which pass through the universe guided by electrical and magnetic forces. They also pass through the Earth and our bodies all the time, but we are not aware of them. But here our Fog Camera will show them to you…<\/p>\n

13. GRAVITATIONAL OBSERVATORIES<\/p>\n

The theory of general relativity, developed by Albert Einstein in the first 20 years of the last century, has completely changed our description of the world in which we live and in which physical phenomena occur: Space and time are one. We understand how through evocative videos and images!<\/p>\n

14. THE INFINITELY LARGE AND THE INFINITELY SMALL IN CHILDREN’S DI-SIGNS<\/p>\n

The exhibition ends with the contribution of pre-school children who, through their \u2018di-signs\u2019, tell us and make visible their thoughts on the \u2018infinitely large\u2019 and \u2018infinitely small\u2019.<\/p>\n

15 SCIENCE AND THE IMAGINARY. WRITING, DRAWING, THINKING THE INVISIBLE<\/p>\n

A transversal section, consisting of various \u2018stations\u2019 scattered along the route, accompanies the visitor by showing particular moments and figures in which the idea of the unveiling of the invisible by scientific discoveries stimulated artists, writers and philosophers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n

COLOPHON<\/div>
An exhibition organised by the Sistema Museale di Ateneo<\/strong><\/p>\n
With the patronage of Comune di Parma<\/strong><\/p>\n
With the collaboration of Fondazione MonteParma and Ministero dell\u2019Universit\u00e0 e della Ricerca<\/strong><\/p>\n
ORGANISATION<\/strong><\/p>\n
Marina Gorreri, coordinator Responsible of Unit\u00e0 Organizzativa Sistema Museale di Ateneo e Archivio Storico<\/p>\n
CURATOR<\/strong><\/p>\n
Luca Trentadue, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milano<\/p>\n
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE<\/strong><\/p>\n
ROOM ZERO. THE INVISIBLE EVERYDAY Cristina Casero, Dipartimento di Discipline Umanistiche, Sociali e delle Imprese Culturali. Artista Silvio Wolf with the collaboration of Tiziano Crotti: Composition, processing and sound design. Marco Ferrari: Digital design and video projections.<\/p>\n
DEFLECTING ELECTRONS Luca Trentadue, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milano Cristiano Viappiani, Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Informatiche<\/p>\n
ATOMS Lucia Nasi, Laura Lazzarini, Davide Calestani, Istituto dei Materiali per l’Elettronica e il Magnetismo del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IMEM-CNR) di Parma, Michele Miragoli, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia<\/p>\n
THE MOLECULE UNVEILED Alessia Bacchi, Delegate of the Rector for the Sistema Museale and Scientific Director of of Crystal Chemistry Museum. Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilit\u00e0 Ambientale<\/p>\n
MOLECULAR LANDSCAPES Claudio Rivetti, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilit\u00e0 Ambientale<\/p>\n
CORONAVIRUS ON THE ATTACK Gaetano Donofrio, Dipartimento di Scienze Medico-Veterinarie, Simone Ottonello, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilit\u00e0 Ambientale<\/p>\n
MAGNIFICARE CELLULE Cristiano Viappiani, Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Informatiche con la collaborazione di Pietro Delcanale e Stefania Abbruzzetti, Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Informatiche e di Alberto Meschiari<\/p>\n
AT THE ORIGIN OF LIFE Tullio Ghi, Elena Borra, Domenico Corradi, Vittorio Gallese, Stefano Gandolfi, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia. Coordination by Sonya Lanfranchi, U.O. Amministrazione Dipartimentale Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia<\/p>\n
LOOKING THROUGH: DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING Livia Ruffini, Director of Medicina nucleare (Dipartimento Diagnostico) of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma ith the collaboration of Silvia Migliari and Maura Scarlattei, SC Medicina Nucleare (Dipartimento Diagnostico) of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma<\/p>\n
THERE IS LIFE IN THE SOIL Cristina Menta, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilit\u00e0 Ambientale<\/p>\n
THE DIGITAL CITY Monica Bruzzone, Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Architettura. with the collaboration of Matteo Casanovi, Simone De Lisi, Michela Montenero<\/p>\n
THE INVISIBLE COLOURS OF THE PLANETS Maria Sgavetti, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilit\u00e0 Ambientale with the collaboration of Luciana Mantovani, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilit\u00e0 Ambientale, Cristian Carli and Fabrizio Capaccioni, Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziale dell\u2019Istituto Nazionale di AstroFisica (IAPS-INAF), Rome section<\/p>\n
MESSENGERS FROM THE COSMOS Luca Trentadue, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Milano-Bicocca section, Milano<\/p>\n
GRAVITATIONAL OBSERVATORIES Roberto De Pietri, Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Informatiche.with the collaboration of Livia Conti INFN Padova and thanks for the loans and educational content to Scientific Collaboration VIRGO, l’European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), l’Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), University of Padova.<\/p>\n
THE INFINITELY LARGE AND SMALL IN CHILDREN’S DI-SIGNS Ada Cigala, Rita Messori, Dipartimento di Discipline Umanistiche, Sociali e delle Imprese Culturali with the collaboration of Sara Berti, Research Associate at the Dipartimento di Discipline Umanistiche, Sociali e delle Imprese Culturali<\/p>\n
SCIENCE AND THE IMAGINARY. WRITING, DRAWING, THINKING THE INVISIBLE Carlo Varotti, Dipartimento di Discipline Umanistiche, Sociali e delle Imprese Culturali<\/p>\n
EXHIBITION DESIGN<\/strong><\/p>\n
Maria Amarante, Unit\u00e0 Organizzativa Sistema Museale di Ateneo e Archivio Storico<\/p>\n
TECHNOLOGICAL AND GRAPHIC DESIGN<\/strong><\/p>\n
Skylab Studios<\/p>\n
WITH THE COLLABORATION OF<\/strong><\/p>\n
Barbara Rondelli, U.O. Rapporti con il Territorio e Public Engagement<\/p>\n
CAPAS – Centro per le Attivit\u00e0 e le Professioni delle Arti e dello Spettacolo<\/p>\n
WITH SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION FOR OPTICAL MICROSCOPY<\/strong><\/p>\n
Andrea Foroni<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS<\/div>
CONFERENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n
9 November 2022<\/p>\n
Federico Laudisa, HOW A SCIENTIFIC THEORY IS BORN<\/p>\n
15 November 2022<\/p>\n
Cristian Carli, WE TRAVEL AROUND THE SUN. WE EXPLORE PLANETARY SURFACES<\/p>\n
Starting from Earth, we will take a tour of the surfaces of the Moon, Mars, Mercury and other Solar System objects to observe the similarities and differences related to rock composition. We will fly over different regions of the rocky celestial bodies to see what we have learnt from the space missions of recent decades and the study of meteorites.\u2019<\/p>\n
15 November 2022<\/p>\n
Roberto Orosei, UNDERSTANDING MARS’ PAST AND PRESENT: THE SEARCH FOR WATER<\/p>\n
On Mars, the existence of a lake of liquid brackish water under the stratified ice deposits of the South Pole has been revealed. This lake is part of an entire system of sub-glacial lakes, which have probably existed for much of the planet’s history. This implies periods with climatic conditions favourable to the presence of liquid water on the surface, and thus able to preserve traces of possible life forms.<\/p>\n
22 November 2022<\/p>\n
Tullio Ghi et al, “A MOTHER FOR A FRIEND’. CORD BLOOD DONATION AND ITS USE.<\/p>\n
23 November 2022<\/p>\n
Massimiliano Tortora, EPISTEMOLOGICAL REVOLUTIONS AND LITERATURE: A LOOK AT THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY<\/p>\n
24 November 2022<\/p>\n
Livia Ruffini, RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS AND INDUSTRY: OPPORTUNITIES AND STRATEGIES IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE<\/p>\n
30 November 2022<\/p>\n
Martina Mengoni e Raffaella Cornacchia, LECTURE AND WORKSHOP ON PRIMO LEVI<\/p>\n
1 December 2022<\/p>\n
Silvio Wolf e Cristina Casero, PHOTOGRAPHY: A MEDIUM FOR INVESTIGATING THE INVISIBLE<\/p>\n
The conference aims to explore the linguistic and conceptual potential of Photography in leading our gaze towards what is not directly visible.<\/p>\n
It takes its cue from Silvio Wolf’s installation: Sala Zero, L’Invisibile Quotidiano (The Invisible Everyday), which subverts the order of the everyday, offering the possibility of perceiving and welcoming that which has become invisible to our senses because it is so close, dropped into the sphere of the everyday, the banal and the \u2018ordinary\u2019.<\/p>\n
Giorgio Milanesi, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INVISIBLE IMAGES IN MEDIEVAL TIMES<\/p>\n
Gianluca Poldi, SEEING THE INVISIBLE IN PAINTING: ERRORS, EVOLUTIONS, REUSES, RECOVERIES. WHEN SCIENCE MEETS ART<\/p>\n
2 December 2022<\/p>\n
Ada Cigala e Claudia Lichene, SEEING THE IN-VISIBLE AT NURSERY AND PRESCHOOL: THE SCIENCE LAB<\/p>\n
6 December 2022<\/p>\n
Maja Antonietti, Paola Corsano ed Elena Luciano, SUPPORT CHILDREN’S IN-VISIBLE RESOURCES IN OUTER SPACE, THE PLACE OF THE INFINITELY LARGE AND INFINITELY SMALL<\/p>\n
10 January 2023<\/p>\n
Isotta Piazza, LECTURE AND WORKSHOP ON ITALO CALVINO<\/p>\n
Irene Binini e Wolfgang Huemer, IMAGINING THE IMPOSSIBLE<\/p>\n
11 January 2023<\/p>\n
Cristina Casero e Alessandra Acocella, MATERIAL\/IMMATERIAL: LIGHT IN THE ART OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY<\/p>\n
12 January 2023<\/p>\n
Carlo Varotti e Claudia Correggi, LECTURE AND WORKSHOP ON DANIELE DEL GIUDICE<\/p>\n
22 February 2023<\/p>\n
Pietro Celo e Davide Astori,SEEING VOICES. PIETRO CELO, INTERPRETER AND TEACHER OF ITALIAN SIGN LANGUAGE DIALOGUES WITH DAVIDE ASTORI, LINGUIST.<\/p>\n
LABORATORI<\/strong><\/p>\n
ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY LAB<\/p>\n
Through the use of a LEGO model connected to a computer, the operating principle of the atomic force microscope will be demonstrated and images of macroscopic objects will be acquired.<\/p>\n
Contact person Prof. Claudio Rivetti and Dr. Emanuele Della Monica<\/p>\n
SMALL BUT TOUGH! THE UNKNOWN WORLD OF SOIL ORGANISMS<\/p>\n
Through guided observation of the exhibition material, it will be possible to get to know the soil in all its complexity and organisation, giving ample space to the living community that finds refuge, food and a habitat for reproduction in it. The observation of living organisms will provide a deeper insight into the fascinating and curious world of underground organisms.<\/p>\n
Contact person Prof. Cristina Menta<\/p>\n
DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING WITH DIFFERENT RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS<\/p>\n
Journey into precision diagnostics: an arrow for every target. We will experience how it is now possible to \u2018see the invisible\u2019 inside the human body (metabolism, energy consumption, protein synthesis, etc.) using radiopharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n
Contact person Prof. Ruffini<\/p>\n
RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION PROCESS<\/p>\n
How are radiopharmaceuticals prepared for precision diagnostics? We will experience how chemistry and physics are today interconnected with health and the environment in which man lives by simulating the preparation of a radiopharmaceutical.<\/p>\n
Contact person Prof. Silvia Migliani<\/p>\n
SEEING THE INVISIBLE: LEAVING A TRACE OF THE EXPERIENCE<\/p>\n
Allowing younger children (3-10 years old) to process their experience of the exhibition through storytelling and drawing, encouraging awareness and sharing of the different meanings triggered by what they have seen<\/p>\n
Referee Prof.ssa Cigala, Messori, Berti<\/p>\n
Followed by educational visit by Antonietti (DUSIC), Landi, Nardiello, Taddei<\/p>\n
MODELLING SPACE-TIME<\/p>\n
After an introduction to the concepts of space-time and gravitational waves, in the workshop we will try to represent on clay the sensations of a curved space, not seen but felt and modelled. We will give shape to how we imagine the signal that comes to us from gravitational waves, in order to fix in our memory what we have learnt through the emotions aroused.<\/p>\n
Contacts Dr. L. Conti, Prof. R. De Pietri<\/p>\n
Sculptor Felice Tagliaferri<\/p>\n
BRIGHT-FIELD FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY<\/p>\n
Educational Microscopy Laboratory: experimental observations of fixed and unfixed samples using different illumination and contrast techniques<\/p>\n
Referent Prof. Viappiani<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
PHOTO GALLERY<\/div>
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