Beyond space, beyond time. The dream of Ulisse Aldrovandi

Born in Bologna, Ulisse Aldrovandi was one of the greatest scientists and philosophers of nature of the Italian Renaissance. Thanks to his ability to observe, catalogue and preserve the wonders and diversity of the living world, he contributed to the birth of the modern concept of the Natural History Museum, a place of memory and knowledge. However, his work is not only projected towards the past, and the scientific approach is accompanied by an astonishing ability to evoke worlds populated by imaginary and fantastic creatures. Proof of this is his Monstrorum Historia, a universal treatise on monsters and other supernatural prodigies that lead us to the threshold of another world, opening the door to the future.

Reality and imagination, science and art, past and future are the binomials on which the exhibition hosted at the Museo Civico di Zoologia in Rome also hinges after a previous edition in Bologna. Compared to the Bologna edition, the exhibition also presents works and contents from the collections of the Civic Museums, in particular from the Museo Civico di Zoologia, the Galleria d’Arte Moderna and the Pinacoteca Capitolina. The exhibition itinerary thus leads visitors through artefacts and objects from the museum collections in Bologna and Rome, juxtaposed with immersive and interactive technical-scientific exhibits, paintings, sculptures and installations from different periods, and objects, instruments, videos and images from the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics and the European Space Agency.

After an antechamber that aims to reconnect visitors with the previous edition of Bologna through multimedia and digital elements, the route continues with the entry of humanity into History. The task of welcoming visitors is entrusted to a number of sculptures by internationally renowned artist Nicola Samorì, and continues by moving into the era of the scientific revolution, a crucial stage that opens the door to modernity. The spirit of the times is perfectly embodied by the figure of Aldrovandi: visitors will explore a reconstruction of his “ideal” study, a sort of Wunderkammer with mirabilia from the Science Museums of the University of Bologna’s Sistema Museale di Ateneo and the Museo Civico di Zoologia in Rome. The watercolour plates and Aldrovandi’s famous Monstrorum Historia dialogue with period paintings and contemporary works with a naturalistic background, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between science and art.

The public is then led into the future, among the new and recent interplanetary frontiers reached by man. Materials and contributions from the National Institute of Astrophysics, with 3D models of Mars and terrestrial rocks similar to those on Mars, tell the story of the exploration of the red planet, while virtual reality and olfactory installations allows visitors to experience the process of hibernation, necessary for interstellar travel, and discover the smells of the universe. A second Wunderkammer opens a window on the past: what things should man take with him as a reminder of humanity, nature and life on Earth? The journey ends with an open question: is this the end of the human being or the beginning of a new humanism?