Photopolychromy and the Soapy Mirror. New exhibits at the Copernicus Science Centre

Are the exhibits at the science centre created by physicists, artists, designers or engineers? How does an idea give rise to an exhibit that is later used by a million visitors to carry out experiments? On 10 September, the Copernicus Science Centre unveiled two new exhibits – ‘Photopolychromy’ and ‘Soapy Mirror’.

This is an opportunity to take a broader look at the method of designing scientificand the development of this institution, which has become one of the few science centres in the world that not only designs but also independently manufactures exhibits as part of a research and development process.

The two new exhibits demonstrate how scientific precision can lead to results on a par with those of an art centre.

‘Fotopolichromia’is 2.5 metres tall and may look unassuming from the side – like transparent films suspended in a glass cube. However, one need only stand in front of it to see the intense, shifting colours. They are neither printed nor projected. They arise solely from the properties of light and the material. The exhibit utilises the phenomenon of light polarisation, and the image seen changes as the films and the observer move.

‘Soap Bubble Mirror’has a surface measuring approximately 2 × 2 metres, but instead of glass, it is formed by a soap film just a few micrometres thick. On its surface, colours constantly flow and arrange themselves into new patterns. The slightest movement or a puff of air is enough to change the image. The exhibit therefore looks slightly different every time.

The exhibit is not created at a desk

At the Copernicus Centre, exhibits are created by interdisciplinary teams. These teams bring together people with diverse backgrounds – scientists, designers, constructors and engineers. However, their aim is not merely to create a spectacular object or a model that accurately demonstrates a physical phenomenon. They design the visitor’s experience to encourage them to experiment for themselves, discover phenomena and ask their own questions.

Prototyping

Prototyping is an important part of Kopernik’s working method. New exhibits are created in the Copernican Revolution Workshop – Copernicus’s research and development centre, which houses, amongst other things, workshops for designers and builders, laboratories, a joinery workshop and a prototyping facility. Successive versions of the designs are built, tested and modified.

However, even the designers cannot foresee everything. That is why prototypes that are almost complete are put on display and tested by visitors. The team observes whether the exhibit attracts attention, whether it is intuitive to use, what reactions it elicits and what else needs to be changed. In this sense, the exhibition space becomes a laboratory, and visitors participate in the process of creating new exhibits.