Things that Talk: The Secret Lives of Scientific Instruments
Instrument from the Things That Talk exhibtion © Calypso Mahieu
This unique three-part exhibition, which will be open to the public at EPFL Pavilions from 14 April – 29 May, is the result of a collaboration between the EPFL Laboratory for the History of Science and Technology and the EPFL+ECAL Lab. Each instalment, centered on a single scientific object, offers the public the opportunity to discover its historical depth through new and playful forms of interaction.
Unlike cabinets of curiosities that feature a multitude of rare specimens, this exhibition focuses on just three scientific objects. Each is revealed through the stories – sometimes controversial, always surprising – that it has generated.
Rather than looking back at the origin of these scientific objects, Things that Talk reveals their uses and consequences, and links them to contemporary issues. Visitors are invited to sit around a large table, while a viewfinder system allows them to interact with the environment to explore the narratives presented there. Therefore, through the use of digital technology, Things that Talk creates new forms of interaction with heritage objects to both enhance their histories, and create connections to the present.
This approach is the fruit of a collaboration between the Laboratory for the History of Science and Technology (LHST) of EPFL’s College of Humanities, whose mission is, among other things, to promote the UNIL- EPFL Collection of Scientific Instruments; and the EPFL+ECAL Lab. The LHST’s historical work has made it possible to document the secret lives of the chosen instruments and to offer cross-interpretations. Meanwhile, the EPFL+ECAL Lab, EPFL’s design research center, has imagined how to turn this historical knowledge into an experience linked to our daily lives. The design work begins with an experimental exhibition concept to generate physical engagement with the content, thereby stimulating debate and social interaction.
Three objects and their stories will be successively unveiled at the EPFL Pavilions:
— the Dynamometer, from 14 to 24 April 2022
— the Globe of Mars, from 28 April to 8 May 2022
— the Crookes Tube, from 11 to 29 May 2022
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Things that Talk, on display at the EPFL Pavilions from14 April to 29 May 2022
On the EPFL campus, Place Cosandey, 1015 Lausanne.
Public opening on 13 April 2022, from 5.30 pm.
The Laboratory for the History of Science and Technology (LHST) of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne was founded in 2019 with the support of the Loude Chair. In its research, teaching and scientific mediation, the lab strives to understand the transformations of science and technology in their historical, cultural, and social contexts, from the 17th century to the present day. The LHST is responsible for promoting the UNIL-EPFL Collection of Scientific Instruments and frequently collaborates with museums and cultural institutions. www.epfl.ch/labs/lhst.
ABOUT THE EPFL+ECAL LAB
The EPFL+ECAL Lab is the design research centre of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne. Founded in 2007 in cooperation with ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, it explores the potential of emerging technologies through design, tackling the related challenges by combining artistic creativity, scientific knowledge, and the ability to measure user perception. Working on tangible projects, the EPFL+ECAL Lab collaborates with numerous companies, museums and institutes. With its expertise in design, engineering, architecture and psychology, it creates disruptive concepts and turns them into functional prototypes. www.epfl-ecal-lab.ch.
