Brainarium - an exhibition devoted to the brain

This picture shows the poster of the brainarium exhibition with a drawing of a human brain. © brainarium

Is it a planetarium? No! It’s a "brainarium"! An exhibition devoted to the brain will be held in Lugano from 10 May to 15 June. This project is supported by the Agora funding scheme of the SNSF.

Memory, dreams and language rely on a pulpy, grey matter: the brain. Even our capacity to perceive reality through our senses depends on the complex structure of the brain. But how does the brain see, smell, love and speak? This exhibition, which is tailored for people of all ages, invites us to ask some of the most fundamental questions about being human: are we simply our brains?

Brain2Brain will transform a planetarium – normally dedicated to astronomy – into a "brainarium". When you enter the dome of the brainarium, it is as though you were entering a brain itself. Projections on the interior of the planetarium take us on a journey of discovery through the various parts that make up the human mind. In addition to enjoying the planetarium’s cerebral makeover, visitors can put their senses and their grey matter to the test in a range of interactive scientific exhibits, sensory games and illusions. The exhibition will be opened to schools and the public at Villa Ciani, located within the Parco Ciani in Lugano, from 10 May to 15 June 2014.

A collaboration with the Brain Mind Institute at the EPF in Lausanne, Area Turismo ed Eventi in Lugano and the Michael Bradke Mobile Music Museum, the exhibition forms part of the Brain2Brain project funded by the SNSF.