Models. Knowledge in three dimensions
05.06.2025
On Wednesday 7th May, the Giovanni Poleni Museum in Padua inaugurated the exhibition Models. Knowledge in Three Dimensions, which will be open to the public from Sunday 11 May 2025 to Sunday 3 May 2026.
The exhibition is part of the project Models. A Journey Through Disciplines and Cultures, funded by the University of Padua's call for projects that encourage Third Mission and Open Science activities, proposed by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, in collaboration with the Department of Industrial Engineering, the Department of Information Engineering, and the University Centre for Museums, with the support of numerous external partners.
The exhibition features 92 pieces, including a 16th-century armillary sphere used to illustrate the three-dimensional nature of the universe, models of cranes and pile drivers from the 18th century, dams and locks from the 19th century (including those from Bassanello in Padua), representations of mathematical curves made with chalk and threads from the same century, and samples of minerals dating back to the early 20th century. The models are also seen as metaphors for bridges, as they connect various fields of knowledge, cultures, theories, and realities, as well as teachers and students, through their different functions (for design, reproduction, research, or teaching).
The aim of the exhibition is to highlight the crucial role played by three-dimensional models in the production and transmission of knowledge, in research and teaching across countless disciplines, from archaeology to engineering. In universities, models became widespread and valuable aids for research and teaching in the 18th century and especially in the 19th century. Statues, animals, plants, minerals, fossils, machines: everything could be modelled. The exhibition integrates numerous loans from various museums and collections of the University of Padua with some parts of the permanent exhibition of the Poleni Museum, such as the precious 16th-century armillary sphere.
It can be visited with free guided tours by reservation on Sunday afternoons from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm until 8th June, and then again starting from September. Exceptionally, until 8th June, admission will be free. Guided tour reservations can be made on the website.
The exhibition pays particular attention to inclusivity and various aids will be made available starting from autumn: videos in Italian Sign Language, audio descriptions for blind and visually impaired individuals, portable captions in AAC (Alternative Augmentative Communication), tactile drawings and Braille sheets created together with UICI (Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired), sensory bags with tactile materials and AAC materials for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, tactile workshops with 3D models and tactile drawings. The content of the exhibition will also be made available digitally via the Virtual Itineraries and Phaidra portals. The exhibition panels and captions are already available via QR code (on site) in English, with other languages to be added in the coming months.
The project also kicks off other activities organised as part of the third mission project Models: A Journey Through Disciplines and Cultures, including free guided tours and seminars such as the theatre show Caravanserraglio and the seminar series: From Model to Application, promoted by the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padua, which presents itself as a fascinating journey through time and ideas, crossing crucial points for scientific, technological, and social evolution. Seven events are scheduled from May to November. The theatre show originates from one of the working groups composed of doctoral students and members of the local community from various geographical and cultural backgrounds as part of the 2022 third mission project "Science from the Islamic world to today's Europe," by the Department of Physics and Astronomy. At the heart of the show is the Astrolabe, a model of the Ptolemaic universe and a symbol of the exchange between cultures through time. Each performance will open with the prelude "Models of Sound: the 'new' musician," curated by Sergio Canazza (Dei), a reflection on the evolution of the musician's role in the age of artificial intelligence. Brought to the stage by TAM teatromusica, the show will be proposed in various locations in the city of Padua, especially where plurality lives and grows: neighbourhoods where different cultures, ethnicities, and religions meet every day. The premiere of the show will be held at the Teatro San Carlo, in Arcella, on 17th October at 9 pm.
