The Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre of VDNH launched a photography exhibition entitled Science Is Beautiful running through 31 July 2021. The project is a collaboration with the Kurchatov Institute National Research Centre and the Polytechnical Museum. The exhibition was inaugurated by Elena Pronicheva, General Director of Polytechnical Museum, and Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute.
The three thematic exposition halls show photographs of physical and chemical objects and structures, as well as crystals and naturally occurring materials, all taken with scientific instruments. Visitors will appreciate the unmatched beauty of the objects researched, which are usually only available to scientists. All photos of scientific research objects were taken by employees of the Kurchatov Institute directly in the laboratory.
'Modern science is currently undergoing a great fusion between natural and humanitarian knowledge. This exhibition—Science Is Beautiful—offers an aesthetic view of a scientific experiment and the cognitive process. It reveals the secrets of the microcosm and the diversity of natural forms. Patterns and colours of our surrounding environments are in many ways similar to artistic masterpieces; they widen the horizons of our emotions. Pursuing sciences today is prestigious, advantageous and beautiful! You can see this for yourself in the exhibited photos', notes Mikhail Kovalchuk, the President of the Kurchatov Institute.
The first hall, Cognitive Instruments, will present elements of complex megaunits. For example, in the TOKAMAK (toroidal chamber with magnet coils), the controlled fusion unit is designed to fuse hot plasma, a process similar to what occurs on the surface of the Sun.
In the Secrets of Materials section, visitors will learn about crystallography. One photo shows protein crystals grown at the International Space Station under zero gravity. Spectators will see the Shaggy Mane of the rhodium metal particle, whose shape resembles a sea animal from the South-Pacific barrier reef.
Gain an understanding of the world around us, find out how new materials, objects and medicines are made, and even how power is generated—all of this is awaiting discovery in the third hall, Nature-like Technologies. The photographs will depict a scientific journey in this direction. For example, scientists of the Kurchatov Institute use a cyanobacterial colony from the surface of Lake Baikal in their experiments. It can be clearly seen in a series of photos. Substances secreted by these bacteria help create new materials.
'This new VDNH exhibition is for anyone who is interested in looking inside the laboratories of the Kurchatov Institute to see firsthand how the most advanced research and development is done. We are confident that many future joint projects await, which will display collections of our partners while shedding light on the past, present and future of Russian science and technology', said Elena Pronicheva, the General Director of the Polytechnical Museum.
The exhibition is held as part of the Year of Science and Technology. This is the first joint project between the museum and the institute, which is running under the agreement of cooperation between the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the Kurchatov Institute and the Polytechnical Museum.
You can visit the exhibition with a general admittance ticket to the centre. The admittance to the Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre is free on Tuesdays to Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each week.
Participants in the VDNH Friends loyalty programme receive ticket discounts for the Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre and other Exhibition venues. For a full and regularly updated list of the programme partner venues, visit the programme page on the VDNH website.
All VDNH events comply with anti-coronavirus regulations. Visitors to VDNH museums and exhibition spaces are expected to wear face masks and gloves, and observe social distancing. You can find more information on anti-coronavirus measures at VDNH here.