Both the form and content of the exhibition ‘Leonardo da Vinci. Observe. Questiona. Experiment’ make clear their goal: to democratize access to culture. The exhibition will be shown at Plaça sa Riba in the port of Ibiza. Organized by the la Caixa Foundationthe project, with the collaboration of the Ibiza Town Hall, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, as well as the Château du Clos Lucet – Parc Leonardo da Vinci, has been scientifically advised by the historian Pascal Brioist.
The exhibition takes place in two spaces. Inside, an audiovisual show “connects Leonardo’s thought with our daily lives,” according to a statement from the Fundación la Caixa. In this part, several interactive games allow a playful introduction to Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions, such as various mechanisms. The use of augmented reality also contributes to creating an immersive experience accessible to all audiences. In fact, “the free Leonardo CaixaForum app is designed as an interpretive tool,” according to the statement. Thanks to it, you can see what the models would have looked like with the materials of the time, just by scanning a QR code.
Outside, four large models faithfully reproduce some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most premonitory ideas and inventions: the aerial snail, the Vitruvian Man, the flying machine and the paddle boat.
Interactive games / J.A. Riera
A particular perspective
The focus of the exhibition also reinforces its accessibility, as it focuses on Leonardo da Vinci’s curiosity, rather than purely theoretical details. It tells how his attention to his surroundings fueled his creativity and scientific inquiries. The Italian genius’s modus operandi, which may seem unconventional, is central to his projects. It includes such laws of life as mixing ideas, observing, operating by analogy, and valuing trial and error. Leonardo’s unorthodox upbringing set him apart from his contemporaries, and also pushed him to adopt an empirical mode of investigation, which challenged preconceived ideas. “This attitude of curiosity and interest in the environment is what we want to inspire in our young people,” declares Ibiza’s Councilor for Culture, Carmen Domínguez.
The uniqueness of Leonardo serves as an incentive to seize every opportunity, as his career highlights an impressive diversity: as a painter and inventor he began his career in Florence, before moving to Milan, in the service of the Sforza family. He then worked for Pope Alexander VI’s son, Cesare Borgia, and ended his life at the court of French King François I. “He even tried to run a tavern with Boticelli. It didn’t go very well for him,” comments exhibition advisor Erika Goyarrola, showing that trying everything is for geniuses.
Visiting hours
It will be open from June 20 to July 22, Monday to Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 23:00. The exhibition will have guided tours for the general public in Spanish on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 12.30 pm, and on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 7.15 pm. There will also be guided tours in Catalan on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 12.30 p.m., and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 7.15 p.m.
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