Faszination Gehirn

Experiencing the fascination of the brain

The research project “Human Brain Project” is one of the largest research projects ever funded by the European Union and employs more than 500 scientists in 19 countries. The touring exhibition “Faszination Gehirn – das Human Brain Project” in the Paul-Löbe-Haus of the German Bundestag, developed by us in cooperation with the Research Centre Jülich and the HBP Consortium, now provides an insight into the work of the scientists and illustrates the social relevance of this research project. 

The exhibition is divided into theme islands that illustrate the basic research of the project at the interfaces of neuroscience, medicine and information technology. How does the human brain function? How do diseases develop and how can they be combated? To what extent can the findings of brain research be used in the fields of artificial intelligence or robotics? How can new powerful computers in turn help neuroscientific research?

Spectacular detail shots and 3D models, animations and videos take visitors on a journey inside the brain to experience its unique complexity. The theme islands are also linked by a so-called “ethics trail”, which supplements the content with ethical and moral aspects such as data protection, research ethics and technology assessment.

Highlight productions visualize remarkable facts about our most important organ in an extraordinary way. An oversized, three-dimensional head provides insights into the cell architecture and the course of the nerve fibres in the brain and a man-high glass cylinder filled with balls of yarn symbolizes this unimaginable network of paths. Three million kilometres of “wiring” can be found in the human brain. This corresponds to 200 times the yarn in the cylinder. 

The modular architecture of the exhibition makes a touring possible. The modules consist of Re-board, a robust and at the same time very light and recyclable cardboard. The design, based on cuboids and cubes that can be combined in many ways, also takes up the objective character of the research and the scientific data. Organic, colourful forms break the strict form, ensure liveliness and refer to the human relation of the research project. The impressive imagery of the extremely high-resolution brain sections shapes the look of the exhibition. Dark background tones make the images shine, strong colour highlights take up this colour world and elements in silver provide a futuristic effect.

The exhibition can be visited from 28 November to 19 December 2019 in the Paul-Löbe-Haus in Berlin (only by appointment). Next, the exhibition will be on view at the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia in Düsseldorf.