Machine Room of the Gods : How Our Future Was Invented

The ancient cultures of East Asia, the Near and Middle East and the Mediterranean were characterised by spectacular scientific findings and advances, which are mirrored and enhanced in their mythology. Hesitantly in the late Gothic period, but more insistently during the Italian Renaissance, this knowledge gradually permeated Europe, although initially meeting with resistance from the Christian Church. The book accompanying the exhibition deals with the latest research on science and technology in myth and art from antiquity to the golden age of Arab-Islamic culture. Light is shed on the early precise records of astronomical events, as well as the technology of automata and kinetic sculpture. The latest findings relating e.g. to the famous Greek Antikythera mechanism, a form of analogue computer, or the sophisticated revolving ceilings and floors of the banquet halls in the Roman Emperor Nero’s palace illustrate the significance of sculpture’s automatisation in reference to the natural sciences in Islamic-Arabic culture.

• Magnificent works of art reflecting ancient myths, models of animated sculptures, impressive scientific apparatus and automata from the Mediterranean and Islamic-Arab cultural spheres
• International authors reflect on current research into the history of science in conjunction with art technology