A summer exhibition at the Rheingoldhalle presents an interaction between art and science

Camera obscura, a glittering diamond or points and pixels - the variations on the topic of light and color are overwhelming. These and many other exciting and informative facets of light and color will be on show during SPEKTRALE 2011, presented by the MAINZ RESEARCH ALLIANCE at the Rheingoldhalle in Mainz. This major summer exhibition is being held in partnership with the Congress Center Mainz. Art works and scientific exhibits will be on show from 15 July to 14 August 2011, thus opening up a new and very unusual wealth of experience. Twenty-seven researchers will participate in "Mainz - City of Science 2011," along with 35 well-known artists, to produce a "festival of the senses," reflecting on each other's work, combining it or creating a juxtaposition of opposing ideas.

Michael Ebling, State Secretary of the Ministry for Education, Science, Youth, and Culture, regards SPEKTRALE as an annual program highlight in Mainz, the "City of science." "The subject of light and color is a really great vehicle for combining art and science. A large variety of people are engaged in interdisciplinary work, thus displaying great potential in both areas and clarifying how broad the spectrum of creativity and innovation in the Mainz metropolitan area really is. As the ministry in charge of science and culture, we are, of course, particularly interested in sponsoring these kinds of projects," said Ebling. The state is giving EUR 120,000 to support SPEKTRALE. "This year in particular, the city of Mainz will present a program for those interested in science and culture that is outstanding in its quality and diversity," added Ebling.

Apart from the financing provided by the ministry, another approx. EUR 140,000 from "City of Science," including contributions from exhibition sponsors, is going into project funding. Added to that are personal contributions from the institutions of the MAINZ RESEARCH ALLIANCE. The Congress Center Mainz (CCM) are providing the exhibition facilities at the Rheingoldhalle free of charge. "The major SPEKTRALE summer exhibition is a firework display of light and color to celebrate 'Mainz - City of Science 2011!' We invite residents of and visitors to our city to embark on an exciting journey through the diverse world of color," said the city's mayor, Günter Beck. He added, "The exhibition presents a variety of research fields covered by the MAINZ RESEARCH ALLIANCE in a clear and concrete way. The Congress Center Mainz, the Ministry for Education, Science, Youth, and Culture, the Sparkasse Mainz, as well as DEHOGA and Rheinhessenwein, have all generously helped with financing and implementation. I would like to thank them all very much."

New ways of communicating science

Over 100 exhibits in an area measuring more than 2,000 m² serve to link various eras, disciplines and genres of science, combining them into a special world of experience. Interactive installations invite you to participate and sharpen your understanding. "The SPEKTRALE allows us to take new routes to communicate science," explained Professor Georg Krausch, the speaker of the MAINZ RESEARCH ALLIANCE and President of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. "On the one hand, the exhibition puts the performance capability of the research institutes in Mainz on display. On the other hand, the creative presentation of exhibits that connect art with science also maintains a balance between their academic and experience-oriented communications. This is our way of getting as many people as possible interested in our topics. To summarize, the SPEKTRALE format represents 'best practice' in communicating science, thus emphasizing with it the meaning of knowledge transfer in our city of science."

Professor Susanne Marschall, Scientific and Creative Director and member of the SPEKTRALE board of trustees, explains what makes this exhibition so unique: "What's special is the communication between art and science through the intellect and senses. The exhibits invite the viewer to become interactive and to experience the most exciting aspects in an easy manner. If, after seeing SPEKTRALE, visitors see their normal, everyday world through different eyes, we have reached our goal."

The spatial concept of SPEKTRALE opens up thematic links between color and light, and art and science. The arrangement is based on the colors blue, green, red, and yellow, as well as the "non-colors", black and white. "Each of these colors embodies a range of culturally specific symbols," explains Martina Stöppel, member of the SPEKTRALE board of trustees. "Thus, in the Western world, blue stands for rationality and insight, green tones remind the viewer of nature, red embodies emotion, yellow or gold are the colors of divinity and spirituality, while black and white represent darkness and light."

This interaction between art and science also takes place on an aesthetic level. "We want to demonstrate the beauty in science and make the viewer perceive scientific knowledge through art," said Tanja Labs, Artistic Director and member of SPEKTRALE's board of trustees. The combination results in an exhibition that illuminates various facets of light and color, providing a more vivid experience for visitors. Central to the exhibition concept is the journey of discovery, which starts with light and goes through darkness to understanding and then on to nature and the sun. A light and sound installation signals the end of this journey, which invites the visitor to participate, reflect and wonder. SPEKTRALE 2011 is rounded off by a general program with presentations on the various themes of the exhibition, such as "From the color wheel to the super-microscope," "Born to see, made to watch. A functional morphology of vision" or "The lifelong dream of carbon: a diamond."