Singapore, 5 May 2009 – Da Vinci – The Genius – is the most comprehensive travelling exhibition ever created on Leonardo Da Vinci. Jointly developed by the Anthropos Association of Italy and Grande Exhibitions, the travelling display toured the United States before making its Asian debut in Singapore. At the Science Centre from 16 May to 16 August 2009, the exhibition is proudly brought to all by Grande Exhibitions, Max Entertainment, Science Centre Singapore and MediaCorp VizPro.
Da Vinci – The Genius showcases the full scope of Leonardo Da Vinci’s remarkable career as an inventor, artist, anatomist, sculptor, engineer, musician and architect. The exhibition, which took 10 years to complete, features close to 200 exhibits with over 70 full-scale machine inventions crafted from Da Vinci’s personal codices (notebooks), as well as reproductions of his most famous Renaissance art, including the Mona Lisa, Virgin of the Rocks, and The Annunciation, amazing anatomical sketches, the preparatory drawings of the Anghiari Battle, and three-dimensional interactive presentations of The Last Supper, the Vitruvian Man, and the Sforza Horse sculpture that offer unprecedented insights on these famous works.
Dr Chew Tuan Chiong, Chief Executive of the Science Centre Singapore, said, “Da Vinci is a household name, familiar to people across all ages and countries. Such is the enduring fame of a brilliant thinker who shaped the world of science through the ages. We’re thrilled to host the records of his achievements at the Science Centre, to demonstrate to Singaporeans how science transcends all boundaries to be intricately linked to all aspects of life – from art and music to buildings and airplanes.”
A highlight of the exhibition is the “Secrets of Mona Lisa Revealed”, a display from Paris that showcases the work of French engineer Pascal Cotte. His life-long passion for the study and preservation of the Mona Lisa led him to invent the cutting edge 240-megapixel Multi-spectral Imaging Camera, which uses patented infrared technology and intense illumination to scan the painting and virtually peel away layers of varnish applied over centuries. With his camera, Cotte was able to uncover how the Mona Lisa looked as she was originally painted, including layers of over-painting, restoration and attempts at preservation – even identifying the individual pigments that Da Vinci used. His amazing revelations are presented in gallery style and in super size, high resolution prints, with the largest being the 14ft x 10ft giant infra-red print of Mona Lisa.
“I’m very excited about our new partnership with the Singapore Science Center and Mediacorp VizPro on this project,” said Bruce Peterson, Founder and Managing Director of Grande Exhibitions. Leonardo Da Vinci is a globally recognized icon and brand. Bringing his tremendous inventions and paintings to “live” in such a unique fashion will make this a must see exhibition for anyone. Realizing that his ideas were several hundred years ahead of his time and now seeing them as actual models is very fascinating and hopefully will provide our visitors a further insight into this genius’ mind.”
Most of what is known about Da Vinci’s scientific ideas comes from his codices. Of the minimum 24,000 pages he is believed to have originally penned, only about 6,000 remain intact today. In his codices, he wrote and drew about geometry, engineering, fauna and flora, mathematics, physics and philosophy. He created incredibly detailed anatomical sketches, and engineered extremely innovative designs for buildings and mechanical devices, most of which were never actually built while Da Vinci was alive.
Under the direction of Modesto Veccia, President of the Anthropos Association and Curator and Founder of Il Genio di Leonardo Da Vinci Museo in Rome, a cadre of Italian artisans spent the last decade studying and interpreting Da Vinci’s codices and crafting the machine inventions contained in the exhibition. Whenever possible, they have used techniques and materials of 15th century Italy, including wood, cotton, brass, iron, canvas and chord.
Marcus Luer, Chairman of Max Entertainment, said, “Part of Da Vinci’s rich legacy was his complex and unique intellect, coupled with his ability to make science understandable and accessible to the layman through the use of beautiful visual productions. We’re proud to be part of this effort to allow Singaporeans the rare opportunity to delve into the life of one of the most inspiring figures in history.”
“MediaCorp VizPro is a leader in Singapore for family entertainment, and we firmly believe that Da Vinci- the Genius is edutainment at its best. Enriching and highly engaging, this exhibition is perfectly poised for children as well as adults, because it packs art, history, science and culture all under one roof.” added Lim Suat Jien, Managing Director of MediaCorp VizPro.
The many components on display in the 20,000-square-foot space in the Science Centre are intended to delight patrons of all ages. The inventions on display will focus on the following themes: Physics & Mechanical Principles, Civil Machines, Flight Studies Machines, Military Machines, Hydraulic Machines and Musical Instruments. Among the many inventions found in Da Vinci’s codices, on display will be his visions for the glider, parachute, the precursor to the modern helicopter, the bicycle, forerunner to the modern military tank, automobile, submarine, ball bearing and gear systems, among many other amazing inventions that were far ahead of their time.
General Information:
| Exhibition | Da Vinci – The Genius |
| Opening Date | 16 May 2009 |
| Opening hours | Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am – 6pm *Closed on Mondays except School & Public Holidays |
| Address | Science Centre Singapore, The Annexe 15 Science Centre Road, Singapore 609081 |
| Ticket Prices | S$16.00 (Adult) S$11.00 (Child) *Above prices include general admission to the Science Centre. |
| Public Enquiries | 6425 2500 |
For more information, please contact:
Eunice Choy
Science Centre Singapore
DID: 6425 2372
Email: [email protected]
Marilyn Foo / Jennifer Yeo
MediaCorp VizPro Pte Ltd
DID : 6420 8562 / 6420 8559
Email : [email protected] / [email protected]
Audrey Wong / Joanie Koh
LEWIS
DID: 6534 7250
Email: [email protected]
Notes to the editor
About TSA
Total Sports Asia (TSA) is Asia’s leading independent sports marketing agency with a dedicated team of over 80 sports marketing experts and six offices in Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Mumbai and Delhi. Its main business is media rights, sponsorship, events management and consulting.
TSA works with leading federations and rights holders from around the world including the media rights for the US Open tennis, BWF (Badminton World Federation) and FIFA World Champion Italy and UEFA EURO Champion Spain for the FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualification.
About Science Centre Singapore
The Science Centre Singapore is a non-formal educational institution dedicated to the promotion of science and technology among students and members of the public. As a leading Science Centre in the region, the Science Centre Singapore has twelve exhibition galleries with more than 1,000 exhibits, and another 18,000 sq metres of outdoor space showcasing the Waterworks, Ecogarden and the Kinetic Garden exhibits. The Centre also houses the Omni-Theatre — Singapore’s only dome-shaped, 5-storey high theatre with a capacity of 276 seats. The Science Centre received 1.049 million visitors, while Omni-Theatre and Snow City received 400,000 visitors for FY2008/2009. For more information, please visit www.science.edu.sg.
About Max Entertainment
MAX ENTERTAINMENT provides experiential marketing services to companies who are interested in leveraging the power of entertainment events and brands in their marketing and communication mix. With an ever expanding portfolio of marquee brands and properties, MAX’s services include conceptualization and implementation of entertainment events, ranging from top music performers to family entertainment shows while delivering strong Return of Investment to our clients. MAX works closely with local promoters, agencies and corporations across Asia, optimizing their brand message through customized and relevant entertainment content.
The company also owns and manages an exciting world-class traveling exhibit – The Dinosaurs Alive! World Tour. It is the world’s largest ‘transportable’ exhibition of robotic dinosaurs. Successful tours in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines have garnered an impressive turnout of well over 600,000 visitors. The Tour will be making its way to Malaysia, Korea, China and India in the very near future.
MAX is part of the Total Sport Asia Group, Asia’s largest independent sports marketing agency. As its entertainment arm, MAX focuses on delivering strong entertainment content and events for our regional clients. Total Sports Asia, with a total of 7 regional offices across Asia and staffed by over 90 dedicated professionals, has a 12-year track record in sports marketing including the areas of consultancy, media content, TV production, sponsorships and event management.
The Da Vinci – The Genius Singapore exhibition is one of MAX’s flagship properties for 2009 and we are engaged in numerous discussions to bring this excellent exhibition to other parts of Asia.
About MediaCorp VizPro
MediaCorp VizPro specialises in show and event management, and provides planning and consultancy services for special theme events. Over the last seven years, VizPro has presented a variety of mega-scale productions ranging from musicals such as Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Avenue Q; live family shows such as Barney’s Let’s Imagine Live!, Hi-5 and Disney On Ice and Disney Live! productions, to concerts including Angela Chang’s Live @ Singapore 2008; Adam Cheng and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra 2008; Show Luo Show on Stage Concert 2007; Jolin Tsai’s Dancing Diva Concert 2007; Eason Chan Live In Singapore 2007; Frances Yip and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra 2006; Sandy Lam 2006 World Tour; and Stefanie Sun Live in Concert 2006, to list a few.
VizPro is also a proud supporter of local talents, having produced stand-up comedies like Hossan Live! and Kumar: Not Guilty. It has also co-presented the 2007 sold-out run of The Pillowman. Other productions include the restaging of noteworthy productions such as Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress, Twist of Fate and Snow Queen.
VizPro Entertainment is part of MediaCorp. MediaCorp is Singapore’s leading media company with the most complete range of platforms, spanning television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies and digital media. MediaCorp has over 50 products and brands in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), including online classifieds, Internet TV-on-demand and High Definition TV broadcast. Winner of numerous international awards and accolades including Asia Television’s Broadcaster of the Year, MediaCorp’s vision is to become Asia’s top media company, delivering valued content to the world.
About Grande Exhibitions
Formed in 2005, Grande Exhibitions is an entertainment company trading globally, specialising in the creation, production, commercialisation and placement of select international exhibitions that have broad cultural appeal. We produce and market exhibitions that are entertaining, fun, educational; often interactive and family orientated. Operating in Melbourne, Australia and Rome, Italy, with a worldwide network of partners and agents provides Grande Exhibitions a key presence in all time zones to promote in most major cities throughout the world.
Grande Exhibitions launched “Leonardo da Vinci – An Exhibition of Genius”, (now known as simply Da Vinci – The Genius) a blockbuster exhibition of Italian origins that showcases in full arguably the greatest genius of all time. In 2007, the outstanding Secrets of Mona Lisa from Paris was added to make an already outstanding exhibition, even more compelling to visit.
The Leonardo da Vinci collection of exhibitions have been seen by well over 1 million patrons world-wide; showcased in international cities such as Rome, San Francisco, Macau, Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, Moscow and Melbourne.