According to Ann Marks, a physics consultant who advised on this meeting of sculptors and scientists, Giants of the Infinitesimal is about helping “visualise the invisible”.
Nano-particles are put under the microscope
“They are incredibly tiny,” she says. “To find out about them or image them you need special devices.”
Here, those implements are large-scale versions of the particles, created by shapers Tom Grimsey and Theo Kaccoufa in collaboration with experts from universities in Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow and Sheffield.
Their efforts allow you to manipulate them in the same way they might be in a lab. An experimental adventure which premiered at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry, the project also features a sculpted depiction of the honeycomb lattice of graphene – the super-strong material which won a Nobel prize in Physics for a University of Manchester team.
“The interactive exhibits simulate techniques used by the scientists, but with particles about a hundred million times larger,” explains Marks.
“The challenge is to move them about and experience this amazing world.”
- Open 10am-5pm. Admission £8.05-£10.95 (free for under-4s, family ticket £32.80-£52.45, includes re-entry for 12 months). Book online.
