WRITTEN IN FRENCH
Two terrestrial and celestial globes, made in 1622 by the Dutch cartographer Willem Blaeu, reflect the evolution of knowledge in terms of exploration over four centuries and, above all, demonstrate how our knowledge of the infinite world is ultimately very recent. Whether it concerns distant spaces, the depths of the oceans, the Earth's past, the structure of matter or nearby planetary worlds, it dates back, in fact, less than a century. Exploration has long been embodied by men practically alone, faced with considerable difficulties and some of whom became heroes. Today, it is the result of international collaborations, the only way to face increasingly complex and arduous challenges.
The work is structured around five main sections: the infinitely distant, the infinitely deep, the infinitely ancient, the infinitely small and the infinitely large. The different stages of exploration are detailed there, namely, the tools of investigation (from the naked eye to scientific instruments, up to the means of moving such as spaceships or diving suits), singular images, the scientific discoveries which persist beyond the exploratory adventure, the representations of these unknown "worlds", including fictional or dreamlike ones, and finally the perspectives and applications offered by the explorations.
Exhibition at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris, from October 17, 2023 to May 12, 2024.
French
168 pages / 130 illustrations
Lienart éditions / Cnam, musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris
Close
