Visit Olympian City’s interactive Think Like Leonardo da Vinci 500th Anniversary Exhibition, a progressive playground of learning and fun

(PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Andy Warhol made the famous statement in the 1980s that as the influence of pop art percolated through society, shopping malls would become more like art galleries. His prophecy has certainly been realised. Held at the Olympian City mall in Tai Kok Tsui until February 16, the just-opened Think Like Leonardo da Vinci 500th Anniversary Exhibition, a collaboration between the Sino Group’s non-profit organisation Hong Kong Innovation Foundation and Italy’s Leonardo3 (L3) museum, celebrates the quincentenary of the world’s most progressive artist. It also feels like the most educational, insightful and interactively fun playground a child or adult could ever step into. 

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Da Vinci was a polymath, with remarkable accomplishments across many disciplines. “Leonardo da Vinci is a pioneer of STEM and STEAM [science, technology, engineering, art and maths], and he has left a far-reaching impact on the world with his forward thinking,” says Nikki Ng, deputy chairwoman of the Hong Kong Innovation Foundation. “By showcasing machines built from da Vinci’s concepts and providing interactive experiences, the exhibition is expected to not only inspire Hong Kong people but also help encourage I&T [information and technology] development.”

L3 studies da Vinci’s concepts through research, analysis and translation of his original manuscripts and drawings, and uses state-of-the-art technology to manifest his creations. On display at the exhibition’s first Asian stop is a series of mechanical models of da Vinci’s flying machines, musical instruments, ships, architectural structures and conceptual designs that inspired the inventing generations who followed him, as well as a series of interactive experiences that allow visitors to step into Renaissance life.

(PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

There’s no better place to start than with the Mona Lisa (1503), the world’s most famous painting; that mysterious smile and the eyes that follow us have captivated historians, artists and the public. An interactive installation unveils the secrets behind the masterpiece – and visitors can become the icon by snapping “My Mona Lisa Smile” photos to be displayed on the mall’s mega-screen Mona Lisa mosaic. For each photo taken and displayed, Sino Group will donate HK$5 to local charity Smile with Us HK. 

Perhaps you’re da Vinci’s ideal man or woman? One of his most famous works, Vitruvian Man (1490), is based on the theories of Roman architect Vitruvius, who proposed the so-called “golden ratio” in which he believed that every part of the human body corresponded to architectural proportions. Da Vinci illustrated the idea by using an adult male outstretched in two overlapping poses – his limbs touching a circle in one, then within a square consisting of 64 smaller squares in the other. Visitors can compare their body build to da Vinci’s “ideal man” with a body scanner; participants with the closest fit each week will receive a HK$200 voucher from an Olympian City merchant. 

(PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

(PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Or, take to the skies. Da Vinci’s Codex on the Flight of Birds (1505) contains his drawings and inventions related to getting man aloft, and contributed to the invention of early 20th-century human flight. Participants wear a sensor to control a flying device with their body and receive a gift for completing the game. Those with the highest score each week receive a HK$200 voucher from an Olympian City merchant. 

The final virtual reality experience concerns The Last Supper (1498), whereby visitors explore the widely researched painting by finding out about the drawing techniques and hidden messages behind the masterpiece. Da Vinci used egg yolks as a pigment in this work, thus creating the painting medium of tempera.

“We hope the public space in Olympian City will come into play in introducing da Vinci’s legacy and STEAM, and will inspire the general public,” says David Ng, group associate director of Sino Group. Say cheese, Mona Lisa.