Abstract:

“The Cosmos in one Leap” is a travelling exhibition about the theory that changed the paradigm we use to look at atoms and particles and the entire universe. The quantum revolution is unfolded in three fundamental stages, represented by three architectural “islands” respectively titled “Atoms,” “Quanta,” and “Technological Revolutions.” This naming is reinforced by the very shape of these islands, which recalls the initial letter of the idea that characterizes each one: A, Q, and T.

A play of lights, texts, videos, and multimedia interactive installations accompanies visitors on a journey to discover the key concepts underlying quantum mechanics, while also revealing the conceptual difficulties that the theory’s founders themselves had to confront in their attempts to fully understand it - if such complete understanding is even possible. A sense of frustration inevitably accompanies anyone who seeks to grasp this reality, so far removed from our direct experience.

The exhibition path shows how this theory, seemingly confined to the subatomic world and distant from everyday life, extends into the macroscopic realm, providing us with technologies that expand our ability to communicate, process data, and understand the universe - a universe that can no longer be fully comprehended without taking into account the quantum effects that govern its evolution.

Both the opportunity and the need to broaden the audience engaging with quantum mechanics through the language of exhibitions became evident, particularly from the perspective of a team working in public engagement in physics, following the warm public reception of the 400-square-meter exhibition on quantum mechanics, “Quantum. The revolution in one leap”. The exhibition featured interactive multimedia installations, texts, videos, animations, and historical and scientific objects, and on display from December 2023 to June 2024 at the Museo delle Scienze (MUSE) in Italy. "Quantum" was designed for a large audience ranging from the general public to students and teachers and based on a rigorous and experiential narrative focused on the ideas and perceptions that made scientists conceive Quantum Mechanics.

With the same target audience and key messages in mind, “The Cosmos in one Leap” reuses and reinvents part of the exhibits from the original exhibition from which it derives, rearranging them within a new exhibition and narrative path designed to be more streamlined, more accessible, and easier to set up for science and cultural festivals and events.

“The Cosmos in one Leap” has already been staged on two occasions: from September 24 to 29, 2025, in Naples during the European Researchers' Night, and from October 23 to November 2, 2025, in Genoa during the “Festival delle Scienze”.
These occasions served as a testing ground for the exhibition, which proved both appealing to the public and practical in terms of installation and dismantling.
A third stop is scheduled in Rome in April 2026, during the “Festival della Scienza”.

The exhibition’s texts, videos and installations are presented in both Italian and English, with a Spanish translation of a small portion of the exhibition forthcoming.

Keywords:

Traveling exhibition, STEM, Quantum Mechanics, education.