The Open Campus Night will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 6:00 p.m., as part of the European Researchers’ Night, on the campus of Politehnica University Timișoara
Night of the Open Campus in Timișoara
Labs, exhibitions, art installations and workshops with free access
The three proposed routes: Science and Research, Interaction and Connection, Art – invite the general public to explore science and art in a new way, to create their own map according to their preferences and curiosities.
Open Campus Night is a unique event in Romania and provides a context in which the curious can explore the university unhindered.
“From the experience of the first edition of the event, I want to emphasize the public’s enthusiasm for the opportunity to walk through the buildings of the Faculties, to enter the laboratories and their surprise at the state-of-the-art equipment in all fields and at the friendly explanations of how they are used. We have prepared more than 60 scientific, artistic and community micro-activities that the public can go through at will, according to their own interests and curiosities. For one evening, the local community gathers on a university campus and celebrates science” says Alexandru Luca, Director of the UPT University Marketing Department.
The visit to the UPT Technical Museum, the place where the stories of Timișoara come to life, visitors will explore: the stories of the people and 5 historical neighborhoods of Timișoara, the interactive edutainment, mobile and mixed reality applications:
𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐜 𝐀𝐈 𝐇𝐫𝐨𝐧: a dynamic virtual garden with virtual plants and mushrooms (artists: Anna Dumitriu & Alex May, in collaboration with CAPABLE Project and BioArt Revolution); ExperimentariumTM Interactive Physical Phenomena Center – where the public will discover physical phenomena through experiments that allow participants to become active explorers and more.
“Parallel City Portal”
Another attraction of the evening will be the “Portalul Orașului Paralel” space, created in the premises of the Faculty of Construction, in the foundation testing hall for the scenography of the theater show Parallel Orașului: Party in Elisabetin.
The portal contains several immersive attractions such as: the Labyrinth of Mirrors, the Forest of Whispers, the Fountain of Time, the Ocean of Continuity and the Land of Desires that can be visited during the rehearsals for the show “Parallel City: Party in Elizabeth” that will be played on October 1 and 2.
Anda Maier, architect and lighting designer, prepared “Luminiș”, a temporary lighting installation that reconfigures the greenhouse of the UPT Polytechnic Campus into a space transformed by the dynamics of light and colors. During the day, the installation offers a constantly changing chromatic landscape, suggesting the interaction between bodies and light, and at night, the conservatory becomes a lightbox, emitting vibrant shades and shadows.
Thus, this project reimagines the greenhouse not only as a place of biological cultivation, but also as a sensory ecosystem, where light becomes the primary force that resonates with the natural rhythms of life.
Artist Matei Bejenaru brings researchers from local institutions to the public’s attention. Personalities who are not famous, although they have remarkable achievements, and who should be known and recognized will be presented through a series of documentary photographs in their spaces of work and scientific creation.
“Ski-art your life! – Art and science experiments
The exhibition “Sci-art your life! – Art and science experiments at MV sci-art” transforms the space of the center into an epicenter of art, science and experiment, offering the public an interactive and educational experience. The exhibition features works that integrate technology as a medium of artistic and scientific expression, challenging visitors to reflect on the nature of human existence and the world around them.
Visitors will have the opportunity to experience virtual reality using Meta Oculus VR glasses – an alternative reality created at the intersection of imagination, drawing and digital engineering. These immersive experiences demonstrate the power of technology to expand the boundaries of human perception and transport us into a new dimension where the possibilities are limitless.
The audience will explore the invisible structures of the world around us with the help of a microscope. This exercise of observing microorganisms, cells or tissues, challenges us to discover the depth of our world, as well as the unseen layers that comprise it. At the same time, we will have the opportunity to explore the starry sky with the help of the telescope that will allow us to connect to cosmic phenomena.
Under the slogan Don’t wait for the answers, seek the questions, Open Campus Night is an invitation to connection, vulnerability, engagement and openness. The map of the event includes all spaces and activities, for a better orientation in time and space. Visitors will also receive a printed map on site to keep up to date with the evening’s attractions and choose the activities they want to participate in.
