Thanks to the work of dedicated scientists and craftsmen, visitors to the George Bush Presidential Library can step into the past to see Leonardo da Vinci’s vision of the future.
Machines in Motion, an interactive exhibit originally located in Florence, Italy, has migrated to Aggieland and will be on display until Jan. 6, 2019. The exhibit opened earlier this month and features several of da Vinci’s designs ranging from an automated robot to a machine gun. All designs are arranged by the categories of water, earth, fire and air.
The exhibit displays machines originally designed by da Vinci, according to David Anaya, director of marketing and communications for the Bush Library.
“The exhibit consists of 37 different machines that were created from the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci,” Anaya said. “They were put together by craftsmen using the same materials and tools that would have been available during his time.”
Anaya said while he recognizes the importance of all the different inventions displayed, there is one that stands out as a favorite.
“Being prior military, I like the tank,” Anaya said. “It’s the biggest thing in there. It’s very interesting to see. Does it look like a tank of today? No, but when you’re looking at it you can kind of see how there was a concept of it — and a pretty good working concept if you ask me.”
Curator Susie Cox said the Bush Library was a logical home for the exhibit due to Texas A&M’s sizeable student population and emphasis on engineering.
“This exhibit seemed to be a perfect fit for our community, since we are located on the campus of Texas A&M, a leading engineering school,” Cox said.
Anaya said the interactive experience is one of the aspects that will help da Vinci’s creations resonate with people’s interests and understanding of his vast designs.
“A lot of the things in the exhibit are things that are recognizable in our society today,” Anaya said. “To be able to see how they transitioned in their infancy untill now, I think it is something a lot of people can learn a lot from. To get their hands on these things, and to be able to move some of these exhibits, I think it’ll help some people discover a lot.”
Sarah Akhtar, finance sophomore, said she was astonished by da Vinci’s influence in the world today.
“I think the bike and printing press were my favorite things on display,” Akhtar said. “They reminded me of how much we can take things in our day to day lives for granted. It’s spectacular to think about how much this one man impacted generations after his own time.”