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Dec 18,2005 - Dec 25,2005 |
Leonardo da Vinci at the CNE
Faithful reproductions of his inventions now on display
By Niccolò Marras
Originally Published: 2005-08-28
The exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci's invention has come to Toronto at last. After a final bout of doubts and contratemps, the 37 models of machines invented by Italy's greatest Renaissance genius - born in Vinci, near Florence, on April 15, 1452 - are now on display at the CNE, Hall A, National Trade Centre, Exhibition Place.
The show is called A voyage with Leonardo and will run to the very end of the CNE, on September 5.
The models are faithful reproductions of Leonardo's machines, made on the basis of his original drawings. "We made them," says Manuel Perrotta, who conceived the idea of this exhibition, "with the approval and under the supervision of the officials of the Vinci Museum. It took us three years, but we finally managed to do it."
It is a dream come true: Manuel Perrotta, from Rome, worked in a totally different line, dealing in music and art, when he began wondering about this genius and how he managed to conceive such machines several centuries ahead of his time.
"What first struck me was the idea of flight," added Perrotta, interviewed while busily completing the assembly of the machines. "Then I got the idea of making these models and displaying them, which entailed a long approval process with Leonardo experts and the Italian Ministries of Culture, Environment, and Technological Research."
"This is the only official exhibit authorized and recognized by the Italian Government. Every machine was made with methods and materials available in Leonardo's age. We hired the services of skilled craftsmen from Tuscany and also Rumania and Poland, where advanced woodworking skills are still available."
The exhibit has been brought to Toronto thanks to Tony Marcantonio of Gaspé Promotions.
"Our mission," added Perrotta, "is to bring art to the people, having it interact with the public. This is possible because all machines are working, and visitors can test them."
The exhibit is an instance of culture becoming popular. All this has nothing to do with fiction, such as that of the best-selling The Da Vinci Code, which many have mistaken for the truth about the genius. "That's fiction," confirmed Perrotta, "the real Leonardo has nothing in common with that stuff."
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