New Atlantis, Experiment Nr. 2 by Zalán Szakács

The first part of the exhibition focuses on optical instruments and historical wonders inspired by various books written from ancient times till the 17th century. The installation draws inspiration from New Atlantis, the speculative text by Francis Bacon describing an island where scientific discovery and spiritual inquiry are deeply intertwined. In Bacon’s imagined society, scientists experiment with prisms, lenses, and light to study the nature of vision and optics—anticipating early discoveries about the dispersion of light later demonstrated by Isaac Newton.

Inspired by this vision, Szakács constructs a metaphorical “temple of science” where kaleidoscopic lenses and prisms produce shifting refractions reminiscent of pre-cinematic optical experiments. A rotating disc echoes the movement of the sun and moon while visitors sit inside the Earth, creating a contemplative environment that invites reflection on perception, cosmic order, and the history of scientific imagination. For this installation, Szakács worked closely with Franz Kaufmann, who developed the technical design of the work.