Exhibition: Space Waves and a Tale
The exhibition Space Waves and a Tale presented parts of Hannes Alfvén's (1908–1995, Nobel Prize laureate in physics 1970) extensive research, his community engagement and last but not least, his fictional story The tale of the great computing machine from 1966.
In 1970, KTH professor Hannes Alfvén (1908 – 1995) was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for his discoveries and applications in plasma physics. The exhibition Space Waves and a Tale presented parts of Alfvén's extensive research, his community engagement and his fictional story The tale of the great computing machine from 1966.
Alfvén's research allow us to explore all corners of the universe – from the auroras on earth to the auroras on other planets, from solar wind to stellar wind, from plasma phenomena in the laboratory to astrophysical plasma phenomena in ours and other galaxies.
The tale of the great computing machine is a satirical tale that tells the story of a future society controlled by computers and is also the source of inspiration for a newly produced opera with the same name. The opera premiered in December 2022 at the KTH Reactor Hall and ran for two weeks.
As part of the exhibition Space Waves and a Tale visitors were invited to share their visions of how future technologies may shape our lives and societies. Two students from the KTH School of Architecture contributed to the exhibition by designing and building a flexible and sustainable exhibition module. Students from BOOMERANG REXUS also participated with objects related to aerospace research.
The exhibition opened with a vernissage on 4 October and was on display until 16 December. Space Waves and a Tale was produced by the project group for KTH 200 years anniversary celebration together with KTH Library , The Opera: The Tale of the Great Computing Machine , the Division of Space and Plasma Physics and the KTH School of Architecture .