A big opening ceremony involving a lot of people took place yesterday March 4th for Corporea, the first interactive museum in Italy on the human body, and 3D Planetarium , the most advanced in Europe. Corporea opening happened in the fourth anniversary of the fire that burnt the Science Centre, creating a wave of emotion throughout Italy and beyond.
Opening with President Grasso
In a crowded Newton in the presence of representatives of the scientific, academic, institutional and business world, the director of Mattino, Alessandro Barbano, recalled that “Corporea opening is a magical moment for the whole city.” Senate President, Pietro Grasso, said that “the burning of four years ago took place a few days before my election. The manifestation of solidarity with the workers of Città della Scienza was my first public appearance. So I promised I’d be back here on the occasion of the great revival. Today I kept my promise. ” Città della Scienza President, Vittorio Silvestrini, shared with the audience a deep thought on the current socio-economic environment: “The unequal distribution of wealth is no longer sustainable at economic and social level. We can no longer tolerate social differences, so we have to find an alternative, making sure that the effects of economic activities take into account the quality of life. It seems obvious but, given the times we are living, it is not.” President Eciste, the network of European science museums, Michiel Buchiel, greeted the audience on behalf of the more than 350 organizations that make up the network. “We share the passion of science and education – he said -. There we meet with the world of the institutions to work together, because education is an investment. Science has brought us here, it helps us to live better there, contributes every day to solve new challenges “. Bruno Marquardt, president of Univescience (Paris), and Vincenzo Lipardi, secretary general of Città della Scienza, signed an agreement for the creation of a joint exhibition on the theme of fire. A topic that has deeply moved the story of both structures: both Universcience that Città della Scienza, in fact, have been heavily damaged by fire, and then relaunch emerging at the forefront nationally and internationally. Adriano Coni, responsible for Sustainability and Social Secretariat of RAI, has been rewarded for his efforts for the reconstruction of Città della Scienza, with the most important campaign of crowdfunding ever built in Italy. Lipardi explained that “Corporea is a project of 30 million, the largest investment in culture made in Europe. Four years ago we were dead, nowhere else in the world would have the strength to get up. There was a huge solidarity, a large fundraiser with the crowdfunding method for 1.4 million euro. Now the goal is to remake the Science Centre in three years. Before the fire – he said – Città della Scienza had 350,000 visitors. Now we are aiming to have 200,000, that can become 500,000 when the museum reopened. “
Città della Scienza protagonist of the Bagnoli rebirth
The mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, focused his speech on teamwork between institutions: “I am happy not only for the opening round but because there is the institutional will to revitalize the whole area. Alone is not going anywhere, together we can do so much to prove that the South is the key player for a different Italy.“
The President of Campania Region, Vincenzo De Luca, stressed the importance “of accelerated spending to conclude this work of great importance. From Naples comes the confirmation of great powers“. The Minister of Territorial cohesion and the South, Claudio De Vincenti, stressed the centrality of Bagnoli agenda of the national government. ” the efforts made in the last year and a half, as a government, together with local institutions, we live it with great conviction. Today, after 23 years , new perspectives for Bagnoli raise are apperaing. the draft of Città della Scienza fits perfectly in the urban renewal process, especially in light of the agreement between the Città della Scienza and Invitalia, perfectly consistent with the restoration of the coast “. The rector of the University Federico II of Naples and President of the CRUI, Gaetano Manfredi, has placed emphasis on the effects generated by research. “Many of the ideas exploited here also come from the contributions of our researchers” Important conclusions entrusted to Valeria Fedeli, Minister of Education, University and Research, which in the hours before the opening ceremony visited the Incubator, the D.RE.A.M. FabLab and multimedia classrooms in Città della Scienza. “This place – said – is a reference point for all those who want to change. Here, four years ago, there was an act of intimidation aimed at hurting a vital system, in an area that someone would not growing. Today inaugurates a benefit of the community resource, researchers, students. You are a space of knowledge – the minister Fedeli added – born where criminal will wish you had created the desert. “The ceremony then moved to Corporea Building. Thousands of visitors in the first opening body to the city. 5.000 square meters of the Museum, set on three levels, 14 thematic islands, interactive installations, exhibitions that complement the traditional language with “hands on” experiments. March 19th , 2017, finally opens to the public the spectacular 3D Planetarium.
