‘Genius in motion’

“Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion” is a new interactive exhibit at UTRGV that features replicas of the famous Renaissance inventor and artist.

The Office of Public Art has brought to UTRGV machines that were built by a group of scientists and craftsmen in Florence, Italy. They did a deep analyzation of da Vinci’s work and were able to bring to life fully operational machines.

“The exhibit is a celebration for, you know, the paintings, sculptures, the music, architecture and engineering,” said Kimberly Castillo, a senior international business major and office assistant at the Office of Public Art. “‘Genius in Motion’ represents an exhibit of full-scale machines that … basically, it shows a combination of engineering, math and science. It’s very astonishing, you know, the hands-on experience that people have with the machines. … Since I am a student and I do have class in the Engineering building, I really get to see how people interact with them and how students enjoy them.”

The machines were separated into different categories depending on the element the machine focused on. Air, water, earth and fire, these elements had a great influence on da Vinci while sketching his inventions.

“The reason this exhibit is so important is that present-day scientists went back to his sketches and they created these inventions, what we call these machines, using the same materials of the 1500s,” said Dahlia Guerra, assistant vice president of Public Art at UTRGV. “We know that da Vinci is known for his incredible artwork, for his incredible paintings. … He represents the high Renaissance … He goes beyond being an artist to a scientist and his inventions go way beyond anybody could imagine at that time in history.”

This exhibit has been on display across the United States, including Michigan, Nebraska, Montana and Alabama. This is the first time the Office of Public Art has brought the display since the creation of UTRGV. Students at the Engineering building take their time to appreciate the exhibit as they walk to their classroom, study, buy lunch or just chat with fellow classmates.

“I think it’s really great to see, like, all types of artists,” said Daniela Treviño, a sophomore political science major. “And it’s just very interesting … the artwork is pretty cool. … You guys should come and check it out because it’s really interesting if you look through [the machines]. … It’s really cool just to see this type of artwork.”

“Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion” will be on display until Dec. 20 in the Engineering building on the Edinburg campus. Admission is free.

For more information, call the UTRGV Office of Public Art at 665-2353.