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Ausstellung Lichtlinien

Light Lines - (in)visible light in science, technology and art 9 June 2026 – 18 August 2026 (Exhibition in German and English)
Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday from 1 pm to 6 pm

Why do we only see a small part of light – and how do research and technology make invisible electromagnetic waves visible?


The exhibition LIGHT LINES demonstrates through current projects from the Dresden area how radiation is measured, utilised and designed – from thermal images to material properties.
At interactive stations, visitors can experiment themselves: With (in)visible selfies, it becomes apparent how infrared sensors "see through" certain materials. Spectral objects use polarised light to reveal hidden structures in everyday items. Glowing minerals show how UV light makes stones shine – and what that reveals about their composition.
At the same time, artistic works from a residency at the Dresden University of Fine Arts at the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf, as well as a camera obscura, are on display, where measurability and imagination, experiment and intuition meet. This creates a multifaceted engagement with light as a physical phenomenon, cosmos of innovation, and carrier of perception and speculative knowledge.

The exhibition is aimed at all science enthusiasts and is free of charge.

Guided tours upon request
We offer group tours outside of regular opening hours.

Language: German or English
Duration: approximately 1 hour
Number of participants: at least 10 people

Interested?
Then please send us your preferred date at info@cosmo-wissenschaftsforum.de.

Please also let us know whether you would like a general tour or a thematic tour with researchers.

Project participants:

Technical University of Dresden Chair of Traffic Psychology (Light Laboratory) Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf Institute of Theoretical Physics Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research Technical Collections Dresden – Museums of the City of Dresden Studio Plurals – Franz Ferdinand Richter, Dresden Blaurock Markenkommunikation GmbH, Dresden