THE FABRIC  OF THE BODIES.  FROM ANATOMY TO ROBOTICS

October 14 – December 17, 2017.

with the collaboration of

under the patronage of

with the contribution of

The highly scientific quality of the event makes it suitable to whom is interested in futuristic biomedical technologies, primarily in the field of regenerative medicine and for followers of history of science, specifically in the medical context.
The constant recall to the experimental basis of the technologies shown renders the exposition of attraction for academicians, researchers in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical fields, and for bioengineers and technologists devoted to applications of robotics to biomedical problems, including the space missions.

The educational content of the materials in exhibition gives a strong cultural impulse for advancement in scientific learning to students from all different school levels in Parma and in the entire regional environment of Emilia-Romagna.

Finally, the interactive modalities planned including innovative immersive 3D graphic, holography, simplified laboratories in specific scientific topics, and easy-learning pathways provide a substantial clue of attraction for visiting the exposition by families, and technical experts in the field of tourism, cultural heritage, and cinematography.

The knowledge of the human body anatomy has opened to major biomedical achievements at the beginnig of the 21th century, in particular the translational research in bioartificial, tissue and organ engineering. Indeed, awareness that body shape and structure is intimately connected to body function is now essential to understand how the living organism evolves, in an “evo-devo” cross-talk based on the molecular mechanisms of morphogenesis. As a result biomaterials, bioprostheses, bioartificial organs, bioprinting, and organs-on-chip have become the inescapable premise to humanoid robotics, and to its futuristic applications to the conquest of the interstellar space by the humankind, the last frontier.

It is in this wide conceptual frame that the international exposition, the Fabric of the Bodies will take place in Parma next October 2017, inside the historical Palace of the Governor as a part of the Celebrations for the 2200 years of foundation of the City of Parma, and cultural events promoted by the University of Parma for the forthcoming academic year 2017-2018. Starting from the development and organization of the body shapes in invertebrate, vertebrates, mammals and humans, an historical touch will be offered through the unique collection of physiognomy masks prepared by the 19th century anatomist, Lorenzo Tenchini in Parma, part of which are now also in Turin. Then, moving through the artistic and computational symbolizations of the human bodies and viscera, the exposition will present the biomedical applications of biomaterials, bioprostheses, bioprinting, and organs-on-chip, to end into humanoid robotics and its potential applications to the space missions.

Lorenzo Tenchini and his masks
The volume, both in Italian and English language, has been edited by Roberto Toni, Elena Bassi, Silvano Montaldo and Alessandro Porro.
It has been possible due two different Italian research grants MIUR ACPR12_00312 and PANN15T3_00816, as well as by the support of a research grant from the University Museums Network of the University of Parma, in Italy.
For the first time in history, it collects all the currently available masks of the Tenchini’s collection, a unique piece of history of science realized using a still partly unknown technology likely based on a mixture of ceroplastic and anatomicalsurgical transplantation procedure, that renders it an unicum in the Western world of science, and still prompts investigations on the misteries it hides.