Xtreme

XTREME. Living in extreme environments at the Magazzino delle Idee in Trieste from 29 August to 11 October 2020.

Exhibition organised by the Regional Cultural Heritage Authority in collaboration with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Speleological Federation, Felice Ippolito National Antarctica Museum, INAF- Astronomical Observatory of Trieste.

What do caves, Antarctica and potentially habitable planets have in common?

Much more than you think: difficulties, technological solutions and fundamental scientific research to address the future of our planet.

The exhibition ‘Xtreme. Living in Extreme Environments’ presents these interweavings through photographic material, videos and objects. The three extreme environments investigated by research in Antarctica, speleology and astrobiology represent three extreme situations where man cannot go without preparation and special equipment. The first two environments, in addition to being fundamental research territories (climatological, geological and environmental) also serve to test human tools and endurance, in anticipation of setting foot on new planets. It is no coincidence, in fact, that the training of ESA astronauts takes place in the caves of Sardinia and Slovenia, and that an ESA psychologist, specialised in extreme conditions, spends the winter at the Italian-French Concordia base in Antarctica. But that is not all: the strange organisms that live in the dark underground or in the Antarctic ice can help us imagine the extraterrestrial organisms that we may one day encounter.

The exhibition

You  will find images owned by ESA, INAF, the National Museum of Antarctica (MNA), the National Antarctic Research Project (PNRA)  and speleological groups. Backlit panels with images of spectacular speleological environments from all over the world, made available by “La Venta – Explorazioni Geografici”. Historical and recent photos on speleological exploration in Friuli Venezia Giulia.  Equipment for speleological exploration, such as the helmet of Eugenio Boegan (an early 20th century Trieste explorer and speleologist), a carbide lamp, whistles, ropes and harnesses. Films and a rotating holographic projector with historical photos on an Antarctic and speleological theme. Equipment for exploration and research in Antarctica (Antarctic tent and exploration suit and clothing), made available by the MNA and the PNRA.”