BLACK-OUT. Energia, interazioni e mitocondri

From Wednesday, April 15th to Sunday, April 19th, 2026, as part of the  Biennale Tecnologia 2026, of which Intesa Sanpaolo is the Main Partner, the Gallerie d'Italia will host "BLACK-OUT" in the immersive room. This interactive and multimedia installation is curated by Vincenzo Guarnieri, a chemist and researcher active in science communication with an interdisciplinary approach.

The exhibition project is organized by the "Galileo Ferraris" Energy Department of the Polytechnic University of Turin (Department of Excellence 2023-2027).

We often only realise what we have when we lose it. That happens often.
We travel, communicate, heat, cool, light, recharge, eat. All this is made possible thanks to the energy we have available. But we aren’t always aware of it. When the energy is gone, we realise its importance. It's a black-out.
The climate crisis requires a transition to renewable sources, but these are intermittent by nature. Discrepancies can therefore arise between peaks in production and peaks in consumption. Entire cities or nations can shut down.
International tensions, wars, embargoes, sanctions, etc., can generate and be generated by energy issues. Dependence on fossil fuels is a source of vulnerability. For this reason, too, a transition to renewable energy sources—which are more equally distributed—is necessary.
Artificial intelligence is changing our lives. The debate over its effects is growing increasingly heated. However you look at it, this technology requires the storage and processing of vast amounts of data and, consequently, enormous quantities of energy.
What can we do?
Scientific and technological research is exploring various ways to find solutions. These paths need to converge. Opportunities for exchange and collaboration are needed. We are talking about the integration of energy systems and synergy.
The installation is a special data center through which data, ideas, and visual and audio suggestions flow. It requires energy and our curiosity to function.
Immersed in darkness, we can “shed light” on objects, approaches, and research perspectives that integrate and influence one another, generating a rich, varied, and complex picture.
All around are neural cells captured under a microscope. They are connected and exchange signals. Inside them and along the extensions connecting them, mitochondria can be seen in motion. These are organelles found within all eukaryotic cells, such as our own. Their role is to convert and distribute energy for all metabolic functions. They divide, merge, and move to where energy is most needed.
Mitochondria were originally bacteria. About 2 billion years ago, they entered a cell that, instead of rejecting or destroying them, established an endosymbiotic relationship. It is thanks to this form of acceptance that we can breathe today.
Can a microscopic fragment of the biological world be a source of inspiration?
The issue of energy is problematic and controversial. There is no single, miraculous solution. But that is precisely why it is fascinating, and  why it becomes crucial to learn more about it.
We do not want to be left in the dark.