1.0 Introduction

Hi! Thanks for choosing to visit this exhibition.

At the entrance, you might seen four short videos. If you skipped them, feel free to go back for a moment. They show very different situations but still have one thing in common: in each one, someone — or something — is taking action.

So, in your opinion, which of these situations involves intelligence? And why?

Take a moment to think about it — and try to remember your answer, because it might come in handy at the end of the exhibition.

So, what is intelligence? Could you define it?

If you find it difficult, you’re not alone: there is no single, clear, universal definition. The word intelligence refuses to sit still — its meaning shifts depending on context and time. And when we use it — which happens often — we may not all be talking about the same thing.

There are many studies on intelligence, many theories, and a great deal of empirical evidence — and yet, the case is far from solved.

If we tried to pin everything we know about intelligence onto an investigator’s board, we’d see sketches, names, numbers, crossed strings… and plenty of question marks.

This exhibition invites you to explore that board: to step closer and step back, focus and lose the thread, follow leads and rethink them.

It invites you into one of the most intriguing — and still open — mysteries in human knowledge.

Happy investigating.