By Jay Scott Kanes
HONG KONG SCIENCE MUSEUM, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong – A little exposure to genius never hurt anyone. So reasoned my wife when insisting I should take her to a special exhibition at the Hong Kong Science Museum about the life and work of the famous scientist Albert Einstein (1879-1955). “It might make us smarter,” she said.
Born in Germany, but later a resident of Switzerland and the United States, Einstein, a theoretical physicist, won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Earlier, he had devised the theory of relativity with a vital equation: E=mc(squared), meaning that energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. Much later, Time Magazine named him as the leading “person” of the 20th century.
The exhibition of 200-plus items (memorabilia, written records, photos and film documentaries) offers “a vivid, overall picture of Einstein's life and times". Some videos and animations try to explain his theories. Not everyone attending understands it all. But the following looks certain: “His (Einstein's) theories on the nature of time and space profoundly affected the human conception of the physical world and laid the foundations for many of the scientific theories and technological advances of modern times.”
A complex man, Einstein became tangled in some of Europe's most difficult times, notably the turmoil of two world wars. He hit turbulence in his personal life too, which the exhibition also addresses.
Endearingly, Einstein cared little about personal appearance, often wearing disheveled, long hair and baggy, rumpled clothing. Probably everyone should take the same attitude.
With sponsorship from the Swiss and Chinese governments, the exhibition spent most of last year in Beijing and Guangzhou to celebrate 60 years of Swiss-Chinese diplomatic relations. Interestingly, it stresses Einstein's beliefs in the merits of democracy and of holding governments accountable for their misdeeds. Not much of either happens in China.
At times fascinating and perplexing, the exhibition (on until August 31) gives full value for its HK$30 admission fee. After strolling straight in off the street, we felt astonished when emerging three hours later to see a long queue of people awaiting tickets.
Did any residue from Einstein's brain-power sprinkle off onto us? Probably not! We left the museum with no great sense of being smarter ourselves, except, that is, for knowing considerably more about a great scientist.
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