Instruments that leave traces…

In this first section of the exhibition we explore instruments which make traces. Depending on what the instrument is designed to measure or demonstrate these traces can then be rendered meaningful, both by the contemporary scientist, the historian, and the public. Many of the instruments in this section are tracing phenomena of our daily lives, turning abstract concepts such as ‘efficiency,’ ‘energy’ or ‘health’ into comprehensible images. How do such instruments impact on how we visualise and understand the world around us? How much control do we have over the traces that these instruments leave and how we interpret them? What happens when instruments leave traces on our own bodies or lives that we are unable to eradicate?