The Cold War era, an era steeped in terror, apocalyptic anxiety and the rise of science as an instrument of power, marked the twentieth century. Just think of the power that the mythic radio program “War of the Worlds” by Orson Welles when it was broadcast in the United States in 1938: it generated a massive panic, as listeners believed that the news of a Martian invasion was real, reflecting the state of irrational fear that the country felt. This, together with the development of innovative and breakthrough technologies, and, of course, Russian and American competition to conquer space, make this period an interesting field of study.

Shaped by an incredible artistic, scientific and technological growth rate, this period has profoundly changed the face of humanity and has led to a paradigm shift which has produced significant changes at all levels of society. Therefore, even today, it remains a highly important era, filled with fruitful material for artistic research. The Ludwig Muzeum Budapest has devised the exhibition “The Science of Imagination,” which explores work by fourteen artists and recreates some of the most incredible events of the Cold War.

Through videos, drawings and installations, guest artists conjure this important time and its accompanying scientific theories, futuristic visions and sombre, agonizing mood. The Slovak artist Saso Sedlacek, for example, is represented by the work “Origami Space Race”, through which he dismantles notions underpinning the Cold War era Space Race. In its artistic version, this competition becomes an ecological utopia whose purpose is to build the first prototype Origami spaceship. Thus art with a wink becomes a platform for exploring alternative aerospace engineering.

Travelling to the Hungarian capital at present still implies relying on conventional airlines. Even so, we encourage you to rent apartments in Budapest, and soak up the incredible world of science fiction in this exhibition.