"It is the brain that creates what we perceive as reality. That is why we can experience the world so differently. If we can understand why others experience the world differently, it can lead to greater empathy and understanding", says Hanne Stensola.
She and Tor Stensola are behind the exhibition 'The Brain Journey', which opens on 20 June in collaboration with the new science centre, 'Vitensenteret', at UiA’s Campus Kristiansand.
‘The Brain Journey’ occupies two large rooms in the new Vitensenteret, featuring many large and small stations where visitors can explore the brain, and how we experience reality.
"With echo chambers and social media, our opinions aren’t being challenged to the same extent as before. Neuroscience can offer a small dose of existential humility, which we believe is a healthy contribution to the formation of opinions. I think the exhibition will prompt the public to ask themselves many new questions", says Tor Stensola.
Funding from Spareskillingsbanken
Spareskillingsbanken has donated three million kroner to the exhibition.
“Spareskillingsbanken recognises the importance of focusing on the mental health of children and young people, and hopes that this contribution to the exhibition on the brain will help people better understand how the brain works,” says Tobias Øverli, the bank’s sustainability manager.
He says the money is a gift not only to the people of Kristiansand, but to everyone who visits the region.
"As the city’s local bank, we find it both exciting and rewarding to support a project that links research from UiA with the important outreach work that the Science Centre does for children and young people,” says Øverli.
The Rector of UiA, Sunniva Whittaker, says that the university greatly appreciates the gift from Spareskillingsbanken.
"The gift has enabled us to create a high-quality exhibition that we hope will spark the curiosity of both children and adults, and which will highlight how researchers develop knowledge", she says.
Head of Vitensenteret, Kine Wangerud, says the exhibition has served as a model for co-creation in future exhibitions.
"It is solely the support from Spareskillingsbanken that has made this exhibition possible, and ensured it is as large as it is. It has given us a flying start", she says.
A boost for the mind
The exhibition ‘The Brain Journey’ has been in development over the last three years and is a collaboration between UiA, RVTS Sør, Vitensenteret and Landmark Film.
"The brain is often portrayed in a way that isn’t entirely accurate. We’ve spent time creating an exhibition that helps people set aside their preconceptions. We feel that understanding one’s biological origins will be a boost for the mind,” says Tor Stensola.
Hanne Stensola adds one of the exhibition’s key points: “The best way to calibrate one’s reality is to be with other people.”
"The great strength we have as human beings is to come together across our differences. Diversity is our greatest strength", she says.
'The Brain Journey' opens at Vitensenteret on Campus Kristiansand on 20 June 2026. The exhibition is suitable for the whole family.