An invention that reconfigured the world, an innovator ahead of its time. The exhibition “The Flying Poet, Santos Dumont” highlights the innovative capacity of the Brazilian inventor, a visionary who devoted himself to science and technology inspired by the art.

With audiovisual content and interactive activities, the exhibit includes prototypes of the major creations by Santos Dumont and full-size replicas of the 14bis aircraft and the Demoiselle, the inventor's most complete project. Conceived and executed by the Roberto Marinho Foundation, "The Flying Poet, Santos Dumont" occupies the temporary exhibition hall of the museum, curated by Gringo Cardia and with scientific advice from Biophysicist and Researcher Henrique Lins de Barros.

The goal is to present Santos Dumont as a young entrepreneur who was an early adopter of concepts that are quite current today - for instance, he freely offered his design for replication instead of registering patents, in a kind of creative commons licensing scheme created before the term itself. He was also one of the first contemporary designers of the country, famous for his precise, simple and functional strokes, as well as one of the most celebrated Brazilians in the world (a trend-setter in Paris, the capital of the world at the beginning of the last century) and an icon of Brazil's ability to do science.

In the year that we celebrate 110 years of the 14 Bis inaugural flight - the first officially approved aircraft flight in history - Santos Dumont is the unifying thread for a journey through the history of flying. “We want to enhance Brazil's capacity to innovate and to do science, motivating children and young people to appreciate scientific activity", says the curator of the Museum of Tomorrow, Luiz Alberto Oliveira. 

The exhibition "The Flying Poet, Santos Dumont" has been conceived and executed by the Roberto Marinho Foundation, with exclusive sponsorship by Shell Brazil and support from the Federal Government (through the Federal Law for Cultural Incentive).

Visitors can experience aircraft

The exhibition is divided into five environments (read below). In the main room, prototypes of the seven models created by Santos Dumont - from the Brasil balloon to the Demoiselle aircraft (the synthesis of all his projects), including the pioneering 14 Bis - showcase the evolution of the technologies developed by the inventor. Dumont's bold design and minimalist forms stand out in this area.

In interactive screens, visitors see several layers of content unfold through digitized documents, images and historical photos. A full-size replica of the Demoiselle (built in the Samba City and transported to the Museum of Tomorrow) will be on display, and visitors can enter a draw to win a virtual "flight" through Paris and Rio de Janeiro in the early twentieth century through video editing. A documentary about the history of Santos Dumont is on display in the Cinema room, while in the Balloon Hall a film walks viewers through the inventions that inspired the poet and the evolution of the dream of flying, beginning all the way back to the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.

In the Paper Airplanes Workshop, visitors get playful introductions to Physics concepts such as Aerodynamics and Engine Mechanics: launched on a track, the airplanes trigger the Game of Curiosities, where videos show information about the operation of aircraft and many other curiosities.