What characteristics do atoms have? Many of the macroscopic sizes familiar to us are of no significance in the world of the miniscule. They only exist when several atoms come together. For example, an atom has no temperature: Heat is instead a medium-sized body of kinetic energy made up of a large number of atoms. The thermal camera makes this visible. It records different temperatures in the surrounding environment and converts them into colours. The resulting images are then projected onto a screen. Visitors can easily and intuitively interpret the depicted colours: black, purple, blue and green convey coolness, while yellow, red and white convey warmth. The result is an unusual full-body image - often including a green, i.e. cold nose. But don't worry: simply rub it with your hand and it will change colour.

Using analogies, this bright, colourful series of images by Bremen-based artists Martina Mrotzeck and Thomas Hogrefe shows how ideas concerning atomic have changed over the last 250 years. For example, a split, juicy red watermelon stands for the atom model created by J. J. Thomson (1856-1940), i.e. the atom as a sphere, inside which many tiny electrons are located - exactly like seeds in a melon. The Rutherford model is represented by a jewellery box with a valuable diamond inside, standing for an atom that is hollow apart from a tiny but massive core. The gallery also features a tree cross-section, two little worms and a bowling ball - what could these possibly represent?