500 years on from the death of Leonardo, Mapei celebrates the memory of theGenius

2019 is the five-hundredth anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci and Mapei will be celebrating the memory of the genius by inviting clients to a special screening of the Mapei-backed short film, “Being Leonardo da Vinci. An impossible interview”, along with a guided visit to an exhibition in his honour, “Leonardo da Vinci Parade”. The event is scheduled to take place on the evening of Friday the 15^th of February at 6:30 at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology, of which Mapei is a Technical Partner for numerous areas.

The film – directed by and starring Finazzer Flory in collaboration with RAI Cinema – which is also sponsored by Mapei, is inspired by real dialogues with Leonardo and celebrates Excellence as a point of reference: scientist, painter, designer, Leonardo the man and the machines that changed the way we perceive art, technology and science. The film also received the patronage of the National Committee that has been set up to organise celebrations to mark the 500^th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci.
The film has been awarded in the USA as: “Best Indie Filmmaker - Top Shorts Film Festival January 2019”; “Honorable Mention: Narrative Film - Los Angeles Film Awards 2019”; “Best Actor - Actors Awards Los Angeles January 2019”; “Best Narrative Feature - Festigious International Film Festival 2019 Los Angeles”; “Winner Best Indie Filmmaker - New York Film Awards 2019”.

Mapei’s clients and guests will also be able to discover the numerous analogies between Leonardo and Mapei by taking part in a guided visit to the temporary “Leonardo da Vinci Parade” exhibition, curated and organised by the Museum.
The exhibition will feature a special selection of spectacular models based on drawings and sketches by Leonardo, chalk and terracotta reproductions of military and civil architecture and frescoes kindly loaned to the Museum by the Brera Pinacoteca Art Gallery. A combination of art and science for an unprecedented journey of discovery through the various fields of interest and research that so fascinated Leonardo.

Mapei started its collaboration with the Museum in 2009 when, along with the Group’s subsidiary, Vinavil, it sponsored and took an active part in the creation of the new Adhesive Substances Area, offering the collaboration of Mapei’s Research & Development laboratories, staff from the Technical Services team to follow the site and various specific, cutting-edge Mapei brand products.

Mapei then took on the role of Technical Partner and played an active part in the building and refurbishment of various exhibition spaces by supplying products for resin flooring.

The aim of the Mapei event is to help visitors get a better understanding of what Leonardo da Vinci represents and of his contribution to research, art, engineering and construction technology.

Many examples of his extraordinary ability to bring innovation to the field of construction technology can be found right here in Milan: form his proposals for the Duomo cathedral to engineering studies on the Navigli canal system and the development of locks, with ideas that were certainly well ahead of their time.

The “guiding thread” between the genius of Leonardo and the world around us today seems even more evident in the sector of civil engineering and large infrastructure works where chemistry, applied to the construction sector, is playing an increasingly decisive role in order to face up to the challenges of innovation, sustainability and respect for the environment. And while we are on the subject, one of the most significant current elements that seems to emerge from Leonardo’s biography is his passion for water and nature.

There is, therefore, an “ideal” thread that unites the thoughts and works of Leonardo to the technological challenges of contemporary industry and to a company like Mapei, which has made research and innovation its strong point and calling card when taking on global markets.

Mapei has earned a position of leadership in the application of chemical products and materials in the construction sector, in line with its choices specifically aimed at the theme of sustainability. In fact, when talking about the application of chemistry to the building industry, technology and innovation are essential factors in the quest to improve the characteristics of materials and reduce their impact on the environment. And technology and innovation can never disregard the importance of science because, as Leonardo famously wrote all those years ago, “Those who fall in love with the practice of science are like helmsmen, sailing along a canal without a ship’s wheel or compass, never sure of where they are going”.

The bond between the past and present, between Leonardo and Mapei, is not limited to just science and technology, but extend into art and culture. And Mapei’s particular interest in these particular fields are a corporate “belief”, with roots spreading deep into the annals of time, based on the conviction of its founder, Rodolfo Squinzi, that “Work can never be separated from art and passion”.