Embassy exhibit mixes practical and high-tech

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Some of the world's most useful designs were invented by Swedes. The zipper was developed in 1900 by Gideon Sundback, who eventually moved to the United States where his handy fastener was mass-produced. The ball bearing was conceived in 1907 by Sven Wingquist and then tweaked by other Swedish inventors for various types of machines and cars. The retractable seat belt was introduced in 1961 by Hans Karlsson, who is now working on a vibration-free, fuel-efficient motor.

Updated versions of these designs are on view at the House of Sweden in the portion of the embassy overlooking the Potomac, as part of the newly opened exhibition "Innovation and Technology."

This disjointed, five-part show, devoted to the connections between art and science, celebrates Swedish inventions, both past and present. It veers from sumptuous photography honoring the pioneering work of Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, to the latest computer technology and household gadgets.

Opening the exhibit on the main lobby is a history of communications created by Ericsson, the Swedish phone-maker and co-sponsor of the show. The sleek display occupies a prime location with a riverfront view but turns out to be little more than an ad for the company; the exhibit's more interesting segments are dispersed within the meeting rooms downstairs.

The most fanciful of these is the virtual "Second House of Sweden" specially designed for the exhibition by Studio Unreal, a Stockholm-based team headed by architects Michael Matern and Daiki Kobayashi.

Visitors are invited into a cozy booth lined in squares of brightly colored felt meant to represent computer pixels. On one wall, a video screen provides a view into an imaginary room next door to the booth. A big window within this virtual space offers a view of the real embassy lobby outside. In one corner, a vintage Ericsson phone allows communication with the "people" inhabiting the digital space.

The "pixel cave," as Mr. Matern calls his playful creation, is meant to encourage an Alice-in-Wonderland experience where real and imaginary spaces become indistinguishable from one another. The potential applications of the technology, he says, include a virtual open office where employees can work and socialize in cyberspace without having to leave home.

From this media installation, the exhibit switches to a traditional photography display seemingly created for gardeners. "Herbarium Amoris" presents close-up images of blossoming flowers taken by Swedish photographer Edvard Koinberg, who was inspired by Linnaeus' sexual descriptions of plant life in his 1735 book "Systema Naturae." Mr. Koinberg started his series in 1999 by photographing the plants in the garden of his summer home north of Stockholm. "My goal was to collect as many plants as Linnaeus did," he says, "but I gave that up when I realized he studied about 20,000."

Clearly evident in his lush photographs are the structural wonders of the roses, peonies, lilies, tulips and other flowers studied by the 18th-century botanist. Each bloom is posed against a black background with its stamens and pistils exposed, corresponding to the Linnaeus descriptions.

Several of these floral portraits encourage anthropomorphic associations: A close-up of a red currant plant recalls a human fetus, while the tip of a rhubarb resembles the profile of a face.

Visual appeal is important to the success of any invention, and the message is underscored by the show's "Quality of Life" section. This roundup of contemporary household, industrial and medical products reflects the Swedish knack for streamlined modern design in everything from a welding helmet to a milk carton. Unfortunately, it is relegated to a back room where the objects are clustered on low tables, making it difficult to view them in detail.

On display are the latest versions of Mr. Sundback's zippers, Mr. Wingquist's ball bearings and other time-tested inventions. Among the most appealing recent innovations is an egg-shaped fire detector developed by Swedish firefighters that can be attached to a lamp cord.

An array of medical inventions extends good design to lifesaving devices, even invisible ones like a disc-shaped pacemaker. One of the more intriguing is a sleek fabric cap developed by an oncology nurse. It allows cancer patients to undergo chemotherapy without losing their hair.

The exhibit also offers a participatory head trip: a Swedish-designed interactive game called Mindball. It invites a couple to compete through mental concentration. The two players' brain waves are detected by sensors attached to headbands and recorded on a nearby monitor. A ball responds to the electrical waves generated by the brain activity by moving down the playing surface. The more relaxed the player, the faster the ball moves. The game might well represent the mind-set required to create the inventions displayed throughout this uneven exhibit.

WHAT: "Innovation and Technology"

WHERE: House of Sweden, 2900 K St. NW

WHEN: Wednesday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Through March 16

ADMISSION: Free

PHONE: 202/467-2600

WEB SITE: www.swedenabroad.com/washington