Published on 06/05/2026

By Elton Alisson, from London  |  Agência FAPESP – The Butantan Institute’s scientific work is about to cross the Atlantic and gain global visibility beyond public health in one of the world’s most prestigious museums. During FAPESP Week London, held June 2–4, representatives from the São Paulo state institution in Brazil and the Science Museum in London announced the start of discussions to develop a joint exhibition on dengue.

“The idea is to create a joint exhibition or, at the very least, feature content on dengue produced by the Butantan here at the museum. We’re already considering some galleries and are committed to incorporating it into our programming as soon as possible,” Giovana Zocoli, the Science Museum’s global engagement manager and the person responsible for the institution's collaborations with Latin America, revealed to Agência FAPESP.

According to Zocoli, the opportunity to create the exhibition was bolstered by the Butantan Institute’s launch of the single-dose vaccine, supported by FAPESP, whose development was closely monitored at the Science Museum.

Another decisive factor was the personal story of UK Ambassador to Brazil Stephanie Al-Qaq, who was interviewed for the Science Museum’s blog. She contracted dengue fever and, due to a complication that progressed to fulminant hepatitis, had to undergo a liver transplant. The emergency procedure was successfully performed in Brazil through the SUS (Brazil’s national public health network).

“Her subsequent work as a dengue activist, combined with the launch of the vaccine by the Butantan, created the ideal setting to develop an exhibition that brings together technology, public health, and awareness,” said Zocoli.

The project gained strategic importance when it was recognized that dengue is no longer exclusive to tropical regions. This idea was emphasized by Erika Hingst Zahar, director of the Butantan Institute’s Biological Museum, in her presentation at FAPESP Week London.

“Climate change is spreading the disease northward, and the design of a shared exhibition allows audiences in London and São Paulo to engage with this debate simultaneously.” Zahar stated that the goal of the exhibition, which is scheduled for 2027 or 2028, is to serve as a “tool for action,” addressing the disease from social, climatic, and geopolitical perspectives.

“Heritage institutions aren’t just spaces for preservation; they can also be tools for action,” she noted.

New exhibition models

Zahar emphasized that the announcement of the partnership comes at a time of profound transformation at the Butantan Institute. Two of the institution’s six museums are undergoing renovations. The Biological Museum will restructure its technical infrastructure and exhibition spaces this year. The new design will feature immersive environments based on a project sketch by architect Lina Bo Bardi from the 1960s.

The new exhibition design will allow visitors to explore the spaces in various ways without guided mediation. The animals on display will be presented within their cultural and ecological context rather than as isolated specimens.

“We’re moving away from the zoo perspective and moving more toward that of a museum,” Zahar stated.

At the same time, the Museum of Public Health is expanding its original building, the former São Paulo Central Disinfection Station. The new space will house an exhibition on the history of public health in the state of São Paulo, complementing the museum’s existing collection.

In April of this year, the Butantan opened an exhibition on the Caatinga, a semi-arid biome in the Northeast of Brazil. Along with the exhibition on dengue, it is emblematic of the changes taking place in the institution’s public engagement program.

“What we’re doing at the Butantan Cultural Development Center is an attempt to demonstrate, in practice, how a heritage institution can evolve to address emerging challenges at the intersection of science, health, and society in a climate change scenario, combining the rigor of a research center with the openness of a public space,” she said.

Not just fun

The Science Museum’s director of global engagement, Helen Jones, argued in her presentation that the pursuit of entertainment should not be the sole mission of science museums and that they should not shy away from serious topics, such as dengue fever, in an attempt to attract larger audiences.

“Entertainment is something that science centers and museums do very well. We’re social spaces where people want to spend their free time, and we want them to come. But that’s not all we do,” she said.

“My heart sinks a little when I repeatedly hear that science must be made fun to be interesting to non-scientists. People are willing to tackle difficult topics through literature, film, and the performing and visual arts. Assuming that the public can’t handle difficult science topics is unfair to them. People come to museums for an enriching experience, and having fun is only part of that,” Jones said.

Some of the British Science Museum's recent exhibitions on more arid topics included one on cancer in partnership with Cancer Research UK and another on the pandemic titled “Injecting Hope: The Race for the Vaccine.”

“None of us will look back fondly on the pandemic. But museums are repositories of memory, and the pandemic was a significant moment in our history. That’s why our curators started a project early on to collect material evidence of the health crisis, from laboratory equipment to children’s drawings,” she said.

Recently, the London Science Museum hosted an exhibition that showcased the beauty and biodiversity of Brazil’s Pantanal while highlighting the devastating effects of increasingly frequent and widespread fires caused by climate change. During the planning of the exhibition, one of the issues debated was whether to include disturbing images, such as those of animals incinerated by fire, given that the museum has a large family audience.

“One of the discussions was whether we should impose an age restriction for the exhibition. But we decided to trust our audience and simply placed a warning message at the beginning. The exhibition was very well received and exceeded its target audience,” said Jones.

Stimulating creativity

If the purpose of science museums is to provide a space for reflection, then the purpose of art museums may be to stimulate creativity, according to Oliver Cox, head of research partnerships at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

According to Cox, there has been a notable reduction in creative educational opportunities for students in universities and schools in the United Kingdom today.

“Visually interacting with art materials or collections is increasingly becoming a luxury within our state-funded school system. That’s why we’re interested in ways to fill that gap because, as an art museum, we believe that the power of creativity belongs to everyone,” he said.

One of the institution’s initiatives in this regard was the recent creation of the Young V&A, an interactive museum for children up to age 12, located in Bethnal Green in East London.

“This is the first museum in the UK dedicated to children's creativity. And what we aim to address with it is the problem of the arts being increasingly removed from the school curriculum in favor of STEM subjects [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics],” said Cox.

More information about FAPESP Week London is available at fapesp.br/week/2026/london.
 

Source: https://agencia.fapesp.br/58310