Explore your senses – how the body experiences the world

Right in the center of the Science Center, you explore your senses.

The Sensory Area

In the sensory area at Vitensenteret, you can explore how the senses work – and how they interact to create our experiences.

At the heart of the science centre, you are invited into spaces where sensory impressions take centre stage. Here you encounter unfamiliar sounds, changing light and a variety of materials that challenge the way you perceive your surroundings. Different entrances lead to different rooms and environments, each offering new impressions and raising new questions.

The senses and the body

Sensory impressions begin in the sense organs – the eyes, ears, skin, nose and tongue. When you see, hear, feel or smell something, signals are sent through the nervous system to the brain, where the information is interpreted and combined. We often use several senses at the same time to understand a situation.

In the sensory rooms, you can experience contrasts between light and darkness, silence and sound, and soft and hard surfaces. When one sense receives less information, other senses must work harder. This shows how our sensory system adapts and works together.

Biology in practice

The sensory area allows you to experience biology in practice. How does the body react in darkness? What happens when sounds change? How do different surfaces affect our sense of space and movement?

Here you can explore how the sensory system helps us orient ourselves, detect changes in our surroundings and interpret the world around us. The experiences also provide insight into how both humans and animals use their senses to adapt to different environments.

Experience, curiosity and learning

The sensory area is a place for calm, focus and curiosity. Both children and adults can explore how the body and brain work together – and experience how the senses can be enhanced, challenged or interpreted in new ways.

By sensing, exploring and wondering, you gain a deeper understanding of how biology and the senses are a fundamental part of everything we experience.