Fontilles. The hidden city
The exhibition Fontilles. The hidden city retraces the journey of the last twenty residents of the San Lázaro Hospital of Horta, when they were transferred to the San Francisco de Borja Sanatorium in Fontilles, in the Marina Alta of Alicante, to continue with their isolation, after the farmhouse of Can Masdeu closed definitely in January 1961.
In the same manner that this journey changed the lives of the last inhabitants of Can Masdeu and the people who accommodated them in Fontilles, their memory has transformed this exhibition, filling it with sounds. The sound of the small personal radios which the members of the so-called "Catalan colony of Fontilles" brought with them and that enabled them to break through the radio censorship that had suppressed the people who accommodated them for decades. Furthermore, the sound of the voice of the people, who throughout the XX century were obliged to sacrifice their lives to protect the lives of others. Visitors will be able to hear everything told by these people about their experiences in the places recreated in the exhibition through objects, images, documents and, now, sounds.
All of the exhibited materials are a demonstration of the rich historical heritage that has been recovered and preserved thanks to the collaboration between the University of Alicante and the Fontilles Foundation, with the support of the Japanese foundation Sasakawa Health Foundation. A broad collection of these materials is available on the Fontilles and leprosy in Spain website, within the Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library. The exhibiting design is faithful to the original and incorporates the testimony of the people who participated in the production of the book Éramos todos iguales. Relatos de vida en torno a la lepra (We were all the same. Stories about life around leprosy). During their trip to Barcelona, the exhibition enriched itself with materials from the Historical Archive of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, which reports the life of the residents of the Can Masdeu and their journey to Fontilles.
It is an exhibition that the public is invited to explore the living, working and leisure spaces of the residents of Fontilles and Can Masdeu, and get close to the stories behind each one of the objects, writings, images and voices exposed that narrate the lives of those who used them. Visiting this city from the past is also an occasion to reflect on our cities from the present and recognise in one or another the roots of stigma and rejection to oddness.
Fontilles. The hidden city It is a touring exhibition of the same name, produced by the University of Valencia, which took place in the José Puche Room of the Palau de Cerveró from 19 December 2024 to 22 June 2025.
Graphic identity: Ortogràfic
