Palau de Cerveró. «José Puche» and «Manuela Solís» rooms

Curators: Natalia Torres and Mª Carmen San Julián

Organized by: Vicerectorat de Cultura i Igualtat de la Universitat de València and Institut d’Història de la Medicina i de la Ciència López Piñero (UV-CSIC)

In collaboration with: Escola d'Art i Superior de Disseny de València

Trencant barreres. Dones i ciències (Breaking down barriers. Women and Sciences) offers an overview of the contribution of women to the advancement of science and technology, areas of knowledge where in many cases have gone unnoticed, they and their research, discoveries and patents, all because of the traditional androcentric construction of science and patriarchal social order.

The exhibition presents a breakaway artistic production including a tunnel of sexist clichés and a maze of panels, and brings us by a selection of photographs, closer to the career of 42 scientists from different eras. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to know first-hand more than a dozen of everyday objects created by women. The exhibition begins with a series of popular phrases and quotes from philosophers, politicians and historians to illustrate the vision they had of women and their place in the world. The main aim of the project, according to the curators, is to provide the public evidence to enable them to get rid of that “social bandage” that still weighs on their eyes, and showing that women, throughout history, have gone far beyond what is generally known.

Among the advances that can be seen, the exhibition includes inventions of everyday life designed by women, as the opaque correction fluid (Liquid Paper) to rectify on paper, recorded by Bette Nesmith Graham in the 50s, windscreen wipers invented by Mary Anderson in the early twentieth century, disposable diapers patented by Marion Donovan in 1951, and the modern bra recorded by Mary Phelps Jacobs in 1914. Likewise, we will know the creation of other developments such as the Sojourner Rover vehicle, which landed on Mars in 1997 and was designed by NASA scientist Donna Shirley, or high strength fibre (Kevlar®) used to make bulletproof vests, this latest invention patented by Stephanie Kwolek in 1974 and that we can directly observe in the exhibition. The closest scientist is Pilar Mateo, doctor from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Valencia, which has patented an insecticidal paint used in indigenous populations in South America to fight diseases.

Moreover, it will be time and space for better understanding of the incredible lives of women who fought against the current, for a place in a man’s world. Prominent among the other stories is that of Miranda Qualified Barry (Ireland ca. 1789-United Kingdom 1865), British army surgeon who lived her adult life posing as man to enter university. Another woman present at the exhibition is Hipathia of Alexandria (Alexandria, Egypt, 355/370 B.C. - 415/416 B.C.), first known mathematician. She wrote on geometry, algebra and astronomy, improved the design of early astrolabes and invented the hydrometer. The Spanish María Zambrano (Vélez-Málaga, 1904-Madrid 1991) is, for many scholars, one of the most important figures in Spanish twentieth-century philosophical thought. Another pioneer in this case in the scientific world, is Marie Curie (Poland 1867-France 1934), who worked in the field of radioactivity and was the first female professor at the University of Paris. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911.

Breaking down barriers

The exhibition, free tour, is divided into five sections that are based on closed and narrow spaces toward more open ones, dodging barriers, as many women have done throughout history. Firstly, we find “the tunnel”, dark and closed space that shows sexist topics, intended to reflect the exclusion that women have suffered for centuries. The tunnel shape enhances the feeling of tightness and oppression. In the second section, “Then and Now”, it can be analysed the space that women have occupied in a maze of panels. Both in the past and present, women with great effort have provided important insights that have broken down barriers. “Women’s World” is the title of the next space of the exhibition. This is a collage of pictures of women who have achieved milestones in various scientific disciplines. The fourth section is “Everyday objects”, and provides a selection of inventions present in our daily lives. The last part of the exhibition is devoted to reflection in relation to the presence/absence of women in the field of science.

Educational workshop and guided tours

Among the activities that complement the exhibition project, educational workshops and guided tours stand out. The activities will take place in the auditorium Manuela Solís, consisting in three sections with teaching resources, such as a game to discover who is behind certain inventions and projects, a domino game where the protagonist is a woman, and other activity with magnet panels on a world map where you can find out the areas of the world where there is a greater gender equality. The sessions will be conducted by professionals in art education from the company Mediant. Meanwhile, the guided tours will be carried out by the group of volunteers from the University of Valencia created specifically for the project. Both guided tours and educational workshops require appointment on phone 963864922 or contact by the address: visites.guiades@uv.es.