The Science, City, and Change exhibition will officially launch today 6 February at the Hospital Real, the seat of the Rectorate of the University of Granada. The exhibition explores the pivotal role played by science and scientific institutions — led by the UGR — as drivers of change in the city since the mid-19th century. It also examines how these changes have affected the lives of Granada’s citizens.
The exhibition aims to provide visitors with cross-sectional perspectives on how the city has evolved and become what it is today; processes that would be impossible to understand without examining the role of science and the University. It features over 200 pieces from the UGR’s extensive heritage collections, including the well-known Zambrano Pharmacy, as well as pieces from local institutions and private collections. Four audiovisual works, one of which is immersive, will also be on display.
The exhibition comprises five sections:
The first, ‘Transformation of the urban and social space’, reflects on the expansion of the urban fabric of the city over the past sixty years, largely owing to the development of new spaces for the generation and dissemination of knowledge.
‘Heritage and urban interweaving’ takes stock of how we value the city’s heritage and how the University is perceived in Granada. The starting point of this section is the important work undertaken by the UGR since the 1980s of recovering, restoring, and conserving Granada’s urban heritage. It also highlights the UGR’s efforts to enhance the value placed on this heritage.
‘From the lecture hall to the laboratory’ reflects on the ways in which teaching, research, and the communication of science have been transformed in Granada. By turning laboratories into the focal point of teaching activities, a predominantly book-based approach was surpassed, giving rise to a laboratory culture that required sophisticated and costly scientific instrumentation. This section continues by looking towards Sierra Nevada as the “great laboratory of the city”.
‘Population and economy’ looks at the development of the city’s hospitals and the impact that healthcare services have had on the daily lives of citizens.
The final section, entitled ‘From the study room to the digital library’, is housed in the University Library. It focuses on the changes that needed to be introduced in order to meet the new demands of the Information Age. It also reflects on the new scientific, cultural, and social tasks performed by this key service, which extends beyond the scope of the university community itself.
Granada — a city of science and innovation
Science, City, and Change aims to illustrate the crucial role played by scientific institutions in knowledge generation and in the transformation of Granada — as well as its surroundings — over the past 70 years. It is hoped that this endeavour will further contribute to the anxiously-awaited designation of Granada as the European Capital of Culture 2031; an advent that would coincide with the 500-year anniversary since the founding of the UGR.
A press conference was held on Tuesday 5 February to promote the exhibition, with speeches by the Rector, Pilar Aranda; the UGR Professor of History of Medicine and curator of the exhibition, Alfredo Menéndez; and the Vice-Rector for Outreach, Víctor Medina.
The Science, City, and Change exhibition will officially open at 20.00 on 6 February in the "Crucero bajo" Exhibition Space at the Hospital Real. It will be on display until 17 May 2019.
Opening hours
Monday to Friday: 11.00 – 14.00 and 17.30 – 20.30
Saturday and Sunday: 11.00 – 14.00
Further information:
