Exhibition ‘birth culture. giving birth and being born’, Women’s Museum Hittisau
‘BIRTH CULTURE shines a light on how a society deals with the start in life as well as forming the frame work within which birth is embedded socially. Medical, political, anthropological, philosophical, and cultural-historical aspects all play an essential role. The exhibition addresses these issues, spanning multiple topics including the history of childbirth, worldwide birthing rituals and the current debates surrounding reproduction technologies. Multiple oral histories share personal experiences of being mothers and fathers. This personal approach is further explored and expanded in contemporary art.‘ Women’s Museum Hittisau
The exhibition design guides visitors through the exhibition in a non-linear fashion, encouraging to meander, building up individual connections between points of interest. Ressort colours assist navigation through the rich and varied content, clear sight lines connect and bridge topics, underlined by a paired back graphic language.
Much thought has been put into re-using as many existing components the museum had to offer in their storage, making the most out of a limited budget.
Project Data
Year 2020
Location Austria
Type Culture
Creative Europe / Birth Cultures
birth culture. giving birth and being born is an exhibition that appeals to all age groups and lets visitors explore a complex topic using all their senses. It forms the starting point of the Creative Europe project "Birth Cultures" and is subsequently to be adapted for the Center of Gender Culture in Kharkiv (Ukraine), in La Bonne. Center de Cultura de Dones Francesca Bonnemaison in Barcelona (Spain) as well as in the Women's Museum Merano (Italy). The international network of women's museums provides numerous objects and stories.
Honorary President Frances McConville, WHO Leading Midwife:
In 2020, the World Health Organisation is celebrating the Year of Nurses and Midwives.
Curators Stefania Pitscheider Soraperra, Frauenmuseum Hittisau , Brigitta Soraperra & Anka Dür IG Geburtskultur a-z | Exhibition designer Sabrina Summer | Exhibition graphics Nina Sturn | Folder design Kaleido | Interviews and Oral History Brigitta Soraperra | Translation Laura Ruth Gaffron | Text and editing Anka Dür, Roswitha Fessler, Angelika Hausegger, Birgit Kalb, Stefania Pitscheider Soraperra, Brigitta Soraperra
Director Stefania Pitscheider Soraperra, Administration, press, communication Katharina Rohner and Andrea Schwarzmann, Scholarship Placement Angelika Hausegger | Cultural Narrators Wilma Bilgeri, Hannah Eberle, Danielle Fend-Strahm, Gertrud Faißt, Katharina Felder, Bernadette Fritz, Lydia Hagspiel, Sabine Heinzle, Daniela Lindhuber, Annelies Mätzler, Marion Maier, Alexandra Natter, Marianna Nenning, Petra Raid, Bronwen Rolls, Elena Schertler, Dagmar Steurer | External Consulting Expert & Birth Stories ProviderDr.in Stefanie Schmid-Altringer | External Consulting Expert & Birth Stories Provider Dr.in Stefanie Schmid-Altringer Expert Exhibition Advisors Univ. Prof. Dr. Sven Hildebrandt, DGKS Birgit Kalb. Mag.a Katharina Laimer Bsc, Mag.a Dr.in Dorothea Rüb, IG Geburtskultur a-z | Expert Advisors, Frauenmuseum Hittisau ao. Univ.-Prof.in Christa Ehrmann-Hämmerle, Dr.in Eva Grabherr, Dr.in Gabriele Rath, Elisabeth Stöckler MA | Birth culture curators Creative Europe Tetiana Chernetska (Gender Museum Charkiw, UKR), Mercedes Giovinazzo (Interarts, ESP), Stefania Pitscheider Soraperra (Frauenmuseum Hittisau, AUT), Sissi Prader (Frauenmuseum Meran, ITA), Astrid Schönweger (IAWM) |
Artists:
Gesline Anrango (CR) / Renate Bertlmann (A) / Juliana Cerquiera Leite (BR) / Louise Bourgeois (F) / Sevda Chkoutova (BG) / Gloria Dimmel (A) / Jane Dunker (DE) / Silvia Duran Piedra (CR) / Karin Ferrari (I) / Judith P. Fischer (A) / Christiane Forstnig (A) / Lucero González (MX) / Nesa Gschwend (CH) / Glenda Hecksher (MX) / Cornelia Hefel (A) / Ana Griselda Hine (CR) / GynePunk (ES) / Konrad Honold (A) / Barbara Anna Husar (A) / A.M. Jehle (A) / Birgit Jürgenssen (A) / Bernhard Kathan (A) / Mary Kelly (USA) / Ina Loitzl (A) / Paula López Droguett (CL) / Bianca Lugmayr (A) / Lucia Madriz (CR) / Claudia Mang (A) / Tasha Marks / AVM Curiosities (GB) feat. Petra Raid (A) / Maina-Miriam Munsky (DE) / Nina Lyne Gangl (A) / Projecte Úter (ES) / Judith Samen (DE) / Saba Skaberne (SL) / Annegret Soltau (DE) / Anna Stemmer-Dworak (A) / Ronja Svaneborg (DK) / Bianca Tschaikner (A) / Margarita Valero Cuevas (CR) / Nurith Wagner-Strauss (A) / Anna Witt (DE) / Les Reines Prochaines (CH)
Selected Press: Kulturzeitschrift, VN, IWAN International, Bauforum, ORF, SRF
The Women’s Museum Hittisau is nominated for the Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) 2021
Photography: © Frauenmuseum Hittisau / Angela Lamprecht | Sabrina Summer
women’s museum hittisau / birthculture