Slaves of Beauty, Dress and personal adornment in Antiquity is a very accessible and sensory exhibition, in which many things can be touched, put on or smelled.

 

The exhibition will remain two years, from June 2018 to April 2020 in Vilamuseu.

 

It consists of about 150 pieces from Vilamuseu's outstanding collection of archeology. More than 110 of them are exhibited for the first time, and some are pieces of great importance, such as an Egyptian alabaster bottle of perfume, a Greek bottle of perfumed oil in the form of a human foot or a large Iberian jug decorated with riders.

 

Slaves of beauty talks us about  the making of fabrics or the fibers and the dyes that were used in antiquity for dresses. There is also a part dedicated to body care, cosmetics, makeup and hairstyles. Finally we find the jewels and adornments they wore, some of them only within the reach of a minority.

 

In addition, some spaces are recreated, such an Iberian room with a vertical loom meticulously reproduced by Beate Schneider, a specialist in weaving in Iberian times. It is probably the most faithful replica of an antique loom exhibited in a museum in Spain. Reproductions have also been made of a dressing table or of Greek, Iberian and Roman dresses and hairstyles, some of which visitors can try on, such as a Roman tunic and toga, or a Greek peplos.

Universal accessibility in the exhibition

The exhibition has a sensory itinerary that allows you to perceive concepts that appear in the exhibition through different senses, such as different fabrics, scents of perfumes and 3D replicas of pieces from Vilamuseu and other museums such as the National Archaeological Museum (the famous Iberian sculpture named Great Offerress of the Cerro de los Santos) or the Museum of Cádiz (the bust of the Roman Empress Livia Drusilla).

 

This is the first exhibition completely conceived and designed by Vilamuseu that takes place in the new building. It has been designed following principles of Universal desing, that is, for all people, including people with disabilities. The objective is that anyone can physically and intellectually access the contents of the exhibition and therefore the exhibition and its furniture are accessible; the texts are short and simple, written with principles and techniques of heritage interpretation, and also also incorporate versions in easy reading so that people with reading difficultycan do an autonomous visit.

 

There are also texts in Braille that accompany the tactile resources and in the first days after the opening the sign language will be incorporated to the videos, and augmentative communication pictograms for people with intellectual disabilities will be installed.

 

On the other hand, an attempt has been made to integrate the gender perspective in the elaboration of content and to use a non-sexist language, starting from the very title of the exhibition. It seems essential to us to start telling the History from different points of view, something that we are taking into account in the preparation of activities associated with the exhibition such as guided tours and workshops.

 

Finally, the design and assembly of the exhibition has been carried out with criteria of environmental sustainability, e. g. by trying to reuse existing museum furniture or using  natural and recyclable materials such as wood and cardboard as much as possible, avoiding plastic or non-recyclable materials.