The installation “Women Speak” was opened within the framework of the project “The Role of Women in History” for International Women's Day on March 5, 2020.
No matter how technological progress changes the woman’s life, the topics of their conversations remain the same as 50 or 100 years ago: household chores, children, beloved men. And if earlier women sent letters by mail, met at concerts and in clubs of interest, then in the modern world all this has been replaced by a “smart phone”.
The virtual conversations of women are presented in the form of giant smartphones with logos of Internet applications in the museum installation.
Behind the usual shortcuts on the screens are objects that have transformed into modern Internet applications over time. Current search engines in the past were encyclopedias, periodicals, and libraries; instant messengers - by mail; organizers - wall calendars and handwritten notebooks, etc.
However, the essence of the exposition is not in the history of smartphones, but in the fact that this gadget captured the woman's life. Instead of really communicating with a loved one, women devote more and more time to the virtual world.
This tragedy of the 20th century is symbolized by two empty chairs, covered with cobwebs and dried leaves in the installation. two emoticons that replaced women with words of love and support are above the chairs.
The installation theme allowed to combine the modern look with historical objects: 1950s carbolite phones, microfiche encyclopedia, old photo albums.
