The Neverending Story of World Book Day in Casa de la Ciencia

 "In some village in La Mancha, whose name I do not care to recall there lived a hobbit. And, as Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into an enormous insect"

This is just one way to read the dozens of post-it's that kids, moms, grandpas, lonely strollers had left in Casa de la Ciencia by yesterday twilight. All of these people surely were book lovers. Their favourite quotes, captured on humble slips of paper, made up a kaleidoscope of a thousand meanings - and each of them was absurd.

And now we've got a little bit of everything:

...classic quotes: to be or not to be, that is the question - William Shakespeare
... irony:  life is too important to be taken seriously - Oscar Wilde
... poetry: The moon lives in the lining of your skin - Pablo Neruda
... philosophy: God doesn't play dice - Albert Einstein


Also we've got quotes from films (as "Carmina o revienta"), in English, German and even from the Spanish Constitution!

And you sure can guess who was the most remembered author. Quite so, the recent death of Gabriel García Márquez has absolutely concussed our hearts, and our visitors didn't hesitate to pay a tribute to him by recalling famous quotes from "One hundred years of solitude".

What do you think? Who would you quote next year?

Celebrate World Book Day with us!

There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere

   Isaac Asimov           

        

Nice quote, isn't it? Asimov has grown to be one of our most appreciated and loved writers because of tiny jewels like this previous one. Sure thing you are now thinking about your favourite book and quote... And how about you bring it here on Wednesday April 23rd (World Book Day) and visit the Museum for free? Sounds like a deal...

The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Spain as a way to honour the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day.
In 1995, UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on this date , for it is the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (a Spanish-Peruvian chronicler and writer who lived in the 16th century).

Now that you know why we celebrate World Book Day, jot down the time frame in which you should bring #YourFavouriteQuote on Wednesday: from 4 to 9 pm. By the way, the quote we will like best will get a prize: two tickets to "Asesinato en la Casa de la Ciencia" ("There's been a murder in Casa de la Ciencia") activity. 

Don't miss!

How about spending holidays in Ancient Egypt?

  Today is a wonderful day for learning about pyramids and hieroglyphs, so Casa de la Ciencia has a lot of little guests over.

Our visitors are boys and girls aged 3-12 on an Ancient-Egypt themed urban camp that takes place here.

The kids will decipher hieroglyphs, study the Egyptian beliefs about death and their funerary rites, and discover the fascinating architecture that survived thousands of years, come wind or weather.

The instructors tend to ask complicated questions.

                 - ¿Do you know how did egyptians write?

Little girl: - With pencils.

                  - I mean, did they use an alphabet like we do?

Little girl: - Yes, but their letters are drawings of eyes and birds.

So many answers!

After breakfast in Maria Luisa park our little explorers are back bigger and better. They seem to have met someone special...

Instructor:- Have you seen anyone in the courtyard?

Kids:- Yes! The Pharaoh!

Instructor:- Whom?

Kids:- Pharaoh "Ramesse" the second.

Instructor:- And who is he?

Little girl:- A king made of a mummy!

Instructor:-  He certainly was the king of Egypt, but wasn't a mummy until he died. Do you know how did he dress? Did he dress like me, jeans and T-shirt?

Little boy:- No, he wore a hat with a bird!

Bigger kids are in the next room, learning how to stuff... to dry an apple. How is it done? "You pour salt and bicarbonate of soda all over it, so water gets eliminated and bacteria won't have a proper environment to live and make the apple rot. Now we are going to store the apple and on Wednesday we'll see how it changed." Some boys seem to want to bite the "object of research"... don't yield to the temptation!

Write your name with hieroglyphs! Not as easy as it seems...

Now hurry up, we are making a papyrus scroll from scratch! See you later, maybe in Ancient Greece?

Discover the Peruvian Pavilion

 

Hey, do you know how to read a building?

 The Peruvian Pavilion, where La Casa de la Ciencia is situated, conceals a lot of tales. Its façades, balconies, crownings and ornamentation are full of references to Peru, home of the ancient Incan civilization.
Manuel Piqueras Cotoli is the architect to whom we owe the Pavilion, built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. He was also a sculptor, thence the relevance of the stunning stone carvings that decorate the building.

One of the tales narrated by the building relates to the three animals that, according to Incan beliefs, had magic powers: the condor, the puma and the snake.

The condor lives in the upper world (Hanan Pacha). He is emissary of gods and represents freedom and strength. He also was the animal of mountain peaks and the responsible for every sunrise, since he was able to lift the sun above the Andes.

The puma represents the men's world (Kay Pacha) and the snake the underworld (Uku Pacha).

 

 

 

How many snakes do you see?

 

 

Now you have the chance to visit the Peruvian Pavilion and discover more of such misteries, with the aid of a treasure map!

You will become an archaeologist and identify ancient shapes and symbols hidden on the walls; you will be an architect who handles the blueprint of the building; you will play a biologist and study the representations of different animals and plants craved on yellow stone.

This workshop is part of the schedule for the celebration of Maria Luisa park's Centenary, organized by Seville City Hall.

 

Where?:

• May 17th and 24th: conducted by Amparo Graciani, architecture professor from University of Seville.
• May 31st; June 7th, 14th and 21st: conducted by CuartoCreciente, a team of architects specialized in teaching architecture to children, aiming to improve their comprehension of urban environment.

How much?: The entrance is FREE

Where?: Peruvian Pavilion, Avenida de María Luisa s/n, 41013.

For whom?: The workshop is aimed for the general public, maximum 25 people by arrival time order.

How long?: 60 minutes.

Don't miss it!

Farewell for now...

This Friday the two of us end our intenships here at La Casa de la Ciencia and we wanted to say our goodbyes, which you can also find in Spanish over at the other museum blog: http://casadelacienciasevilla.blogspot.com.es/

A bittersweet, unphotoshopped farewell from the interns

Irene

This Friday our experience as interns ends at the Science Museum in Seville (La Casa de la Ciencia). For the past month and a half I have had the opportunity to observe how a museum is run from the inside, learning of the important work the team does, and the imagination and openness to criticism which is needed for the whole operation to run smoothly. Up here in the offices the sounds from the outside hardly reach us, but the moment the door opens that separates the staff from the galleries, you begin to hear to the cries of enthusiasm from the school trips - and from those somewhat older - who everyday can be found exploring the upper floor, examining insects from the invertebrates exhibition, or off on their way to the planetarium. I bumped into them almost on a daily basis, on my expeditions to find something interesting to Instagram, a task which has left me with fond and amusing memories of the museum's visitors. 

At the same time, working here has served to remind me that unexpected rewards can always be gained from any experience. I, who came only with the intention of improving and developing my communications skills, am leaving having learned about astronomy, entomology, micology, genetics, and zoology...as well as about the Iberoamerican Exposition of 1929, for which the Peruvian Pavillion was built. As interns, we also took part in the workshop 'Murder in the Science Museum', turning into forensic 'experts' for one evening in order to solve a terrible crime. A crime for which, due to an unfortunate coincidence, Sasha became the object of suspicion, and we were almost decried as guilt murderers.

In this way, we bid goodbye grateful for the colleagues we have had over this time, who welcomed us and were never for a moment anything but kind to us. It has been an enriching experience, both personally and professionally, being part of a team which clearly works like a well-oiled machine. So this adventure ends here, but we'll be seeing each other again...even if from now on we will be coming back as visitors! 

Sasha

Three months have passed and my time here at the science museum is rapidly coming to a close. I will be hard pressed to find a more photogenic place of work, one where the day begins with a ride along the river to the doors of an architectural chimera, more Incan temple than anything else .The museum staff, the suspended cetaceans and the countless stone llamas the Peruvian architect Manuel Piqueras Cotolí chose to install around the building, all helped (in their own ways) to make my time at the museum a relaxed and stimulating environment to work in.

While working here, I was given the opportunity to create a number of new initiatives for the museum while also providing support on a number of existing projects. To name a few areas where I was put to use: I produced online content about the museum and its activities; I ran online social media campaigns; liaised with other European museums about future collaborations; and finally, I stood guard at the doors of the whale room on a day when half a dozen separate school trips overran the pavillion, pushing the building to maximum capacity. A few of the more unusual activities I participated in were an evening of whodunnit forensic Cluedo, an afternoon lecture on Spanish fire safety laws, and a talk about birds of prey, with hawks and owls as props to help the proceedings along.

Everybody working here has been encouraging about making new ideas and projects happen, and that creative freedom has allowed me to pair my skills and interests with the needs of the museum. It just remains to say that my colleagues here would have struggled to be more welcoming, which as a rule makes life a far nicer affair, and that the museum is worth the visit, even if it is for a matter of hours and not a number of months.