January, 14th: A DIY ARCHIVE, by Gelen Jeleton

My PhD thesis intends to create a physical archive (intinerant or with a local version) and a digital archive (online) of editions produced by initiatives, associations, collectives or self-managed groups with Feminist-Queer ethics around the relationship between music and drawing. My starting point is “Riot Grrrl” in Olympia (Washington) in the 90’s and its influence and translation “here”.

Gelen Jeleton (María Ángeles Alcántara Sánchez, Murcia, 1975) carries out her artistic practice with Jesús Arpal Moya (Barakaldo, 1972) in “Equipo Jeleton” since 1999. She studied Fine Arts in Cuenca (UCLM, 1998) and undertook a postgraduate course in the Drawing Department of the Fine Arts Faculty of Barcelona (UB, 2002) around Renaissance Symbolism and Alchemy She prepares her PhD thesis with the creation of a “DIY Archive (Do It Yourself) music and drawing in self-managed initiatives and its editions” in the Fine Arts Faculty of Murcia (UM). Currently she has a PUEG grant (Universitary Program for Gender Studies) at the UNAM (National Autonomous Mexico University) in Mexico City.

January, 15th: THE BARCELONA SCENE: ORIGINS, ROCK AND PSYCHODELIA, by Àlex Gómez-Font

At the end of the 60’s, progressive rock, counterculture and the hippie moviment burst in and became the reference of a new social movement. The youth organized itself for the first time and participated in the events. In Catalonia, Barcelona became the entrance for this social revolution which took positions through music. The phenomenon was spread in varied and surprising spaces such as the Sant Medir church in the  Gràcia neighbourhood, the harbour, the bookshop Hogar del Libro, or the Ciutadella park. We will explain how this phenomenon took roots in Barcelona and afterwards infiltrated the whole Iberian peninsula.

Àlex Gómez-Font defines himself as an inquiring self-taught worker. He writes books and also coordinates the books of other authors. He produces different music artists. He recovers historical recordings for several music records in order to re-publish and contextualize these recordings. He was worked in the press, radio and television. As a photographer, his series about flamenco artists have been exhibited in several spaces throughout Spain and France. One of his series of flamenco portraits is permanently exhibited in the United States.

 January, 16th:  CEREBRAL ORGANS AND MAGNETIC FLUIDS FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPY, by Annette Mülberger

Over the last decades of the XVIIIth century, Mesmerism and Phrenology emerged as new diagnostic tools and methods for healing, considered as alternatives for official medicine. Mesmerism believed in an invisible force named “animal magnetism” whereas phrenology supposed that the shape of the skull indicated different mental abilities. In spite of strong criticism and opposition, these practices managed to infiltrate Western society. Around 1840 they also arrived to Barcelona, where they fascinated a curious public open to new ideas and experiences.

Annette Mülberger is a professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, where she teaches regularly a course on psychology history. As a member of the Center for the History of Science (CEHIC) she combines teaching and research. Among more than 80 publications, her more prominent writings dwelve into the crisis of psychology, spiritism, parapsychology and the first applications of psychology tests in the school setting (for more information about her CV and publications see academia.edu).