27th September 2019 Riverside Museum, Glasgow: https://www.explorathon.co.uk/glasgow/ 

This exhibition stems from an ongoing research and photographic project focussed on the famous Spanish Republican Exile Maria Zambrano.

Zambrano’s most original contribution to the 20th century history of ideas is her poetic reason; an alternative rationality from which to escape the pitfalls of Western reason.

Halfway between poetry, philosophy and mysticism, the building blocks of Zambrano’s poetic reason are symbolism and metaphor. This is why images offer an appropriate gateway into this type of rationality. 

Through a series of photographs and the creation of an online glossary, the research team is exploring the key words and concepts which vertebrate Zambrano’s poetic reason. The full set of images can be accessed here.

This exhibition explores the concept of exile by focusing on one of these keywords: puente, bridge. Bridges help us connect two spaces and the people inhabiting those spaces. At the same time, bridges only exist precisely because there is a separation between them. 

Our society today continues to face the challenges brought about by numerous forms of displacement, including exile. This series of Scottish bridges is designed to prompt us to ask questions about society, identity and belonging.

The photographs are organised in pairs, inviting us to reflect on two opposing experiences, both related to exile: inclusion and exclusion.

Do you recognise these bridges? Where are they?

How do you feel when you look at these photographs? Do you see inclusion or exclusion? In which ones? Why?