Lauras Ayres Exhibition

Under the pretext of celebrating the centenary of Professor Laura Ayres, the Municipal Council of Loulé, through the Municipal Museum of Loulé, requested the creation of a tribute exhibition to this nationally significant figure. In developing the concept for this exhibition, collaboration took place with the aforementioned museum, and co-author Cristina Fé Santos, together with Rui Lourenço, provided texts about Dr. Laura Ayres and supplied images of the honoree.

This project was developed by designers Luís Baptista and Marlon Duarte who, based on the briefing provided by Cristina Fé Santos and Ana Sousa (CML - Museum), as well as the research conducted on the honoree, created an aesthetic environment that resonates with her personality.

Professor Dr. Laura Ayres, in addition to being a renowned doctor, researcher, professor, scientist, and politician of great national and international significance, "was a woman of affection and action. Considered a fighter, optimistic, and non-conformist by nature, she was also charismatic, easily forming relationships, and was creative and curious. These and other characteristics made her a pioneer in the field of public health and virology, but also a Woman of her time." Furthermore, her immediate interest in research and her dedication to those seeking her help when the first cases of people infected with the AIDS virus were diagnosed, giving herself "heart and soul" without fear of contagion or prejudice, made Professor Dr. Laura Ayres an extremely relevant figure in the fight against this disease.

These factors led us to choose pink to represent the graphic pieces, which were based on an exhibition of panels measuring 12.75x180cm, the creation of a printed postcard distributed by CTT (Portuguese Postal Service), as well as other promotional and communication materials such as posters and programs.

The rare and low-quality images of the honoree, typical of the era, required extra care in image treatment due to the size of the exhibition pieces. The combination of elements in the arrangement of the exhibition pieces aimed to capture the dynamism of her personality, highlighting her image and harmoniously combining it with the texts written by Cristina Fé Santos and Rui Lourenço.

For the layout of the postcard, two images from different moments of the honoree's life were chosen, always with a pinkish tone that was evident in all project materials. Additionally, to contextualize the project as part of the celebrations for her centenary, a "stamp" representing the 100th anniversary of her birth was created. This stamp was included in all project layouts.

Finally, Flow Productions worked in partnership with KoisasKomideias, which printed and assembled the necessary structures for the exhibition. It was mounted on a customized stand, with an iron structure and connectors that interconnected the pieces. The 75x180cm panels were printed on vinyl, laminated, and applied to Dibond boards with magnetic tapes that allowed for easy assembly and disassembly of the traveling exhibition. The exhibition was well-received by the client and visitors, and Flow Productions received very positive feedback for this project.