Dr. María Roca is Deputy Director of the Department of Neuropsychology at INECO, Scientific Coordinator of Fundación INECO, and an Independent Researcher at CONICET. She has published more than 60 internationally reviewed papers in neuropsychology, co-authored Rehabilitación Cognitiva and two popular neuroscience books for children, and directs postgraduate and undergraduate courses at Universidad Favaloro. Dr. Roca visited NEBA to discuss an exhibition she coordinated at INECO.
What considerations drove the exhibit “Los Hilos de la Memoria”?
One of Fundación INECO’s main pillars is raising community awareness of issues associated with neuroscience and brain health. In this context, Alzheimer’s disease, a highly prevalent disorder, has been the focus of various awareness campaigns.
With this exhibit, we sought to continue in that same direction: bringing relevant information to the community about the disease, its symptoms, the diagnostic process, and, importantly, its modifiable risk factors. In a world where information abounds, we believe that art allows us to reach people in a novel way. Through art, visitors can experience and empathize with what patients and their families endure, taking the information we want to communicate to another level of understanding and impact.
Who visited the exhibit at INECO? How was it received?
The exhibition was always very well received, generating both an intellectual and an emotional reaction. While it was at Fundación INECO, it was visited mainly by the foundation’s community: patients, family members, social actors connected with the issue, and students. At other venues, it was presented to professionals working in the field through REDLAT, university students at UADE, and the community in San Juan.
My hope is that the exhibition will not become extinct, but will expand and reach the greatest possible number of people. I do not consider the exhibit mine, or the Foundation’s. It is the result of collaborative work by many people. As such, I see it as a living activity that changes with each presentation.