Toys?

24.02.2025

Toys? is the interactive installation created by visual artist Anna Piratti, with contributions from performer Silvia Gribaudi, which can be seen at various Unipd locations during the week of March 8, as part of the university initiative "8 marzo diffuso".

On the occasion of International Women's Rights Day, six departments of the University of Padua come together to promote a collective reflection on the themes of gender equality and women's dignity. The initiative materializes in a provocative work with a strong emotional impact that explores issues of vulnerability, power, and the role of care as a driving force for change.

Toys? invites the public to engage with the theme of care and respect for human dignity, with particular attention to the condition of women. The work, exhibited in over 25 national and international shows, presents a powerful and symbolic image: hundreds of dolls lie on the ground, naked and helpless, evoking the vulnerability of those deprived of their power.

But Toys? does not stop at representation: it actively involves the public, transforming the spectator into the protagonist. Everyone is invited to perform a concrete gesture, intimate and public at the same time, which becomes a symbol of collective responsibility in mutual care.
The installation is hosted in three stages distributed during the week of March 8, to encourage broad and continuous participation. Each stage represents an opportunity to discuss themes of equality and respect, creating spaces for dialogue and awareness.

March 3, 12:00 PM - Psychology Center, Via Venezia 16
March 5, 12:30 PM - Entrance of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Via Marzolo 8
March 7, 12:30 PM - Information Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Geosciences, Via Gradenigo 6

The initiative is proposed by the Departments of Developmental and Socialization Psychology, Information Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, in collaboration with the Departments of General Psychology, Industrial Engineering, and Geosciences of the University of Padua. Their direct involvement helps to support an academic environment where awareness and responsibility are central values and to strengthen the role of the university as an agent of social change.