Exhibition addresses sexualized violence and false victim blaming

25 January 2023

Photo: Emely Unger

The exhibition shows articles of clothing similar to those worn by the victims at the time of an assault and is directed against victim blaming and false questions.

From 31 January to 23 February 2023, the Cluster of Excellence "CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter" at Universität Hamburg will present the exhibition "What Were You Wearing?" at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science on the Bahrenfeld campus. Already two years ago, the cluster board decided to specifically address the topic of sexualized violence and abuse.

Victims of sexual assault are often asked about the clothing they were wearing at the time of the assault, which gives the impression that they may be partially to blame for the assault. The exhibition "What were you wearing?" aims to counteract this with assistance, facts and targeted education. It is directed against victim blaming and false questions, and shows articles of clothing similar to those worn by the victims at the time of the assault. In doing so, the exhibition provides insights into the emotional world of those affected and makes it clear which questions can hurt and which statements can help.

"Problematic behaviors also occur at universities, where there are strong dependencies between individuals," says cluster spokesperson Prof. Dr. Klaus Sengstock. "We therefore take these issues very seriously and work hard to create a safe and welcoming environment for all our members and to raise awareness of the whole range of issues."

The exhibition was created by marketing manager Emely Unger. She is herself a victim of sexualized violence and decided, ten years after the fact, to implement the topic in the form of an exhibition. She researched cases in northern Germany and designed the exhibition together with René Unger. The exhibition was first shown in this form in Kiel in April 2021.

From 31 January to 23 February, the exhibition is open to the public and free of charge from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It will be flanked by various workshops organized by the Cluster of Excellence "CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter", the Cluster of Excellence "Quantum Universe" and the "Social Counseling and Counseling on Sexualized Discrimination and Harassment for UHH Employees", the German Electron Synchrotron DESY, the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, the European XFEL GmbH, PIER - Partnership between University of Hamburg and DESY - and Science and beλond - The LGBTIQA* Network.

Information on the workshops and directions to the exhibition

More information about the exhibition