Amalie Kretzer is one of the twelve scientists whose "Missed Image" is now on display at the University Museum. In 1909, she was the first female doctoral student in physics at the University of Bonn. When women's access to higher education was made more difficult and their suitability for scientific studies was denied, Amalie Kretzer overcame this hurdle and successfully earned her doctorate from the University of Bonn in 1908. However, when career opportunities for female scientists in academia were scarce despite her excellent scientific qualifications, Amalie Kretzer worked as a teacher at a girls' secondary school. After her marriage in 1917, this too was taken away from her: the so-called celibacy clause prohibited married women from working as teachers. Three years later this rule was abolished.
Women like Amalie Kretzer were not seen or recognized as scientists. Therefore they were not allowed to publish under their own names. Opportunities to see and photograph them as scientists either never existed, or they were ignored. Only a few images show female scientists of this era as publicly relevant figures, as was common in public communication among male scientists.
Hard Light and Strong Poses
Berlin photographer and science communicator Gesine Born brings these women to the forefront: "I want to equate them and add them to the men's ancestral galleries. To do this, I use harsh light and depict strong poses that we know from men, such as crossed arms," explains Gesine Born. She uses Midjourney, a software platform based on artificial intelligence that creates deceptively realistic images. In rare cases where photographs of the female scientists still exist, they are fed into the artificial intelligence system for processing. Further text-based information about these women is added, including, if possible, locations and dates, until the AI finally produces the previously omitted photo.
Couldn't it have been like this?
Sometimes, with her portraits, Gesine Born even goes beyond the known facts of the past. For example, when a scientist who died in the 1960s is "awarded" a Nobel Prize for 1968 based on the newly created portrait, something that never actually happened. Couldn't it have been exactly like this if someone had acquired a picture of the scientist in time? The exhibition is not a classic documentary, nor does it intend to be one, but rather presents AI-assisted art. It uses a realistic-looking image to show what would have been a fitting tribute.
Artificial intelligence also draws its knowledge exclusively from the internet. However, the systematic discrimination against female scientists is just as entrenched there as it was in other media from the pre-internet era. Therefore, AI tends to perpetuate prejudices. "If even artificial intelligence believes that a scientist must be a man under any circumstances, this highlights the systematic discrimination against women in science and society," says Born. The new exhibition "Bring on the Portr[AI]ts!" is a counter to this.
Gabriele Alonso Rodriguez came up with the idea for this exhibition and brought it to the University Museum of the University of Bonn. She is the Equal Opportunities Officer at the University of Bonn and wants to "highlight the extraordinary achievements of female scientists in this way and make them accessible to the public," explains Alonso Rodriguez.
Since the Equal Opportunities Officer's first working meeting with the photographer a year ago, the university's Head of University Communications has supported the project. Prof. Dr. Andreas Archut, for example, was involved in the conception of the exhibition at the University Museum and is now ensuring its publicity. Alonso Rodriguez says: "I'm thrilled by the technology that is producing these fantastic results. My sincere thanks go especially to the team, namely photographer Gesine Born and our Head of Communications, Professor Archut. With them, the long road to the opening was always entertaining and inspiring."
The new exhibition at the University Museum will opened for the public on April 10, 2025.
Opening Hours and Address
The University Museum of the University of Bonn, Regina-Pacis-Weg 1, 53113 Bonn, is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The museum is closed on public holidays.
