INTRODUCTION     |      AUDIO     |      EASY READING     |     FURTHER INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION       

Customs and practices
Cultural and cross-generational exchange enriches us as people and as a society, as it allows us to see things from different perspectives. That is why spending time with grandparents is so enriching.
 
Do you know how they communicated or cooked? What your great-grandparents did in their free time? Did they work the same way we do now?
 
We challenge you to find out!
 
And if you need a helping hand… Just dial their number! Remember that they will always be happy to help.

Human activities
Only if we understand the past properly will we be able to address the present with intelligence, and imagine the future with perspective.
 
The fact is that most strictly human activities have remained the same for centuries. All that has changed is the way we carry them out. We invite you on a journey through time to discover how.
 
Choose a topic to reveal how some of the most intrinsic human activities have changed, and how we may continue to do them in the future.

Ecological transition
We face new challenges every day as a society. The ecological transition is one of the most important right now. It could be defined as the process of social transformation towards a model of sustainable development, and includes numerous lines of action.
 
Did you know that where we live conceals some of the key challenges of the ecological transition?

Scientific research and culture
We know that science and technology form part of our daily life, and that research is vital to continue progressing as a society. But we sometimes overlook the fact that absolutely everything that surrounds us was discovered by someone at some point in history.
 
The laws that allow the vehicles we travel in to move, or each of the parts that make up a household appliance, exist because someone was able to imagine them, and then create them.
 
That is why science and research are so important, because they allow us to be who we are in the present, and offer a response to what we want to be in the future.
 
A day in the life of…
Very different professions all coexist today, both those dating back centuries, and others that have emerged from the digital era. Young and old alike need to reflect about the need for sound training in what we choose to enjoy education, and position the ability to learn, flexibility and critical thought as the key elements in the new job market.
 
What did you want to be when you were little?
 
Should people work in the subject that they studied?
 
Does your job define your happiness?
 
Industrial heritage and culture
The National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (MNACTEC) has the mission of presenting scientific and technical advances in Catalonia, their industrial application, and in particular their social implications. It is based in Terrassa, in one of the greatest landmarks of the Catalan Modernist movement: the Vapor Aymerich, Amat i Jover factory. The MNACTEC heads the MNACTEC Territorial Structure, comprising 26 museums and heritage sites explaining industrialisation in Catalonia.
 
 

AUDIO
 

Customs and practices

Human activities

Housing and work 

Ecological transition

Scientific research and culture

A day in the life of…

Industrial heritage and culture

EASY READING

Customs and practices
Spending time with people of different ages and cultures is really positive. It teaches us very important things. That is why we so enjoy being with our grandparents.
 
Do you know how they cooked or what job they did when they were young?  This activity allows us to learn just that, with a few examples.
 
Human activities
To understand what is happening in the present, it is really important to study what happened in the past. This can also help us imagine how the future might be. Because when you really think about it, a lot of the things people do now are the same as they have always been. All that's changed is the way we get them done.
 
Housing and work
The way people live and work has changed a great deal over history. 
 
Ecological transition
Everything we do makes a mark on the world we inhabit, and we are gradually wearing it out. Ecological footprint is the term we used to define the impact that each of us has on the environment.
 
It's time to make a commitment to change a few things in our daily lives, so as to care for the environment and stop harming our planet. 
 
Scientific research and culture
Did you know that this fridge and this car dashboard conceal a load of secrets?
Because cars don't move by magic, but thanks to science and technology. And each of the parts that allow a fridge to keep food cool exists because someone managed to invent it.
Science and research are very important in our lives, and we have them close to hand in many of the objects that surround us, such as the fridge at home, a car, a smartphone or television!
 
A day in the life of…
There are many very different professions today, from the most traditional to the most recent and digital. They are all valuable and important.
 
It's important to reflect on our interests and get a good education.
 
Industrial heritage and culture
The National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (MNACTEC) has the mission of showcasing scientific and technical advancements in Catalonia, what they meant for the industrial sector, and above all for society.
 
It is located in Terrassa, in one of the key landmark factories of Catalan Modernism: the Vapor Aymerich, Amat i Jover. Together with another 26 museums and heritage sites explaining industrialisation in Catalonia, it makes up the MNACTEC Territorial Structure.

 
FURTHER INFORMATION

Customs and practices
This activity helped us to reflect about…

• A long time ago there were no supermarkets, and people bought their food in different shops (bakery, butchery, dairy shop…). We are now going back to this approach, as we try to cause less pollution.
• Built-in obsolescence is the reason why our household appliances and electronic products don't last as long as the ones that our grandparents had when they were young: because the manufacturers deliberately make sure they break down after a certain time. 
• Years ago, men normally went out to work, while women worked at home, taking care of the household and family. Now, women and men both go out to work and cooperate with the household chores and looking after their children. 
• Mobile phones, the Internet and social media haven't always existed. Years ago, families had just one landline phone in the house. And going back further in time, phones didn't even exist! People communicated by letter, which could take days to arrive (or even weeks).  
• The way we work has also changed over the years: in the past, people would generally work at the same place their whole life long. Now it is much more common to change job. 
• We are now surrounded by technology: smartphones, tablets, televisions, computers, video games, e-books… We use them for work and leisure. But that is a really new thing! Your grandparents and great grandparents will have listened to music on vinyl with a record player, and looked up information they were unsure of in really important books called encyclopedias. 
• Past generations would buy fresh food at little local shops to cook at home. Later on, supermarkets appeared, ready meals and fast-food restaurants. Now, we try to eat a healthy, balanced diet of fresh food, the same way our grandparents did. 
• Trips, extracurricular activities, courses, workshops, outings… These days we get up to all kinds of things in our free time and holidays. We never stop! Years ago, life was much more relaxed and people would normally spend their holidays in their village, spending time with their family. 

 
Human activities
This activity helped us to reflect about…
 
Most essential human activities have stayed the same for centuries. We simply change the way we get them done.
In the past, for example, children would all play out in the street. You probably know some of their favourite games: hopscotch, marbles, skipping, cards, diabolos, board games, spinning tops, yo-yos, tag, tricycles, balls, rag dolls… Videogames emerged in the 1970s and really changed the way we play.
Although we still play as we always have done, we also now use technology to have fun. For example: we play videogames with cameras that detect our movement, virtual reality headsets allowing us to travel to amazing places, and even artificial intelligence. There are even virtual sports! But we still love playing just as we always have: with board games, running around outside, using our hands…
 
In the future we will continue to play the same way, but technology will also be present, with much more modern games and new experiences.
 
Communication is another inherent human activity. Do you know what smoke, stones and pigeons all have in common? Amazing as it may seem… They were ancient means of communication! More modern methods emerged later, such as telegrams, Morse code, teletype and letters. Depending on the distance, letters could take a long time to be delivered. But that was the most common form of communication among families, because most people still wouldn't have a landline telephone at home…
With the arrival of the Internet, the first smartphones appeared, a real turning point in how we communicate with one another. And now, we can use social media to communicate instantly, almost anywhere and at any time. We can even see one another at a distance, through video calls! That is really good, but it has also caused us some problems: such as the unsafe situations that can arise when using the Internet.
 
In the future we will exchange not only words and images, but also sensations, stimuli, environments, and most likely even emotions!  Who knows, in the future we may even be able to communicate telepathically by brainwave!
 
The way we travel has changed a lot as well. In the past, many families here bought their first ever car when the Seat 600 was launched in 1957.  Before, people depended entirely on public transport. And going back even further in time, people normally travelled on foot, used animals such as horses, or went by water, in canoes or rowing boats.
These days we can travel around the globe in a matter of hours. There is nowhere we can't reach, and right now there are probably more than 15,000 aeroplanes criss-crossing the sky. But this harms our environment, and so people have looked for more sustainable solutions: like emissions-free vehicles, sharing or renting a vehicle, travelling by public transport, opting for unpowered vehicles… and even walking!
We move around more than ever, but aim to do so as respectfully and sustainably as possible.
 
Technology and the use of renewable energy will be the hallmarks of transport in the future. That is what has made it possible for cars to drive themselves, and, for example, will even allow cars to fly! Sustainability, technology and safety will be vital in how we travel in the future. 
 
And as for scientific developments, there were many scientific developments in the past that we still find amazing, such as the discovery of the Internet, for example. But we shouldn't forget that others that seem less surprising were in fact just as important, or even more so: such as the discovery of the wheel, and even fire! Our society could never have advanced the way it has done without each and every one of the scientific discoveries that took place in the past, however simple they might seem to us now.
 
If we look at the present, we see that science has advanced more in the last 10 years than in all the rest of history. The fact is that just last year such amazing things happened as the first human transplant of a genetically modified pig's heart.
 
We can't possibly know what awaits in the future, but it seems that travelling to another planet is now becoming an ever-closer possibility. We will find solutions to many problems, such as caring for the environment, for example.  We can also dream that some diseases will disappear. Who knows, will people be able to live to the age of 150?

Housing and work
This activity helped us to reflect about…
People used to live in the countryside. Most families depended on their animals, working the land (agriculture and livestock) and traditional crafts.
In Catalonia, families lived in 'masias', huge farmhouses for a whole family. They had pitched roofs, and were built of stone facing a certain direction to make the most of the sunlight.
The first floor housed the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, the larder and the bedrooms. The third floor was used for storing or drying produce. The ground floor was for the working kitchen, the cattle sheds, granaries or workshops.
There was no need for a private garden, as they stood in vast areas of countryside.
The end of the 18th century saw what is known as the Industrial Revolution: the first factories appeared, and began to use machines for work.
The new machines replaced manual labour: most families abandoned their jobs in the countryside and started working in industry. In Catalonia, the first factories belonged to the textiles sector. Spinning machines and looms could produce goods more quickly and with fewer staff.
This change in the way we worked also transformed the way people lived: many families moved to the city in search of jobs. Cities began to run out of space, and families had no choice but to live in more compact buildings: collective housing or worker housing.
Worker housing all tended to look the same. It would have a kitchen/dining room, a few bedrooms and a communal terrace. The showers were normally shared, and positioned outside the house. They were much smaller than rural homes, with little light and poor ventilation.
One of the most distinctive types of worker housing in Catalonia could be found in factory towns, in other words "new villages" which grew up around a factory, with homes and amenities for the workers. They were built a long way from the major cities, and close to rivers.
These days we live differently. One single family lives in each home, and as families are smaller now, we can normally have our own bedroom.
Communal areas, such as the living room and kitchen, are used for relaxing and spending time with our family, and are normally spacious and really comfortable. Homes often have more than one bathroom.
There are also trees or leisure areas (such as parks) for families to enjoy locally, and sometimes small private gardens.
 
Ecological transition
This activity helped us to reflect about…
 
How our life impacts on the environment, and the changes we can make in our daily lives, to stop harming our planet:

• We can choose to walk, go by bike or public transport, rather than always taking the car
• We also need to change the settings on our household appliances to use less power.
• Renewable energy offers real benefits.
• We should ideally use frying pans and saucepans that are the right size, to avoid heat loss. Using lids on pots and pans, and chopping ingredients up small, are other good ideas. And we should use pressure cookers whenever we can.
• Gas cookers and ovens are more efficient than electric versions, while induction and ceramic hobs are the most efficient electric options.
• You should switch the oven or cooker off a few minutes earlier and make use of the remaining heat to finish cooking.
• It's a bad idea to keep opening the fridge or oven door. 
• Local councils provide recycling points where we can leave special waste such as oil or household appliances.
• Pharmacies also have recycling points for leftover medicines and packaging, and there are other containers for batteries, one of the most environmentally harmful forms of waste. 
• We must place each type of waste in the right container. 
• We can reduce the amount of packaging, turning it into containers for other foods such as biscuits or foods bought loose. 
• When we buy fair trade products, we are combating poverty. 
• There are solar powered chargers for your electronic devices which are much more environmentally friendly. 
• The verbs recycle and reuse should be our keywords. Let's unleash our creativity!
• Home handicrafts can also serve as the basis for everyday items.  For example, we can make toys from recycled materials or reuse sheets of paper after drawing on both sides, using them to cover surfaces to keep them clean. 
• People often take little gifts to school on their birthday, and there's nothing better than something sustainable, such as some fruit or vegetable seeds. We can reuse yoghurt pots as plant pots, filling them with soil and planting some seeds. 
• We can use recycled materials for school handicrafts, to make the costumes for events or for celebrations such as Carnival. 
• If we know we won't use that notebook or those pencils again, why have them sitting around at home? Swap these materials with friends or relatives. 
• Children's rooms gradually fill up with games that sometimes end up forgotten on the shelves. If they are in good condition, we can give them away, and let other children play with them. 

 
Scientific research and culture
This activity helped us to reflect about…
The importance of science and research throughout history: Everything that surrounds us today was discovered by someone at some point in the past.
 
For example, nuclear magnetic resonance is a technology which provides images of the inside of our body. It is used a lot in medicine to find certain diseases. Its history dates back to 1882, and although it has been used in hospitals for many years, we continue to research further advancements.
 
Graphene is another example. If we look around us, we will see that graphene is everywhere: computers, cars, mobile phones, musical equipment... even in aeroplanes! It's a material which has always existed, but now is being studied and used a great deal because of all it can offer us.
 
 
A day in the life of…
This documentary helped us to reflect on…
 
What did you want to be as a child?
Do you have to work in the subject you studied?
Does work define happiness?
 
Very different professions exist side-by-side these days, from those dating back thousands of years, to others that have emerged out of the digital era.  We couldn't imagine the latter without new technologies, but… what about older professions?
 
Tradition and innovation often go hand-in-hand, helping achieve a refined, quality outcome  and much more comfortable living conditions.
 
Which is what makes it so important to really find out about our choices so as to enjoy education, and at the same time position the ability to learn, flexible and critical thought as key elements in the new job market.
 
 
Industrial heritage and culture
This documentary helped us to reflect on…
 
The National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (MNACTEC) has the mission of showcasing scientific and technical advancements in Catalonia, what they meant for the industrial sector, and above all for society.
 
It is located in Terrassa, in one of the key landmark factories of Catalan Modernism: the Vapor Aymerich, Amat i Jover.
 
The MNACTEC heads the MNACTEC Territorial Structure, comprising 26 museums and heritage sites explaining industrialisation in Catalonia, through their collections and/or museum displays featuring activities that took place in the past.
 
These sites preserve comprehensible remains which make up our industrial heritage, with the aim of preserving, researching and showcasing the tangible and intangible heritage they contain.
 
Discover them here