An exhibition in The City

As the offices spilled out their workers and the pavements outside the pubs filled up with people enjoying an after-work drink in the sunshine, the very warm sunshine, I made my way to Guildhall Library for Mary Pritchard's "Under the Microscope" exhibition, which is a homage to her mother, Olive Aykroyd. Mary was inspired by her 1930s brass microscope and biological slides to investigate her early life and scientific research at Trinity College Dublin, from where she obtained a PhD in 1938.

 A couple of public sculptures provided momentary distraction and a chance to linger in the sun -

In the library, Mary had added substantially to the material she showed in an exhibition of the same name in 2014, not just the work on the wall but the layout of objects associated with her mother's scientific career, and photos from that time -

Mary has researched not only her mother's career at Trinity College Dublin but also the status of women students there in the 1920s and 30s, which was presented in a theatrical performance composed and performed 

by Peter Cutts, who played the lab technician in the Zoology Department where Olive Aykroyd did her research.

Waiting for the performance

The exhibition runs till 16 May, during library hours, and is free.