Curate Your Own Adventure

I am so excited to write this post on the Nobel Museum. Mainly because I rarely think that digital technology in a museum is a highlight. For this museum, however, it not only made sense, but, was utilized very effectively. The museum opened in 2001 and is roughly divided into two sections – one on Alfred Nobel and one on the Nobel laureates.

We started our visit in the section on Nobel. This was a traditional museum display with thematic panels and objects locked behind glass cabinets. It was thoughtfully organized and showcased a range of objects including books belonging to Nobel and a copy of his will. Although the original will is in the museum’s collection, it is too fragile to display. In this room visitors can learn all about Nobel and why the prize was established.

There are two other permanent displays that focus on the Nobel laureates and their inventions. My favourite room relied quite heavily on digital technology. The room contained different coloured cubes displaying an array of objects belonging to laureates that had been donated to the museum. These ranged from nail scissors to test tubes – all with a very fascinating story. Rather than crowding the space with labels, there were three large touch screen computers each displaying some of the objects. Selecting an object unlocked its story.

There were two highlight objects. The first was a small vial belonging to Australian doctors Barry Marshall and Robin Warren. They won the prize in medicine for discovering the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its connection to stomach ulcers. Marshall drank fluid from this vial essentially infecting himself to prove a point.

The other highlight object was an X-ray tube belonging to Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen. I catalogued around twenty of these tubes during my internship at Trainor/Owen. They are truly fascinating objects.

The exhibition that relied almost entirely on digital technology was in the middle of the museum. It consisted of six large panels with computers attached. Each panel covered a ten year period. There was some text and one object providing visitors with a highlight of each decade. On the touch screen computers were the six, originally five, prize categories – medicine, chemistry, physics, literature, peace, and economics. The latter was added in the 1970s.

After selecting the category, a list of every individual who won the prize in that decade was displayed. On selecting an individual, more information was provided regarding what they invented and how it contributed to their field. I spent around 30 minutes going through some of the screens. As it would be virtually impossible to have a physical display on each of the laureates, I thought this was a compact yet effective way to tell their stories. Whilst you are in this space make sure you look above. Banners displaying information on each of the laureates travel around the ceiling of the space on a conveyor belt.

Finally, there was a temporary exhibition space. Right now, the exhibition is titled ‘Experiments’. During the day it is an active laboratory allowing visitors the opportunity to contribute to an experiment. In this space was another reminder of my internship. A machine constructed by Marie and Pierre Curie to test radioactivity levels. There were a few other experiments represented in the space.

This exhibition further proves that digital technology needs to be integrated with, rather than added to, an exhibition. Otherwise it seems superfluous and can be very annoying. Whilst I have seen many examples of well-integrated technology, I have never seen it on this scale. A great museum to see for those of you wondering what a museum may look like with limited objects.

If you are interested in Viking history then this museum is a must. It holds one of the largest collections of Viking-related objects in the world. On display is only a fraction of this collection which is pretty hard to believe considering the exhibition was massive. I am going to review the Viking exhibition and then more generally discuss the rest of the museum.

From a design perspective, the Viking exhibition was, in my opinion, very effective. Small display cases were organized logically throughout the space highlighted by spotlights. The entire exhibition was easy to navigate and allowed visitors to select their own path. There were some thematic panels covering the history of the Viking Age. These were not crucial to read, however, as objects were displayed thematically not chronologically. This meant you were free to focus on one or two particular themes and were not locked into following a didactic narrative. I actually think this worked really well considering I wasn’t visiting to learn the definitive history of the Viking Age. The following were five themes that I found to be most intriguing.

1. Children

Quite a few of the objects on display were excavated from the Viking settlement of Birka. This display case was very interesting as it contained an array of children’s toys and jewellery found at their burial sites. Children could hold important social positions within a Viking Age community. Today, their status can be determined from what objects were included in their burial pits. On the lower shelf of the case was a duck carved out of wood. It was quite an emotionally-charged object.

2. Beauty

This theme was accompanied by a very brief panel. Essentially it stated that appearances were very important in the Viking Age for both men and women. I selected this theme because I liked the objects on display. There were around twenty wooden combs, many of which still had all their teeth. It is amazing to think these objects have been so well preserved and continue to exist almost in their entirety.

3. Jewellery and Dress

Jewellery has been discovered in all Viking burial sites excavated around Sweden. My absolute favourite object was in this display case – a beautiful multi-coloured necklace. Green, red, orange, brown, grey, and white beads were joined together and attached to a black piece of leather. Considering the other objects in the case were once copper that has oxidized, the colours stood out. On another shelf were an array of small silver metal hearts. Similar to the beads, they were once attached together to form a necklace. Basically, there were a lot of beautiful intricate objects found in this case.

4. The Princess from Birka

A great display that showcased how powerful women could be in the Viking Age. All of the objects in this display case were retrieved from the burial site of the so-called Princess from Birka. These included a key, indicating her influence over an estate , a bronze bowl from Ireland, extravagant jewellery, and a whalebone board used to press linen. The jewellery was particularly impressive as seen below. Women could definitely rise to prominent positions in the Viking Age. It was interesting to learn that if a woman was buried with a key, this often indicated they controlled an estate and were quite wealthy.

5. Weapons

Last, but not least, was the theme of weapons. Swords are displayed vertically in a glass case allowing visitors to see both sides. I thought it was a great move on behalf of the exhibition design team. Being able to walk around a display case and see an object from a variety of perspectives allows for much closer observations.

The rest of the museum covered other periods of Swedish history. Difficult issues were tackled including the effects of the slave trade on Sweden. The History Unfolds exhibition in particular covered such issues in “an attempt at making visible how history is created and used, and how it in turn has influenced and still influences our view of society” (Swedish History Museum, 2016).

There was a lot to see in the one museum and it was quite overwhelming tackling the entire museum at once. Ideally, it would be great to return and focus on one exhibition at a time. Nevertheless, we retained as much information as we possibly could from one visit and left with a clearer understanding of Sweden’s past.

The Royal Palace in Stockholm was built in 1754 and is one of the largest palaces in Europe. Originally, a fortress was established on the site in the 11th century protecting the waters surrounding Stockholm. In the 16th century, the fortress was transformed into a Renaissance-style castle that served as the residence of the Swedish Royal Family. Its first inhabitant was King Gustav Vasa. A huge fire destroyed the Palace in 1697 reducing the entire building to rubble. The new Roman baroque Palace, completed in 1754, is what can be seen today. It is a very geometric building with four entrances each with its own character. These are masculine, feminine, civilian, and royal. The Swedish Royal Family no longer reside in the Palace, however, it still functions as offices for the King and Queen and the Royal Court. From time to time, there are also dinners and special events. That was a very brief overview of the history of the Palace!

Our time at the Palace began with a visit to the Treasury. Inside a vault are two rooms with the Swedish Crown Jewels on display. If you own a smartphone, you are able to download an audio guide tour. I found that the tour was interesting, but, I did not listen to all stops. As the space was quite small, I felt as though the audio guide was problematic and could very easily cause congestion.

After the Treasury we joined a guided tour of the State Apartments. Considering the rooms had little interpretive material available, a guided tour was definitely a good way to go. The tour lasted around 45 minutes and our guide, Eric, was very knowledgeable. A highlight was the Gallery (photographs below). This ornate room is designed in a Baroque style with ceiling murals depicting the numerous wars between Sweden and Denmark. Without a guide, we would have never noticed some of these details.

Another part of the tour I enjoyed was hearing about the current Royal Family. I know a tiny bit about the Danish Royal Family because of Princess Mary. As for Sweden, I knew absolutely nothing prior to this visit. Overall, the tour provided a great overview of everything royal.

Before ducking outside and watching the Changing of the Guard, I walked through the current exhibition ‘Royal Wedding Dresses’. This exhibition commemorates forty years since the current King and Queen were married. The setting for the exhibition is amazing – inside the Palace’s Hall of State. Imagine a large white marble room equipped with a throne and adorned with columns. Large white sheets hung from the ceiling above the five wedding dresses on display.

The dresses were worn by Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Madeleine, Princess Sofia and Princess Lilian. The display for each dress included a mannequin wearing the dress and a small glass box containing the corresponding shoes and handbag. Veils were displayed in a separate area. What struck me was how each dress was so simple and elegant. I was expecting pretty elaborate textiles. The veils were pretty extravagant including very fine lacework.

There was an audio guide for this specific exhibition along with some thematic panels. I do feel as though the exhibition may have benefitted from slightly more interpretation. What worked well was starting the exhibition with a video showing the various wedding ceremonies. You could firstly see the dresses on the screen before walking around and seeing them on display. It was also a wise idea to display the dresses separately on raised platforms. Even though the exhibition was incredibly busy, the crowd was dispersed around the dresses. It was a very aesthetically beautiful exhibition and worked well in the space.

I like balancing these types of sites with, for example, more general history museums. For this reason, we dedicated our afternoon to the Swedish History Museum. Watch this space for my next review!

Greetings from Stockholm! We arrived yesterday after a long train ride from Copenhagen. This is my first time in the city and, so far, I am very impressed. There are quite a few museums here that we will explore over the next few days. On the agenda for today was a walking tour of the old city – Gamla Stan – and the Vasa Museum – Sweden’s most popular tourist attraction.

Let me take a moment to set the scene for the Vasa Museum. During the 17th century King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden hoped to transform the country into a feared military power. The Vasa was one of the four warships commissioned by the King and was designed by Dutch shipwright Henrik Hybertsson. Its maiden voyage on 10 August 1628 ended in disaster. Within minutes of setting sail, the entire ship sunk in the harbour. Twenty-three lives were lost. Although the exact reason behind the ship’s sinking remains unknown, many have blamed its design.

The ship remained on the sea bed for just over 300 years. In 1961, the ship was salvaged and moved into its new home. What can be seen in the museum today is 98% original. This basically means that the whole ship was preserved on the sea bed and salvaged with great care. It is magnificent and absolutely dominates the museum space.

The design of the museum complements the ship. There are six levels containing exhibitions and ship-viewing platforms. I really enjoyed the exhibitions Life on Board, Face to Face, and Preserve Vasa.

1. Life on Board

Located on level 5, Life on Board is a small exhibition showcasing some of the objects found on board the ship. Highlights include scraps of clothing and a pair of intact stockings. They were able to survive the wreck as they were locked away in a sailor’s chest/cask. On display in a small window is one of the only gold objects to be found in the wreck. It is a ring that belonged to Vice Admiral Erik Jönsson. There were quite a few more objects on display and some thematic panels. Overall, it provided an interesting insight into what the shipwreck has revealed about life in 17th century Sweden.

2. Preserve Vasa

Both Preserve Vasa and Face to Face are on level 2. I think it’s great when museums reveal some behind-the-scenes tips and tricks for visitors to appreciate. The entire Preserve Vasa exhibition traced how the ship had been naturally preserved for 300 years and how it is preserved today. Conservation techniques such as freeze drying are explored and displayed. The section I found most informative was titled ‘Why Conserve?’ On display are three pieces of wood – one which has not been conserved, one conserved by impregnation with PEG, and one preserved by chemicals and freeze-dried. It was a great way to physically show the importance of conservation and what may occur if incorrect techniques are applied.

3. Face to Face

This exhibition is, in a way, designed to honour the twenty-three victims of the shipwreck. It tried to answer questions such as “how can the skeletons bring us closer to the men and women from the Vasa? Who were they? How did they look? What had they experienced?”

By analyzing skeletal remains, an attempt has been made to reconstruct how they may have looked. It was interesting to see how much information could be ascertained from the remains themselves. After discovering this basic information, each skeleton was provided with an identity. This included a name, occupation, diet, etc. Whether this was respectful or not is still being internalized.

The great thing about this museum is that you can legitimately spend the entire time viewing the ship from a variety of vantage points. I could have spent the entire afternoon observing the ship closer and seeing all its details up-close. The exhibitions are worth visiting if you are searching for something extra to add to your experience.