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The Memory Palace
Almost a thousand years
of Dutch history, hidden in 125 kilometers
of documents, 15 million photographs
and 300.000 maps and drawings.
How do you make such a collection more visible and accessible for the
public?
We have created
a different and innovative
way of exhibiting archival documents, by combining archival materials with works of
art, digital technologies and a distinctive interior design. In
doing this, we have invited
the public to become more aware of the importance and possibilities
of archives for them.
The main goals
of our exhibition ‘The Memory Palace’ are to present the range, richness and historical relevance of the archives’ collections, while letting visitors experience them by visual and interaction means and inviting them to make further use of the archives.
In our aim to surprise visitors:
We display eleven appealing (his)stories,
hidden within our collections, that provide insight into the different kind of archives we administer.
We use modern technology
such as gr-codes, data visualization, tablets and touch screens to provide additional information about the archives on display.
We invited artists
to create complementary
works, providing the collection with a new found relevance.
We designed a sustainable
and reusable interior that
takes the visitor on a voyage of discovery, as if he were walking through the real archives.
The ‘Memory Palace’ received
enthusiastic reviews, praising its lively character that convincingly shows the relevance of archival collections. We will develop
the new and lively concept of exhibiting archives even further in our next exhibition
on our photographic collection, by using, for example, an upcoming virtual
reality head-mounted display.
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