Interactive playground elements, inspired by archaeological artifacts, were installed in the courtyard of the National Museum of History of Moldova. The installations are shaped like conical spherical vessels and ceramic figurines dating from ancient times, being made of durable materials. Mihai Stamati, coordinator of the team of designers and artists who worked on the project, said that the playground elements are used to attract children first to the museum's courtyard and then to the museum, to search for and study the original exhibits, IPN reports.
Mihai Stamati noted that, at the beginning of the project, he examined the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova and identified small but precious exhibits that museum visitors often overlook. Among them are small sphero-conical vessels, bulls, sheep, goats molded from clay many years ago by children or adults. These exhibits were a source of inspiration for the playgrounds that found their place in the museum's courtyard. The installations are large so that visitors can feel them, study them closely. They are made of durable materials: stone, concrete, metal and solid oak, so that they can be kept for as long as possible.
"In the courtyard of the museum, these objects are designed for children, but for sure, the children will bring their adults here, because they will not come alone. Don't think that you will find outside the faithful replica of the objects placed in the museum's showcases. Our pride as creators is to come up with something new. It is a reinterpretation of these objects, a resizing as playground objects or artistic installations, not as oversized objects from the museum's collection. They served as a source of strong inspiration, documentation and, before designing them, it took a long way to get to know what these vessels meant, what these animals meant, and then try to use these symbols and meanings in our objects," said the designer.
The initiative is part of the "Museums of the Future" program and is implemented with the joint support of the USAID Moldova Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity and the Future Technologies Activity. The head of the Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity Kirk Ramer said that "projects of this type play an essential role in strengthening Moldova's tourist attractiveness by diversifying the cultural and educational experiences available to visitors". "We support initiatives that promote experiential tourism and attract an increasing number of visitors from the country, but also tourists eager to discover the authentic culture of Moldova. Interactive and family-friendly attractions, such as the Museum Outside, respond to the growing demand for such experiences, contributing to the development of tourism and strengthening rural resilience," said Kirk Ramer.
The director general of the National Museum of History of Moldova Eugen Sava said that it is a special project from all points of view, which changes the conception of classical museography. It is very important that visits to the museum should be interactive and such projects should arouse the interest of children.
The installations are equipped with interactive elements that include beams of light, colored resin "windows", plant details and imitations of fossils. Currently, visitors can see installations in amplified form. Access to the interactive form will be possible from spring.
