Infanzia spensierata?
Permanent interactive museum exhibition
Abstract
The exhibition deals with the theme of child labor. It draws a parallel between local stories of the past and recent global stories, inviting us to reflect on the role that everyone has, even in the small daily choices, within complex and sensitive macro-issues such as this.
The exhibition develops and intertwines on three levels: the historical reality of Verzasca at the end of the 19th century with the phenomenon of children's chimney sweeps, literary fiction with quotations from the novel The Black Brothers by Lisa Tetzner, and current events punctuated by stories of exploitation juvenile.
Datas
year
2021
scope
freelance
in collaboration with
client
process
The exhibition journey
The first rooms realistically represent the past and the poverty that forced families to have their young children emigrate to work as chimney sweeps.
During the journey, interspersed with historical reconstructions of domestic rooms, and interactive and experiential moments, the visitor is invited to enter a room of the museum that looks like a studio flat of an ordinary young person who wants to reflect on the hidden presence of children labor in our daily life.
The stairwell accompanies the visitor along the entire route, symbolically assuming the role of a flue and leading to the exhibition rooms through the reproduction of handmade works by the illustrator Hannes Binder.
The exhibition ends by reaching the dark and claustrophobic room in the museum's ceiling. Objects used by the children for their work and living are faintly illuminated and described by children's voices. The interactive book, with the animated illustrations of Hannes Binder, narrates some episodes taken from the novel The Black Brothers by Lisa Tetzner.
Historical reconstruction of a kitchen in the 18th century shows the past and the poverty that forced families to have their young children emigrate to work as chimney sweeps A reproduction of an illustration of Hannes Binde of a bedroom scene The school as it used to be in the 18th century. On the blackboard a video projection shows the migration of children during the year Reproduction of an illustration of Hannes Binde showing the crossing of the lake on a boat at night Reconstructions of domestic room to reflect on the hidden presence of children labor in our daily life The stories behind ordinary objects The visitor physically senses the uncomfortable feelings of a chimney sweep child when entering the chimney to access the tight stairs leading to the last exhibition room On top of the tight stairs, the illustration of Hannes Binde flows in the darkness Historical objects used by the chimney sweep children lighted with a spot light and explained by children’s voices. The interactive book in four languages with some of the novel "The Black Brothers" by Lisa Tetzner with illustrations of Hannes Binder animated in short looping clips
skills
- Interactive installations
- Physical computing