Annual report 2022

Photo NTM/Lars Opstad

Preface

Full speed again...

Museum director Frode Meinich. Photo: Lars Opstad After a couple of hectic years, with rapid changes and adaptations both in the museum world and outside, probably more than us hoped that society and our social life would quickly return to normal in 2022. And it is incredibly nice to be able to firm that visitor numbers at the museum are really on the way back. In 2022, we will have had more than 93% of the visits we experienced in 2019, i.e. before the pandemic. This despite the fact that we had restrictions on museum operations due to infection control well into February 2022. But there were some other surprises in store.

The serious war in Ukraine, increasing inflation and ever-rising electricity prices have become a burden for the whole of Europe. In addition to the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we therefore see the contours of a new set of challenges that may be more long-lasting and financially tough, also for the museum. The trick is to meet this with courage, good humor and a twinkle in the eye. After all, we still live in peace and in a society that can afford to prioritize culture. Therefore, it has been extra pleasant on several occasions this year to be able to welcome Ukrainian refugees from refugee reception centers to the museum and give them a break with culture and entertainment.

Oslo's own families with children also appreciate visiting the museum, and in January we received the award "Oslo's best experience for children", voted by Aftenposten's readers. It was great since for a few years now we have been working towards the vision of being precisely "The most Engaging, Knowledgeable and Funniest museum". But we are not giving up and in 2022 we have had exciting exhibition collaborations with several players linked to both permanent and changing exhibitions. This attracts new audiences, including visitors who have never been to the museum. We cannot rest on previous laurels. We will continue to focus on renewal to ensure good visitor numbers, good finances and lively communication. Energy is high on the scale of people's interest at the moment, and in collaboration with the Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy, we were the venue for their jubilee exhibition Balansekunst from June until the end of the year. Until the summer, we had a wonderfully inspiring collaboration with the National Museum, Sand in the Machine, where we together curated an art exhibition with 27 of the National Museum's works, hidden in between our technical objects, with an associated organized treasure hunt for our visitors to find all the works of art.

In April, Crown Prince Haakon opened our new large telecommunications and computer exhibition, I/O. We register enthusiasm for the completely unique audience experience this exhibition provides. The exhibition is based on the idea from the Method of Things, one of the museum's many research projects, where each museum object can tell several different stories and give different meaning to different people, depending on who you are and what point of view you have. What is also unique is that the entire exhibition is driven by artificial intelligence, and that every single day it learns something new about our visitors, the paths they take through the exhibition and their actions and preferences in interaction with the objects. Not only does the exhibition adjust to the audience, but we are gradually sitting on gold in terms of anonymous information and learning about what is most important to us: our visitors and their behaviour. In the coming years, we will be able to create even more new exhibitions, which meet the needs, wishes and demands of an increasingly inquisitive public. The exhibition project is also part of the basis for a new book that will be published in 2023: The method of things – the museums' topography of knowledge.

And speaking of new exhibitions: there has been full speed in our new exhibition project with a new energy exhibition. It has been planned, drawn, demolished and decided. The reconstruction will begin immediately, and we are looking forward to being able to invite you to a brand new energy exhibition and a significant upgrade of large parts of Oslo Science Centre in 2023.

A big thank you also to my wonderful colleagues at the museum, for their incredible adaptability, willingness to work and perseverance in the past year! It will be exciting to see what 2023 will further challenge us with!

Happy reading!

director at The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology

2022

Highlights of the year

We were voted Oslo's best experience for children by Aftenposten's readers when the newspaper tested the best Oslo has to offer.
Crown Prince Haakon opens I/O, the AI-powered telecommunications and computer exhibition which is the largest exhibition venture since the museum's move to Kjelsås in 1986 . A ground-breaking visitor experience with exhibition design by Snøhetta.
Together with Equinor , Oslo Science Centre 's main partner and The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology 's partner , we arranged this summer's happening at the museum: an evening of music, coding and a concert with Hkeem for youth in Oslo.
TENK Tech Camp is being organized for the sixth time at the museum , the camp where we awaken the interest in technology in girls at the youth level .
Mensa Norway's prize 2022 goes to The Talent Centre for Science led by Safina de Klerk, and her passionate commitment since the centre's inception in 2016 to offer customized training to students with great learning potential .

More highlights…

Abid Raja and museum director Frode Meinich who together hold the book, the museum message

Crown Prince Haakon opens the telecommunications and computer exhibition, I/O on 7 April 2022. Here together with museum director Frode Meinich. Photo: Haakon Bergseth

2022

Collaboration partners and contributors

The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology is partly financed through contributions from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Equality, the Directorate of Health, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the Science Centre Committee, of which the Ministry of Education is the largest contributor.

In 2022, total public contributions amounted to NOK 67,577,580. Of this, NOK 5,499,890 are other public grants as project funds. In addition, a number of gifts and grants are received from private contributors.

Economic partners and contributors

The Association of Friends

The purpose of the Association of Friends of The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology is to contribute to the development of The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology , and to be a forum for enthusiasts, companies and organizations with an interest in the museum's work and in technical and medical history. The association has its origins back to the museum's founders in 1914.

The Friends' Association lost close to half of its members during the pandemic, but still gained 300 new ones during 2022. That means 868 paying members, which is 200 fewer than before the pandemic.

The traditional family days organized by the association in collaboration with Tekna and NITO were again organized in May and November with good attendance. The purpose of the family days is to market the museum in the Norwegian technology environment, and to give our members an expanded offer. The traditional boat trip with the veteran ship DS Børøysund was organized in June for the members. The monthly technology history lectures, which are a collaboration between the Association of Friends, Tekna, NITO and the museum, have once again been able to be arranged physically at the museum.

In 2019, the Venneforeningen began restoration of the Industrial Model from 1954, and the work has continued through 2022. The main emphasis has now been on minor improvements and ongoing operational maintenance of the model. The industrial model is very popular, and since May 2021 the train on the model has been driven 29,002 times, and has covered an impressive 1,508 km!

In 2022, the Venneforeningen has also made operational improvements and maintenance on the large model railway that the association bought for the museum in 2020.

In 2022, the Friends' Association will transfer NOK 304,375 to The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology as compensation for members' free admission to the museum.

The association has its own secretariat and is formally and financially independent from The Norwegian Museum Of Science And Technology . The association is a member of the Norwegian Association of Museum Friends.

Companies and organisations

Equinor is contributing financially, in a three-year agreement signed in 2021, to the renovation and renewal of the museum and science center's exhibitions and installations within the theme of energy. The agreement makes the company the main collaboration partner for Oslo Science Centre and a collaboration partner for The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology .
Norid has supported the development of the new permanent exhibition I/O.
Sparebankstiftelsen DNB has deposited a large collection of photographs, DEXTRA Photo, at the museum and for several years has provided operating support for the work of preserving and disseminating the collection. The foundation has also given support to the discussion arena Reaktor in the exhibition I/O.
The Norwegian Cultural Council supports the projects Museums' topography of knowledge (2018-2023), Sustainable energy narratives . Industrim useer meets the climate crisis » (2022-2024) and K jønnet's value in a museum hierarchy. A project about representation of women, diversity and gender in museums (2022-2024 led by the Women's Museum at Anno ).
The Research Council of Norway supports the research projects Private Lives (2020-2024, led by the Institute of Social Anthropology, UiO) and Reduce (2021-2025, led by Oslo Met).
The Norwegian Photographers' Association supports the book project Norwegian Photo History 1940 to 2011.
Sparebankstiftelsen DnB has contributed to the establishment of new Talent Center branches at three different upper secondary schools in Oslo. Pupils from nearby secondary schools attend these branches.
Ferd AS supports talent centers in science and finances the two external branches in Kongsberg municipality and Lillehammer municipality
Ferd SE has contributed funding for a fourth talent center branch at Bjerke upper secondary school as an extension of the talent centre 's existing Oslo venture.

Other partners and contributors

Aix-Marseille Université, Aluminum Museum (Vestfold Museums), Anno Museum, Arbeiderbevegelsen's archive and library, Arbeidermuseet (Oslo museum), Biogass Oslofjord, Body Cartography Project, Bodel Grorud, Bodel Sagene, Cathrine Bui, Center for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) v/ The University of Agder, the Cinematheque, CISCO, Computas, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, the Royal Court, the Faculty of Medicine, UiO, Elko, Institute of Pharmacy, UiO, FFI, the Bergen Kringkaster Association, the Salvation Army, the Glomdal Museum (Anno), Gothenburg City Museums, the Holocaust Center, Holger Hartman, ICT Norway, Department of Philosophy, History of Ideas and Art and Classical Languages (UiO), Department of Health and Society (UiO), Department of Historical Studies (NTNU), Kjetil Schjander Luhr, Women's Museum (Anno), Kristin Bolstad, Kulturtanken, Kystmuseet (Museet Midt), Lars Risan, Logic Interactive, LPO architects, Malmö Museums, Malmö University, The Museums in Akershus MIA, Museumsforlaget, Museum Vest, Møller Mobility Group, The National Library, The National Museum, NITO, The Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy NVE, The Norwegian Folk Museum, Norwegian Model and Steam Association, Norwegian Oil Museum, Ole Didrik Lærum, Oslo City Archive, Oslo Met, Oslo Museum, Per Børdahl, Press Forlag, Preus Museum, Riksantikvaren, Riksantikvariämbetet, Ringnes AS, Ruter, Science projects, London , Performing Arts Academy at Østfold College , Science Museum London, Snøhetta, Institute of Social Anthropology (UIO), Tekniska Museet, The Norwegian Museum Of Science And Technology Denmark, Technology History Group (THG) in Tekna, The Technology Council, The Textile Industry Museum (Museum center in Hordaland), TENK – Tech Network for Women, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Science Center Association, the Østfold Museums, and the National Center for Science Recruitment, Open Zone for Experimental Informatics, IFI, UiO.

Collaboration partners and contributors