2018

Exhibitions

The museum's main task is to take care of the Norwegian cultural heritage in the fields of technology, science, industry and medicine and to convey the development of the subject areas with a focus on the last 200 years. There are permanent exhibitions with objects from the collections and temporary exhibitions where the museum invites you to new, exciting and interactive encounters in the past and present. The museum's main investment in 2018 has been the temporary exhibition PEOPLE.

Exhibitions 2018

PEOPLE–from racial types to DNA sequences

FOLK explores the historical and contemporary studies on human biological variation and the interaction between research, society and culture. The exhibition discusses modern DNA research and controversies surrounding access to genetic material, language, methods and theories used. FOLK opens the door for reflection on how past research has contributed to legitimizing the slave trade, colonialism, class differences and nationalism. The exhibition is very current. Scientifically outdated racial ideas are still alive and present-day research is still surrounded by difficult questions. FOLK is based on interdisciplinary research and is funded by the Norwegian Research Council and Fritt Ord. The exhibition opened in March 2018.

The pictures on the wall show: Inga Andersdatter, born in Sweden approx. 1830, Inger Nikolaisdatter Tjikkom (b. 1879), with children Sara and Peder, Tjierrek-Ánne (Anne Abmutsdatter Kurak) (1882–1948) and Finne Johnsen Ráhka (1830–1918). In front of the pictures is Lars Magne Andreassen, director of the Árran Lule Sami Centre.

Skeletons in the closet

The project Skeletons in the closet, carried out in 2016 and 2017, invited a broad discussion with relevant actors and agencies about how the museum's collection of human remains can best be understood and managed. What new questions, perspectives and understandings can this material lead us to? The exhibition with the same name opened a year after the start of the project. It showed a selection of the remains, preliminary findings and insights and drew an important and so far missing body into the discussion and the development of knowledge: the visitors. The viewing period was extended by almost a year due to great interest. The project was one of six projects in the method development project The Things Method, and was supported by the Norwegian Cultural Council.

Aurora polaris

When the northern lights became understandable. On Tuesday 13 June 2017, the exhibition Aurora polaris opened, about how Kristian Birkeland, Carl Størmer and other researchers at the beginning of the 20th century made the northern lights comprehensible with the help of cameras, artificial space and mathematical models. Through works of art, objects from the history of science, photographs and interactive installations, the exhibition communicated the history of research, but also tried to create an experience of the intangible and overwhelming nature of the northern lights. The exhibition was an extension of the museum's contribution to the Istanbul Biennale in 2015 and was part of the national anniversary marking for Kristian Birkeland. The exhibition was taken down in August 2018.

Power outages - are you prepared?

The interactive exhibition Power outages - are you prepared? is based on the project Homerisk, a large Nordic project under the auspices of SIFO, funded by the Research Council of Norway. The project deals with crisis preparedness in households in the event of a breakdown of the power grid and digital infrastructure. An essential part of the dissemination of the project is the permanent interactive exhibition that opened in Oslo Science Centre on 14 June.

Planned exhibitions 2019

Blind spot

The public is invited to explore the eye and what it is to see. Through the artistic experiment and exhibition Blind Spot, the relationship between vision, perception and human experiences is examined in a range from the eye's blind spot to our cultural blind spots. The exhibition will contain historical objects set in context with an artistic work where participation and movement become central. The project is being developed in collaboration with the Academy of Performing Arts at Østfold University College as part of the artistic research project Blind spot – Staring Down the Void, with support from the Program for artistic development work. Blind spot opens on 24 May 2019.

Medical rooms

For the first time since 2009, a new basic exhibition will be created for the Medical Museum. It is in particular the exhibition Healthy soul in a healthy body that will be changed. Today, this course deals with key topics in the history of medicine, and is among the most requested by visiting school classes. At the same time, it is not adapted to existing needs for flexible use and dissemination. Exhibitions After almost 15 years, the exhibition is ripe for updating, both in form and content. Based on the museum's collection and collaborative and fundraising projects, for example linked to experiences with controversial diagnoses such as transsexualism and ADHD, a brand new exhibition is now being prepared, which should be ready in November 2020.

The ICT exhibition

Work on a new ICT exhibition has started and it is planned to open the exhibition by the end of 2021. The project links research, administration and dissemination. Objects will be placed in the centre, while the exhibition will become a lively and current arena. The time perspective will point to the past, present and future. There will be open and broad collaboration with other museums, businesses, technology developers, research environments and artists. The exhibition will fill the entire top floor of the museum with approx. 1,000 square meters, and will replace the current computer and telecommunications exhibitions.

The moon landing

On 21 July 2019, it will be 50 years since Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. The moon landing is one of the great moments in the history of technology and science. The museum marks the anniversary with a large interactive exhibition that tells the story of the space race, the conquest of the moon and the big event: The night of the moon when "everyone" in Norway followed what happened on radio and TV, guided by space travel expert Erik Tandberg. In the exhibition, visitors can try their hand at a number of exercises that qualify them to become a real astronaut: Strap into Apollo 11, control the lunar landing craft, test how much spin you can handle in the gyroball or acquire sufficient knowledge about the moon.