Exhibitions

The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology 's mission is to preserve the Norwegian cultural heritage in technology, science, industry and medicine, and to communicate the development of the disciplines with emphasis on the last 200 years. Permanent exhibitions with objects from the collections and temporary exhibitions are shown where the museum invites new, exciting and interactive encounters in the past and present.

IO

Little boy in the middle of many cardboard tubes hanging from the ceiling.

Young people explore I/O. Photo: Lars Opstad

Objects

The exhibition's wide selection of objects covers the main areas of telecommunications history, computer history, and in addition broadcasting, games and photography. The unclaimed items range from Norway's first telegraph and the earliest telephones, the first computers and television cameras to newly collected items such as games consoles, cryptocurrency mining equipment and items related to research into artificial intelligence. The various thematic trails that visitors can follow with the help of their "avatar stick" and the AI-controlled recommendation open up several different entrances to exploration and learning based on the objects. As a visitor, you can choose a classic chronological tour or a quick highlights tour, or choose to delve into one of the currently 30 different themed tracks such as telepolitics, the climate challenge, media, design, inventions, Norwegian industry, photo history, the development of computer games or artificial intelligence, social media and the boundaries of privacy, or more child-friendly and playful themes such as things that look like animals. As far as we know, this way of utilizing the full potential of museum objects to be able to tell many different stories has not been used before.

Why I/O

The title I/O signals that the exhibition is about input/output and the digital divide one and zero, but also man/machine, freedom/coercion, individual/society, and more. In this sense, the exhibition focuses attention on the slash that can mean or, but also and , and that the discussions rather than ultimate truths about the technology are what is essential. To emphasize that questions and discussion are more important than facts about these technologies in society, the exhibition has its own discussion arena, called Reactor. Here, the public can gather to discuss the exhibition's themes and at the same time witness discussions between two artificial intelligences. The two artificial debaters use advanced language algorithms (GPT3) and are programmed to raise relevant topics for discussion based on what those present have taken an interest in in the exhibition. The public can participate by voting for/against arguments they agree with, and continue the discussions afterwards among themselves or with the museum's mediators.

A stated goal of I/O is that it should be a dynamic place for continuous discussion and knowledge development. In order to shed light on various aspects of the technologies, it is important that many voices are heard. In the exhibition, a separate area has therefore been set aside for artists or other disciplines who wish to participate in the discussions and share their perspectives. It is a wish to be able to present something new here twice a year./p>

Support: The exhibition has received support from Norid and Sparebankstiftelsen DNB.

The new permanent telecommunications and computing exhibition I/O was opened by HRH Crown Prince Håkon on Thursday, April 7. This is the largest exhibition project since the museum opened at Kjelsås in 1986. With I/O The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology has developed an innovative exhibition and one of the country's most important arenas for information and communication technology. It is both a historical exhibition that provides knowledge about the functioning, development and social impact of technologies, and a dynamic arena for discussing and developing new knowledge and insight about the present and future of the ICT field. The exhibition has been developed in collaboration with the architectural firm Snøhetta.

Over 1,200 square meters

The exhibition renewed the museum's entire fourth floor of over 1,200 square meters. It displays over 300 exhibited objects and a number of newly developed interactive installations. More than 30 themed trails have been developed that tie objects together crosswise, and many more will be developed in the coming years. The basic design of the exhibition ensures an opportunity for dynamism and development also in a permanent exhibition with a content system that uses artificial intelligence to adapt and develop the content based on feedback and use of the exhibition.

Artificial intelligence

The use of digital content, artificial intelligence and machine learning is a way of exploiting these new technologies, while at the same time opening the way to convey and discuss the technologies themselves - which constitute one of the most rapidly developing technology fields right now. The use of technology in itself provides new opportunities for dynamic development of the exhibition over time, which has previously been difficult to achieve in permanent museum exhibitions. It also opens up new opportunities to gain insight into the public's behavior and reactions to the content of the exhibition, and for the public to influence the exhibition's further development over time.

GPT-3 AI

Artificial intelligence as a theme, and in use: GPT-3 AI text generator used in the exhibition's debate arena Reaktor spent 30 seconds crafting this review:

“The exhibition entitled I/O explores the world of information and communication technology. Covering more than 1,000 square meters, the exhibition focuses on the role of artificial intelligence and has interactive elements that allow visitors to engage with the technology. I/O contains 320 objects organized into 35 thematic routes, and offers a unique and immersive experience for visitors. Since opening in April 2022, the exhibition has been a huge success, attracting over 100,000 visitors. In addition to the main exhibition, visitors can also take part in the Reactor show, where they can participate in debates on societal issues with two artificial intelligences. All in all, the exhibition has been a highlight for our museum and has received rave reviews from visitors”.

Sand in the machinery

Car that is almost completely crushed by a huge boulder

Stone Top, Jimmie Durham 2003. From the exhibition Sand in the Machine. Photo: Lars Opstad

The art exhibition Sand in the Machine was created in close collaboration between the National Museum and The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology . It consisted of a total of 27 works by well-known contemporary artists, scattered around the museum as interventions in the exhibitions. Jimmie Durham's work Stone Top, a car with a large stone block on the flat roof, opened the exhibition in the foyer. A puzzle trail was created for visitors to follow in search of the artworks. The exhibition will run until 24 April 2022.

Exhibition room with pictures of the government building

One of the snow huts that were exhibited in balancing art. Photo: NVE

NVE's jubilee exhibition Balansekunst consisted of three "glacier cabins" with projected content on the ceiling that showed NVS's history and mission over 100 years with the themes of natural hazards, hydropower and energy. The title Balansekunst alludes to how NVE has balanced considerations, roles and demands - both nationally and locally, politically and academically. NVE flew up and placed cabins on several Norwegian glaciers in the 1960s. The huts provided shelter for students and researchers who investigated whether water from glaciers could be used for power generation. The exhibition was shown in the temporary room from June to October 2022.

Sign outside The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology

Crown Prince Olav's Cadillac from 1912 is popular with the museum's visitors. Photo: Lars Opstad

CONTRIBUTIONS TO EXHIBITIONS AT OTHER MUSEUMS

The museum has several objects that have been loaned to other museums for longer periods, such as Norway's first plane (Start) at the Defense Aircraft Collection Gardermoen, the Ekebergbanen's first regular car at the Sporveismuseet, several cars at the Norwegian Road Museum and large parts of the objects at the Telemuseet in Sørvågen and in Lærdal . Among other things, the museum has lent a Hasselblad camera and material by Grete Prytz Kittelsen to the newly opened National Museum. In 2022, the museum has also contributed to exhibitions at other museums for shorter periods. A unique interference color negative made with the physicist Gabriel Lippmann's method has been loaned to the exhibition Sakte Fargefotografi at the Preus museum and an Edison film projector to the exhibition Filmbyen Haugesund at the Karmsund Folkemuseum at the Haugaland museums. Crown Prince Olav's "Baby Cadillac" from 1912 and King Haakon's Minerva from 1913 were lent to the exhibition The King's Cars. Vehicles through four generations, which were shown in Dronning Sonja KunstStall from 11 February to 15 May 2022.

Planned exhibitions 2023

Engaged children at the museum. Photo: Gorm K. Gaare

New energy exhibition

After the start in the autumn of 2021, the work on the energy exhibition entered a new phase in 2022. The implementation of a tender ended with the architectural office LPO being engaged as exhibition designer. The contract was signed in February. The collaboration with LPO has laid the framework for most of the activities throughout the year. Regular meetings and workshops have been held where the architects together with the project group have discussed how the exhibition concept can be given a spatial expression. At the end of the year, LPO is in the process of finishing the architectural detailing work. As part of this process, a "bauprobe" was carried out in which design elements and installations were tested on a realistic scale at the museum. London-based Science Project participated during one of the workshops. The work has resulted in design proposals for two of the exhibition's main installations – the Oracle and the Acceleration Tunnel.

From energy fair. Photo NTM/Lars Opstad

Work has been underway to strengthen the exhibition's financing by, among other things, seeking support from the Savings Bank Foundation for the development of the oracle. The project group wants the exhibition concept to be "put out for consultation" and is planning several workshops and open meetings at the museum where the public is invited to help influence the design of the exhibition. The concept has also been presented to a group of teachers from Linderud School who serve as a focus group for the project. The exhibition aims to combine the science center's focus on interactivity and specialized installations with the spacious and conceptual expressions of the classic museum exhibition. Our hope is that this "integrated model" creates a new type of museum experience.

The energy theme is broad. Energy can be described in technical and scientific terms, but also related to broader societal contexts. The turnover and use of energy must be understood in light of political, social, economic and cultural conditions. The museum's collection of objects provides a unique opportunity to describe the development and use of various forms of energy in Norway, both fossil and renewable. This applies not least to the electrification of society within industry and households from the late 19th century to the present day. The exhibition has a historical structure, but is nevertheless framed by today's energy crisis. Because we are in the middle of the debate about how this crisis should be resolved, the exhibition must also handle a future perspective. In the exhibition, the Oracle the place where the public is invited to participate in the discussion about what the society of the future may look like. In this part of the exhibition, not only the technological challenges related to future energy use are discussed, but also the need for a more sustainable organization of society.   

The exhibition is supported by Equinor. The network project Sustainable Energy Narratives, led by The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology in collaboration with other museums and institutions in the Network for Industrial and Technological History, is supported by the Arts Council of Norway.

The exhibition opens in November 2023. 