IN RAPID CHANGE
Illustration. A telegraph from the museum's collections.
In spring 2022, The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology open its largest permanent exhibition in the museum's history. An entire floor will be converted into an innovative and interactive exhibition about information and communication technology, in collaboration with the design and architecturefirm Snøhetta.
The ICT field is changing rapidly – and always has been. We are connected to each other and to the world through computers and smartphones. Increased digitalization and phenomena such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things are changing the ways in which this happens. While communication is getting faster and opportunities for social participation are increasing, technologies are opening up opportunities for increased control and manipulation. Knowledge in the ICT field will be crucial for the directions our society will take.
The total cost estimate for the new ICT exhibition is NOK 20 million. The museum seeks to cover the costs through a three-part financing model, with funds from public and private sponsors, in addition to the museum's own efforts. We want to create an exhibition on an international level that also meets high standards in terms of design, accessibility and sustainability.
The exhibition encompasses the entire top floor of the museum, and will be the largest exhibition project since the museum moved to Kjelsås in 1986. It will include topics such as telegraphy and telephony, radio and television, the computer industry, the internet and social media, games and gaming, artificial intelligence and robotics, the Internet of Things, coding, security and much more.
Based on the museum's collections, the new ICT exhibition will provide a historical understanding of the changes that are taking place. The exhibition will pursue technologies into culture and society, economy and politics, research and science, to examine how they are shaped and how they affect us and the world we live in. At the same time, we will create engagement by raising questions about the future. We want to show that ICT concerns all our visitors, regardless of age and prior knowledge. The museum has unique collections in the ICT field. The new exhibition provides an opportunity to highlight objects that have not been exhibited before and to convey new and powerful stories. The communication will arouse curiosity and invite participation. Installations and interactivity will stimulate visitors to explore or create something themselves, related to objects and questions in the exhibition. We also want the exhibition to be a space where our visitors can meet technology developers, businesses, organizations, decision-makers and others who want to contribute.
