Urbanism resulting from technical change should be permanently embedded in education about history
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We try to map and present the many potential threats that the future will bring. On the other hand, we address issues of humanization of cities, i.e. what we can introduce here and now today to make them more livable spaces. We also show what solutions in the field of urban robotics can foster further improvements in the quality of life. In doing so, we consistently treat the city as a resultant of various systems. We crown the exhibition with the topic of extraterrestrial urbanism, that is, an attempt to answer the question of what will happen if the Earth ceases to be a good place for humans to live. And what will settlement on other planets look like.
An important element was also the shift in emphasis from characters to processes
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Victor: You had to get into aspects of futurology.
Peter: To do this, we used the knowledge of specialists. We relied primarily on the experience of scientists from the Wroclaw University of Technology who form the Space is More research team specializing in architecture and space engineering. This team formulated assumptions for the creation and operation of a Martian colony. In addition, we reached out to the solutions used at the LunAres research facility, where training for manned space missions is conducted in full isolation. We present the experience of these projects in the form of mockups accompanied by rich illustrative material. The first depicts a potential Martian habitat, and the second is a model of the training space base located in Pila .
The exhibition has a cross-sectional character - from antiquity to the problems of the future
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Wiktor: What is important in museums is not only issues of display, but also of conservation. How does this look in the case of engineering monuments?
Piotr: Very complicated. Monuments of technology are objects composed of various materials, so the classical conservation approach is not always right. Each object must be diagnosed - we determine what it is made of and what conservation problems are related to its construction. Based on this, we make decisions on what treatments we will give to the object.
Filip: In the case of technical objects, whose complexity of conservation often exceeds the competence of the team of conservators employed at the museum, or, as in the case of vehicles, requires a specialized workshop, we reach for the help of external specialists. These issues limit our capabilities. Another issue is that in the case of the conservation of technical relics, an important decision is whether we decide on preservation of the objects, i.e., protecting them and leaving them as they are, which entails that they often won't work; or conservation aimed at restoring their technical performance. This, however, involves interference with the object itself.
We often underestimate the impact that seemingly minor inventions - from toilets to the bicycle or elevator - have had on our lives
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Victor: It is not required that most of these objects be technically active?
Piotr: Absolutely not. The key is to preserve the original historic substance, which can be damaged during use. And this is something we try to avoid. A great example in this regard is the 2020-2021 preservation of the C-type streetcar, the first motorized streetcar car independently designed and built by a Polish company. This was one of the elements of a complex project to digitize our collections. In embarking on the preservation, we faced a difficult decision: either we restore the object's operability, which would involve - for example - the installation of modern control components, or we abandon the use of modern parts, which in turn would preclude the streetcar from running on its own. We chose the second solution because what mattered to us was preserving its historic fabric.
The exhibition can be visited by choosing different thematic paths
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Filip: The same is true of radios. In the hundred years of radio broadcasting, not only the design of receivers has changed (moving away from electron tubes to transistors), but also the transmission bands and the frequency of the waves used. To restore the technical efficiency of some receivers, we would have to either tune them or provide them with special attachments. This means that we would have to interfere with the parameters of the object, changing its historical characteristics. In this way, we distort the image that this object gives us. The price we pay for this, however, is that it doesn't work, that is, it doesn't fulfill its primary task.
In the case of mass objects, their mode of operation is mostly known. There are sometimes perplexing things, when we actually wonder what something was used for and how it was used. The abrasions, scratches, stains, imprints and other marks found on them are often hints, telling us how the thing worked.
Also important are conservation considerations on how to protect technical objects
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Wiktor: How much of the objects you can see in the exhibition is still a mystery to you?
Piotr: I think there are not that many. We have analyzed every object that is in the exhibition. We are confident in what we can say about most of the exhibits on display. We have given this in the very numerous extended captions, which, for those interested, deepen the thematic threads taken up in the main narrative of the exhibition.
Filip: The selection of objects for the exhibition was thoughtful and specific. Let me remind you that the reconstruction of the museum's headquarters, the renaming and the opening to visitors of the permanent exhibition "City. Techno-sensitivity" are not only elements of an image change, but first and foremost to give expression to the nature of the collection of technological relics we collect. In creating the permanent exhibition, we wanted the objects to reflect the spirit and character of the changing technology and engineering used in cities. It was also important that they be representative of our collection - that they speak for themselves and attract the interest of the viewer. We tried to create the narrative of the exhibition primarily around them. The whole is complemented by rich graphic materials, numerous photographs, infographics, audio-video materials or animations.
In the exhibition you will find objects of all scales - from small machines to cars and streetcars
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Wiktor: How did you as a team try to adapt the exhibition to different audiences? How can older people visit it, and how can children and young people visit it?
Piotr: By default, we decided that the main target audience was teenagers. Most of the content, in terms of the complexity of the issues presented, has been tailored to people between the ages of about 10 and 15. We cover topics that are a bit more complicated and those that a young child is able to understand. We wanted the content to be presented in an accessible way.
Filip: Above all, we wanted a diverse audience to come to the museum. We have prepared the content presented for teenagers by default, and this allows anyone to understand it. We want our museum to be a place where families with children will come, so that teenagers will be able to visit the museum on their own. And this is actually happening.
Hence the audio guide in Polish, English and Ukrainian, available to everyone, which will easily guide you through the entire exhibition. On the other hand, such a way of designing and preparing the content, which is multithreaded, multifaceted and complementary allows to interest the audience of all ages. The exhibition is very rich, so it can be visited in pairs, choosing different thematic paths.
In addition, it uses numerous interactive models that allow you to get acquainted with, among other things, the units of the SI system, the operation of the Archimedes screw or the mechanics of the gearbox. These are elements that you can pick up and see how something works. We have also prepared animations and infographics explaining in an accessible way the operation of various devices, selected technical solutions, or physical phenomena. This allows people of very different ages to go through the exhibition.
Piotr: Neither a grandfather nor his grandson will be bored.
Visiting the exhibition is possible in three languages
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Wiktor: Thank you for the interview.
