Snježana Karinja Maritime Museum “SERGEJ MAŠERA” - Piran
ENG
Short presentation of the accessible exhibition of the COME-IN! project
The periodical exhibition “Stone by Stone- Roman Architecture in Northwestern Istria” was opened on 18 June, the Slovenian Museum Night. It was prepared by the Maritime Museum “Sergej Mašera” Piran in cooperation with Umag Town Museum, Archaeological Museum of Istria in Pula, Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Piran, Institute for Archaeology and Heritage of the Mediterranean, and Regional Museum Koper.
The exhibition presents archaeological sites in the area spreading from Jernejev zaliv to Novigrad in Istria. While in former Roman colonies such as Pola, Tergestum, Parentium several public buildings can be seen, e.g. remains of an amphitheatre, triumphal arches and theatres, numerous remains of Roma villas predominate on the northwestern coast of Istria, which we are now trying to bring closer to the museum visitors, including those with impairments. In a way, we wished to present Roman villas through their designs and plans, tactile perception, etc., for we assessed that the visitors without visual impairment wish to touch these exhibits as well. There are also a number of exhibits you can have a look at, such as ceramic or mosaic paving slabs and their reconstructions. In showcases, original artefacts are displayed, which we wished to bring closer to people with visual and hearing impairments as well. At the exhibition, they are aided by sign language and Braille writing system.
Initially, the exhibition was presented geographically, followed by separate segments in the villas such as outer and inner walls, paving slabs and other parts of the buildings, such as roofs. The exhibition includes works created within the ArtDownUp project by children and adults with Down’ syndrome. These objects can be touched by all museum visitors. Quite fascinating is the reconstruction of the roof, including antefixes, i.e. ornaments on Roman roofs. A few originals can be seen at the exhibition as well. Even the persons with poorer perception of things will comprehend, when seeing the interpretation of a Roman roof, what an antefix is; without reading or if able to read braille they will know that they are faced with two antefixes found at Kaštel. We wished to attract a group of younger visitors with a pedagogical programme by enabling them to compose a mosaic or to test their memory. These two games are located in a semi-circular space. There are also basic materials at the exhibition that can be touched by visitors, such as stone slabs, clay, plaster and treated stone. From several aspects, the exhibition is interactional. Everything is accessible also by physically impaired persons, and we indeed tried our best to prepare the exhibition for all. In view of the visitors’ clear satisfaction we can say that we succeeded in bringing many themes, which were certainly not easy to present, closer to them. They were very pleased to see what the Roman water system looked like, with the exhibited original Roman water pipes and Roman numbers on them. They were impressed by the look of a villa itself, were glad to be able see and touch the Roman mosaic paving, ornaments on the inner walls, and to see what an architrave looks like. As products from the ArtDownUp project are also presented at the exhibition, you can touch them and see how these children interpreted the stone ornaments.
A special feature among the artefacts is certainly Medusa. This ceiling ornament, which had been found at Veli Lug near Umag, probably adorned a sepulchral monument. Medusa, which can be touched by the visitors, was one of the three sisters known as the Gorgons and was the only mortal among them. Various columns are also presented at the exhibition. Corinthian columns, for example, were found in Simonov zaliv at Seča. You can have a close look at their original remains, touch them, read about them in a booklet or follow the sign language.
In all permanent collections, the contents were adapted by placing the texts, for example in the archaeological collection, on luminous panels with larger letters to enable visually impaired people to read them as well. The same was done in other collections upstairs. All collections were renamed and equipped with introductory texts with larger fonts and letters and Braille tactile writing system. Along the exhibits and their copies, special booklets were prepared in each collection, in which details about these exhibits can be read.
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