The story of Ghent - permanent exhibition 1500 m2 Introduction Cities are familiar. And yet they are mysterious. We move smoothly through the city, but are hardly aware of the complex structures and historical processes that make the city a city. In STAM this mysterious DNA of the city is unraveled. Using interactive multimedia and evocative collection items, STAM tells the age-old "story of Ghent". The visitor gets a unique insight into the past, present and future of the city, from a medieval metropolis to a contemporary focal point of knowledge and culture. Assignment Cities change, they are living organisms. They grow and shrink, they take on other guises but they remain themselves. They are experiencing economic growth and cultural flourishing and experience disaster or destruction. While the city has been a remarkably stable element in European history from the High Middle Ages, urbanization trends and the urban fabric are different in character in each time period. In 4 main rooms we show the developments of the city: • Until 1300 - city as newcomer • 1300 - 1600 - city in full development • 1600 - 1800 - a resilient city • 1800 - 2000 - the uninhibited city Within each room, the story is told on the basis of 3 recurring themes: City built Cities present themselves first of all as a built-up environment. Depending on the time period, the silhouette of the city is drawn by city walls and church towers, mansions and city palaces, or by industrial complexes, cultural temples and high-rise buildings. The emphasis is on the development of the city as a physical entity, on the urban form and on the buildings, squares and infrastructure City lived, Cities have a high concentration of a large and diverse group of people on a relatively small surface, so that all interactions are more intense and evolve more quickly. Cities are poles of attraction for people, trade and ideas. They are commercial centers, migration destinations, political- and religious capitals. The city is a breeding ground and hub of creativity and innovation. Social and cultural diversity is greater there than elsewhere. This can be a stimulating effect, but density also provokes friction. City connected Cities, with or without sturdy walls, are open places. They are intersections, junctions and passing points. They are connected with their hinterland and with the wider urban network, be it regional, national or transnational. Short- and long-distance trade is at the origin of many cities, while migration has been the key factor in urban growth for centuries. Traffic routes and transport routes bring forth physical contacts between cities, but cities are also linked culturally. Intercity exchange of knowledge and ideas often formed the breeding ground for technological innovation, artistic development and even religious change. We strive to a fully multilingual route, increased interaction, info layers tailored to various target groups, and better visual access to complex sub-themes such as "the origins of the city". The new scenography is in harmony with the medieval abbey setting. In the first place, the design should enhance the experience and provide a platform for the objects on display. But it also is important that the set-up is designed to change objects. In terms of content, the aim is to achieve an international contextualization of the urban narrative. Design Sustainability What: Reuse of building materials and low operating costs. Why: Cities reused materials from demolished buildings for the construction of new ones. The use of second-hand building materials therefore fits within the theme. Moreover it fits in with our point of view not to tap new sources unnecessarily. How: Designers and exhibition builder have been looking for ways to integrate old exhibition furniture and make use of second-hand building materials. With a view to low operating costs, we provide information via iPads because of the museum's desire to be able to easily exchange objects. The museum can adjust the content himself via a content management system. Innovation What: interactive maps, animated illustrations and infographics about the growth of the city, social developments and demographics. Why: The assignment was to make the growth of the city visible, and also what this growth meant for its residents within each period. We have set ourselves the goal of making multimedia and spatial arrangement an inseparable whole, both in terms of style and functionality, while at the same time seeking a form to transfer information attractively to both adults and children. How: Inspired by the use of engravings in the pre-photo era, an illustrative style has been developed to represent the content. The style is reflected in floor plans and in situ drawings. The illustrations are animated in both cases and visually tell the story of the growth of the city and the consequences this growth had for its residents. In each consecutive room, an animated infographic shows how the growth relates to other important cities at that time. The infographics are projected on the walls of the room. Creativity: What: Spatial concept, tactility, use of voice over, hands-on set ups for children, sensory approach Why: The correct "Tone of voice" in materials, spatial setting and method of communication facilitates the easy way to pick up information and challenges the visitor to further research. It makes the visit an enjoyable adventure. How: The historic monumental spaces of the centuries-old monastery complex have been deliberately used as part of the story about the building history of Ghent. The complex has undergone transitions over the years that are part of the story here presented to the visitors. The exhibition furniture is arranged in such a way that it leaves space to the building and your eye is guided by the placement of furnishing elements (high / low) in the direction of interesting construction details of ceilings, floors and windows. The exhibition furniture as well as the resting areas, are constructed from building materials appropriate to the period in each room. The visitor will encounter Tournai limestone, marble, brick or concrete. Touchable models of buildings and city districts are interspersed with building fragments and objects that bear witness to life in the city. The audio stories accompanying the interactive models are written in the first person; the city of Ghent (a woman) tells what has happened to her over the years and how she experienced this extreme growth and the changes this brought. Interactives have been developed for children that alternately use tactility (trade in cloth fabrics), knowledge (find out which 20th century object is hidden in the medieval print), skill (find the right ornaments for the building style) and insight (via which means of transport could be used). I get to my destination the fastest via this city map). A conscious search was made for hands-on solutions with a minimal use of multimedia. Functionality What: Routing, synergy, multilingualism, hands-on approach, visible growth Why: We believe that visitors should be able to move through the halls at their own pace and determine their own order. What is important should be easy to recognize, Multilingualism is a must for an increasingly international audience. Children should, above all, together be challenged to unravel a topic and learn as much as they want to. The use of multimedia is subordinate to the purpose of the set-up. How: The chronological sequence of the rooms, with a brief introduction in each room, provides sufficient structure to be able to follow your own path. The digital model furniture is at the heart of every room and the furniture is arranged around it according to theme. Reference is made to this from the model stories. The masterpieces are arranged individually, each with their own iPad with information. The expansion of the city can be followed in the floor plans that are getting bigger per room, in the last room they no longer fit within the screens but are projected on the walls and floor of the room; the city has literally burst at the seams. Each room has vivid hands-on interactives for children, they will already be made aware of this at the ticketcounter.