Cultural

The Jordan Museum, Land of Innovation, Continuity and Change

Amman, Jordan

Overview

The Jordan Museum, the largest in the country at more than 107,500 sf (10,000 square metres), is home to archaeological artifacts spanning the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Classical and Late Antiquity periods to the Islamic period and modern Jordan. This project had several key objectives, including: to transform the Jordan Museum into a revolutionary learning center for the local community, and to attract young people to visit and interact with history and science through a “digital layer.” The museum was full of passive “look and learn” exhibits. The client wanted to bring the exhibits into the twenty-first century through the use of innovative technologies built on a flexible infrastructure that would permit future exhibit and content updates.

TEECOM’s Solutions

Rather than create a copy of a Western museum exhibit style, a unique approach was developed that blends techniques and skills from many cultures to develop an exhibit that has no benchmark elsewhere. Six exhibits were designed and installed using a wide range of technologies to encourage engagement and interactivity. Technology had to work alongside and with valuable historical artifacts, including Dead Sea Scrolls and objects from Petra. It was essential that this technology complemented the historical items without damaging them. The interactive system was developed to work as a universally understood platform so that developers and producers in Jordan could create future content.

Benefit to the Client

This is the first museum exhibition in Jordan to target young adults and school children. Museum attendance has seen a significant increase since the opening. Technology highlights of the exhibit include a large three-dimensional topographic map of Jordan, made of CNC-machined white Corian. An infographic map is projected from above, and a button interface allows people to toggle between different layers of data, such as population density, precipitation rate, and agricultural areas. Another exhibit, “We Are,” integrates an interactive tablet, touchscreen, and projection experience. The tablet allows a single user to write or select how they identify themselves in the context of being Jordanian. This information appears on a vertical touch screen that allows the viewer to sort data. Above the touchscreen, an 8.5 meter tall projection surface displays animated data.