Re-adjustment, Implementation and Installation

Figure 100 High-fidelity prototypes of the platforms and activating objects.

4.2.2.7. Re-adjustment, Implementation and Installation

Even though Forte Pozzacchio seemed to be appropriate for the installation of the exhibition, later on some logistic and administrative issues started to emerge. The major problems were some architectonic restrictions that imposed long authorization process that would not allow to meet the deadline for the case study (Autumn 2015), also considering the closure of the fort at the end of October. All project

partners agreed upon a change of location and a partial re-adjustment of the project in order to be able to carry out the case study on schedule.

As a new location for the case study the Artillery section of Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra was identified (Figure 101), because, due to the similarity with the physical environment of the fortress, it could be evocative of the Fort. The Artillery section is indeed located in what once was an air-raid shelter of the Second World War. It is excavated into the ill over which the museum castle was built, and for this reason it consists of dark, humid and cold caverns. However, differently from Forte Pozzacchio, the Artillery section is not an empty space: inside this environment several Italian, Austro-Hungarian, German and English artillery pieces from the First World War – howitzers, mortars, and canons – are exhibited and complemented by traditional labels and informative panels.

Figure 101 Artillery Section of Museo della Guerra.

Another issue regarded whether or not to keep or change the content for the installation as this was not focused on the new location and its content but on Forte Pozzacchio. It was decided to keep the same content as in Forte Pozzacchio for issues of time and costs and also because the recording of some of the multimedia contents had already been done.

At the same time, to make sure that the visitor did not perceive it as something detached from the other elements of the museum tour, a connection was created. Some panels that give information about the history of Forte Pozzacchio were inserted in specific points in the museum. In addition, the visitor would be given a map to highlight certain themes in the museum building that complement and are connected to the meSch exhibition in the Artillery section.

Another problem concerned the need to identity new proper locations for the interactive stations and to plan possible minor adjustments where needed. A field survey allowed to envisage the location and positioning of the interactive stations in the Artillery as shown in Figure 102 and Figure 103.

Figure 102 Map showing the location of the different interactive stations in the Artillery Section.

Figure 103 Envisaging the various interactive stations in the chosen locations.

The check-in station would be located at the entrance of the Artillery section in front of the ticket office. Because of the change of location, the contents need some major modification. Instead of providing personal witnesses’ account, in the new context the check-in station will provide an introduction to the specific topic of the exhibition so that the visitor can create a connection between what he has visited in the museum and what he will encounter in the exhibition. Three videos are offered:

the first video explains how to interact with the exhibition, the second one presents a short history of the fort, and the latter presenting

historical pictures related to the fort. Given the proximity to the entrance, to the ticket office and to the first station, it was decided to avoid audio contents. In addition, since the station would be no longer incorporated into a bookshelf, two additional legs are necessary to make it stable.

With regards to the first station, this would be located inside a small tunnel dug in the rock similar to the original location (dark place, excavated into the rock, suitable for projection) apart from the smaller scale. However, since the roughness of the wall could decrease the quality of the projection, a black projection screen will be fixed at the back of the cavern.

As for the second station a problem was that in the Artillery section there was not a place similar to the artillery emplacement and there was not a possibility to have a panoramic view of the valley. For this reason, the station will be located along the main corridor in proximity of original cannons. The connection between landscape elements and stories is lost, however, the presence of original cannons nearby could help to evoke the context related to the stories that are told.

The final interactive station would be situated in a corner at the end of the cavern allowing to create a more intimate and private space. The inclusion of four different projections as designed for the fort would not be possible in the new location for space constrains. Instead, a single projection would be used showing different contents according to the one selected by the visitor by placing the pebble on a specific slot on the platform. Each slot is labelled with the name, rank and allegiance of the soldiers and the date. After that the re-adjustment process took place, high-fidelity prototypes were built for the different stations and installed in the Artillery (Figure 104; Figure 105).

Figure 104 Check-in and first station installed in the artillery section.

Figure 105 Second and third station in the artillery section.

4.2.3. A visual synthesis of the co-design process and some general