Category: Digitization

In the second half of the last century, museums, galleries and cultural communities entered into the exciting adventure of “heritage digitalization”. And, regardless of the specifics of the path that each individual institution takes, there are points of intersection, common problems and good solutions that connect us. Driven by our professional conviction of the importance and urgency of the process, we are all searching – through new studies, borrowing experience, adaptation, building partnerships, collaborations with the public and private sectors, and more.

Therefore, at the House of Humor and Satire, since the beginning of the new century, we have been challenging ourselves to learn more and faster about museum digitalization. Thanks to the project “Creation of space, plan and model for digitization of cultural values ​​and archives”, financed by the National Culture Fund under the “Program for the restoration and development of state, regional and municipal cultural institutes”, we created better conditions for the implementation of our long-term goals in this direction, and it is an integral part of our mission to collect, preserve, study and celebrate what makes the world laugh.

We managed to refurbish and equip our digital workshop where photography/scanning and processing of exhibits and archives is done, and we visited two cultural institutions abroad – SALT Research in Istanbul and NOESIS in Thessaloniki to get inspired by the experience of organizations that started before us. We worked on the creation of a collection of good practices in the field of digitization of museum content and adaptation of museum activities to sustainable and green development, which we will build on in the years to come with new lessons learned.

And since we made sure to document what was happening in the project (so that we could narrate highlights of the experience through photographic works), the Museum of Humor and Satire now presents the outdoor exhibition “Digitalize This”.

The exhibition is on display on Shtastie Street, to the right of the Museum’s main entrance, until 10 August 2024.

The digitization of museum content is much more than the purchase of specialized software and the instructions for working with it. It is the process of research, exchanging experience, adapting and equipping spaces, human resources, building partnerships, collaborations with the public and private sector. All of which the Museum team underwent over the last year.

As a result of the creation of a space, plan and model for the digitization of museum content, the sustainability of the Museum in terms of storage and management of our archive and fund will be further developed. The professional development of the Museum team and their capacity are already increasing. Possibilities for popularizing the process of digitization of museum content and sharing experience and good practices on the subject with other museums in the country are yet to be realized. A successful attempt to involve certain groups (students) and society as a whole in the museum activity is the holding of the “Teen Curator” competition for students from the 8th to the 12th grade. In the first half of July 2024, there will also be an internship for students from the National Aprilov High School, who, assisting in the digitization process, will be included in the museum’s activities as a whole.

As the digitization progresses, additional opportunities will be revealed for more effective use of information about specific authors and works from the Museum’s collection. All this will be useful in the preparation of future projects, events, productions of the Museum, especially in terms of optimizing time and increasing work efficiency.

The project “Creation of space, plan and model for digitization of cultural values ​​and archives” was implemented with the financial support of the National Culture Fund under the “Program for restoration and development of state, regional and municipal cultural institutes”.

In implementation of the project “Creation of Space, Plan and Model for Digitizatаlization of Cultural Exhibits ​​and Archive” of the Museum of Humor and Satire, Gabrovo, financed by the National Culture Fund under the Program for Restoration and Development of State, Regional and Municipal Cultural Institutes, three of our museum experts, together with the contracted creator of the planned artistic production, visited the cultural institution NOESIS in Thessaloniki, Greece in order to exchange experience on the subject of content digitization.

NOESIS is a science and technology center located in the Thermi area of ​​Thessaloniki. The museum has been actively involved in the preservation of the Greek technological heritage for more than 20 years. Parallel to the technological exhibitions, NOESIS has various types of unique high-class facilities such as an impressive 360° dome planetarium, 3D simulation rooms and a cosmotheater for projecting films and educational programs on the largest screen in all of Greece, with the respectable 23 meters in length and 17 meters high.  

Part of the project management team that participated in the visit from May 19, 2024 to May 23, 2024 included Bogdana Dencheva (Museum Pedagogue), Margarita Dorovska (Curator), Petyo Yordanov (Head of Tech Department), as well as Anton Ivanov (Graphic Designer and contractor for the creative activities within the project). The main part of the program took place on May 21st and 22nd, when the NOESIS specialists presented their organization, goals, team, equipment, approach and practice in planning and implementing the process of digitization of cultural exhibits, including the online platforms they work with, as well as the software and standards they use when digitizing archives.

Prior to their visit at NOESIS, on May 20, 2024, the MHS team visited 2 more specialized cultural institutions in Thessaloniki in order to observe other types of good practices: the Olympic Museum and the Museum of Cinema and its library, with which the foundations of a future partnership on the future of specialized books were also laid.

During their time at NOESIS, the MHS team had the opportunity to ask questions about the planning, organization, presentation and visitor awareness of all the current exhibitions, some of which on the themes of vintage cars, artificial intelligence, technologies in Ancient Greece. Part of the engaging expositions were the eco zoo without animals (yes, it’s possible!) as well as the 3D simulation of a rollercoaster up and down the Great Wall of China, which NOESIS offers to its visitors of all ages and which we, as guardians of laughter, whole-heartedly recommend to our fellow citizens traveling to Greece for their traditional summer vacation this year.

The MHS employees were accompanied and guided on the subject of digitization by the incredible hosts Mrs. Olympia Ralli, Expert “Recording and Documentation of Exhibits”, Mr. Kostas Tanis, Director “Exhibitions and Operations” and Mr. Evangelos Aftonidis, Director “Financial and Administrative Services”. The NOESIS team donated a Greek comic book to the MHS museum library, and the two teams started talks about a future joint exhibition with works from the MHS fund on the theme of new technologies.

We express gratitude to our NOESIS partners – for their time and invaluable advice. We will forever remember their smiles, hospitality, and their key role in inspiring new motivation and strength in the final phase of our project.

We cannot wait to welcome them in Gabrovo as soon as possible!