Art such as children's theatre, polls on favourite paintings, a dome with selfies from the guests and a wardrobe tree.
These were just some of the initiatives that AAU students recently proposed as a supplement to the permanent exhibition at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK). The initiatives were presented at an event at SMK on 15 January.
In the autumn and winter, students in their 5th semester of the Communication and Digital Media programme at Aalborg University Copenhagen have collaborated with SMK to find new angles on the permanent collection of the museum. They have investigated how the collection can attract more returning guests and at the same time remain interesting to work with for the museum employees.
‘We have received many good ideas, and the students have approached the task with great enthusiasm. While the ideas are not necessarily directly implemented, they can inspire future initiatives’, says Mathilde Schytz Marvit, Head of Digital Productions at SMK.
One of the ideas came from 23-year-old Simon Eriksen. With the title ‘SMK Now’, he and his project group have designed and marked various routes inside the museum leading guests to explore contemporary themes about refugees, the monarchy, women's lives or art in itself.
The routes are then regularly changed, and new themes can be added.
‘It’s been a great experience, and SMK has done a lot to help us along the way. They have shown us confidence and provided guidance on a real issue that they are working on solving. It's very cool for a student’, says Simon Eriksen.
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND
The students were provided with five weeks of continuous guidance by both their teachers and SMK to develop ideas and make user surveys. This is the first time that SMK is completing a course of that length and format with such a large group of students. ‘And it is evident in the end product’, says Mathilde Schytz Marvit.
‘We collaborate with many universities and many students, and often, they just get a half-hour presentation and deliver a product a few weeks later. This time, the students and associate professors have been dedicated over a long period of time, and it has yielded good results. We would very much like to repeat the success’, says Mathilde Schytz Marvit.
The students' ideas were presented at an event on 15 January at SMK. You can see some of their models and ideas below.
MORE INFORMATION:
Associate Professor Stine Ejsing-Duun, Department of Communication, AAU, tel. +45 51902124.