DESIGN PROBLEM

How to bring the Observatory’s history to life? Stories and Time is an exhibition project designed for the Hirsch Pavilion, one of the buildings on the Observatory site. It was built in 1912 thanks to the money that the first director Adolphe Hirsch (1830-1901) bequeathed to the Neuchâtel government when he died. The building celebrated Hirsch’s memory but also offered a location for new scientific instruments and activities. From the outside, the Pavilion looks like a coherent ensemble whereas each space inside has its own architectural particularity and scientific function. Therefore, in its interior, it is possible to see the Art Nouveau decorations made by the pupils of Charles L'Eplattenier (1874-1946), one of Le Corbusier's professors. It also preserves two exceptional scientific instruments: the big Zeiss telescope and, in the basement, the Quervain-Piccard seismograph. The Hirsch Pavilion, like the Observatory buildings, belongs to the Neuchâtel Canton. It is a heritage protected building.

Displaying the history of time measurement is a complex process. On the one hand, it has to take into account many notions (scientific, technical, historical, economic notions, etc.) which must be organized in order to produce effective storytelling. On the other hand, scientific instruments themselves, as well as watches and clocks, are difficult objects to exhibit, because without any adequate explanations they look meaningless and almost “dead” to individuals who do not possess specific technical skills or training.

Adolphe Hirsch Memorial with Art Nouveau decorations Zeiss telescope in the astronomical dome Quervain-Piccard seismograph in the basement

The two main horological museums in the Neuchâtel region, the Musée d’horlogerie in Le Locle and the MIH, are a good illustration of these difficulties. They both exhibit some instruments that belonged to the Observatory. In Le Locle, the exhibition design is based on the concept of period rooms. In the MIH, it is divided into two sections: the first one is conceived like the Ali Baba’s cave and contains wonderful items to admire, whereas the second one proposes different themes within which visitors still struggle to find their way. Interestingly, statistics show that visitors to the MIH come from all over the world (25% from the Neuchâtel Canton, 25% from Switzerland, 25% from Europe and 25% from the rest of the world) and that only 15% of the visitors are children (mainly from the region schools).

My exhibition project is therefore unique. It is designed in an exceptional location combining art and science and brings visitors to the heart of the past scientific research on time. For the first time, an exhibition is dedicated to the Neuchâtel Observatory. It offers a singular, immersive and emotional experience. The different rooms in the Hirsch Pavilion allow for the design of varied museography solutions, displaying several media types. On the basis of the above, these are the key questions to be addressed: – How to transform a science place into an exhibition? – How to transform the 150 years of the Observatory into narrative, keeping time measurement as the guiding thread? – How to develop a narrative that allows visitors to understand the research carried out by the Observatory’s scientists? – How to use that narrative to raise questions about science in general and our connection to it? How to add poetics into this narrative? – How to create an exhibition in a “fragmented” building, moreover protected as a historical building? – How to manage and promote an exhibition with an association of volunteers?

The drawing room of the Musée d'horlogerie of Le Locle © Sterchi Musée international d'horlogerie, La Chaux-de-Fonds