Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Our Top Norwegian Museums
Museum of Oslo is the first museum in Norway to make use of augmented reality through its new app, City Detective.
Museum of Oslo is located in the old manor house Frogner Hovedgård in Frognerparken. Photo: Christina Krüger
A journey through Oslo’s history Oslo’s rich history dates all the way back to the Middle Ages. At Museum of Oslo, visitors can travel back in time to learn about the history of the Norwegian capital, get a glimpse into the daily life of the people who lived here, explore the immigration to the city, and see how the industrial era shaped and influenced life. By Linn Skjei Bjørnsen | Photos: Museum of Oslo
Museum of Oslo, located in the 18th century old manor house Frogner Hovedgård, tells the fascinating story of the city. Through the permanent exhibition, OsLove, visitors are guided through the highlights of Oslo’s history, using digital storytelling, films, photos, paintings and models. “The exhibition’s focus is on the people who lived in the city and shaped it to become what it is today, and it explores the medieval times, the great fire, and the contrasts between the working and upper classes,” says head of communication, Siril Bull Henstein. Though focusing on history, the exhibition utilises brand new technology to bring stories to life. In fact, Museum of Oslo is the first museum in Norway to use augmented reality. “We just launched an app for kids called City Detective, which allows users to not only explore 64 | Issue 98 | March 2017
the history, but also see it come to life,” explains Bull Henstein. The app’s goal is to find ten historic stations in the OsLove exhibition, and users get to visit a small apartment inhabited by a family of 19, see how the city’s main street Karl Johan has changed through the years, and witness the Aker River flow into the exhibition. Oslo Museum is a collection of four museums, consisting of the Intercultural Museum, the Labour Museum, the Theatre Museum and Museum of Oslo – each exploring the past and present of their respective fields.
The Activists, a photo exhibition by photographer Iffit Quershi running at the Intercultural Museum, has also become very popular – and important. It portrays Norwegian activists who fight against inequality and discrimination no matter the
costs, and offers insight into their stories. Meanwhile, Oslo says – language in the city, is an interactive exhibition exploring different dialects, multilingualism and the sound of the Oslo language before and now, displayed at Museum of Oslo. With record-breaking visitor numbers for two years running, Museum of Oslo has demonstrated the deep interest for the capital’s history, among both locals and Norwegian and foreign tourists. “Our goal is to be Oslo’s meeting point – a place where kids and adults can learn while enjoying themselves,” Bull Henstein ends. The museum offers interactive exhibitions that allow children and adults to engage with the history of Oslo.
For more information, please visit: www.oslomuseum.no