Museum of the History of Bologna

Museum of the History of Bologna

On January 27, 2012, the “Museum of the history of Bologna” was inaugurated; we had been involved in 2 years of preparation and 9 months of installations together with the architects Mario Bellini and Italo Lupi.
Our contribution has strongly characterized several rooms that stand out for interactivity and immersiveness.
While setting up, we worked together with the architects to define the scenography and the technical design of the rooms.
While preparing the films and the content we worked closely with the scientific committee, directed by Massimo Negri and consisting of eminent scholars, expert in the history of the city, to define the methods of communication and the technological aspect of the content.
We also technically coordinated the acquisition of multimedia content produced or transferred by third parties.

“City of water”

The waters in Bologna illustrated by an interactive setting that reconstructs an underground canal. The multimedia part consists of an interactive carpet with 4 projections and, in the vaulted corridors, 4 mirrored surfaces with synchronized contents.

“On this day, in the streets of Bologna.”

A room for examining in depth and connecting with the outside. The floor, a long interactive corridor consisting of 10 projections, reacts to the passage of visitors by building under their feet the flooring of the streets of Bologna and showing the news of the main local newspapers. At the end of the corridor three multi-touch monitors allow you to deepen the history of Bologna through local newspapers, rewatch the videos shown inside the museum rooms and explore in detail maps of different eras.

“What the Bolognese say”

A periodically updated device gathering interviews and testimonies. Well-known people recount experiences or particular points of view on the city. The interviews are accessible through 7 touch monitors equipped with headphones.

“Music Room”

In a beautifully frescoed room, the examination taken by Mozart at the Accademia Filarmonica (Philarmonic Academy) in Bologna is described through a double projection and a high-quality sound diffusion.

“Etruscans”

An immersive 360-degree setting allows the visitors to walk inside an Etruscan cemetery. Due to the large print projected on the walls and the automated lightning system the environment can change from day to night.

“Coronation of Charles V in Bologna”

The coronation of Charles V is described through 4 large paintings projected and synchronized in a setting characterized by large silhouettes drawn in glass.

PRESS REVIEW

“A museum that tells the history of Bologna. A double itinerary with ultramodern installations that run parallel to the ancient frame of a renovated Palazzo Pepoli.”
ANSA.it

“Among the most suggestive rooms there is the one dedicated to the theme of Bologna Città delle acque (Bologna City of Water), where Bellini’s set-up relies on a multimedia installation designed by Studio Base 2. The reconstruction of a canal that flows in the dark under the city streets, evoked by mirrored surfaces and a fiber optic lighting system, and projected onto an interactive multimedia carpet.”
Artribune

“The President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, after receiving an honorary degree in International Sciences from the University of Bologna, arrived at Palazzo Pepoli, in the heart of the city, for a breakfast in the halls of the building containing the recently inaugurated History Museum of Bologna.”
La Repubblica

“You can walk in the underground canals of the ancient city of waters and then go back up and partake in the battle of Fossalta and the coronation of Charles V in Piazza Grande. Attend the exam of the young Mozart at the Academy of Philharmonic. And finally, through a virtual library, immerse yourself in the glorious history of the Alma mater, the oldest university in the world. All this in Palazzo Pepoli, a beautiful medieval palace inaccessible to the public for over a century.”
Famiglia Cristiana

“And now Palazzo Pepoli, Museum of the History of Bologna, a museum and cultural itinerary dedicated to the history, culture and transformations of Bologna, from the Etruscan city of Felsina to the present day. The alternating events of the local community are here told in an innovative and dynamic way, with scenic and interactive exhibition techniques, in many ways unprecedented in our Country.”
Mamurio