PROCEEDINGS | Scientific Symposium
The layout of “ Ötzi ”, the famous Similaun Man that dates back to the Iron Age , could be a significant example . It has been kept in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano , Italy , since 1998 , and it is considered the central focus of the museum collection . Since it was displayed , in 2004 , it has attracted a large number of visitors , especially Italian and German , from the geographical area of the South Tyrol and also from abroad .
Experts in this field have considered “ Ötzi ” a very important discovery for the advancement of archaeological studies of Alpine prehistory . It has aroused resonance in the scientific world and also in the collective imagination of the layman . Its layout was designed in accordance with the latest museographic dictates , both for the very advanced technological solutions about the delicate aspect of its conservation such as the refrigeration systems with a double refrigeration unit and lighting systems designed specifically for the mummy , and also for the aspects more strictly related to the exhibit , which is strongly characterized by an apt , successful contextualization , made through the reconstruction of the model of the “ Iceman ”, his clothes and the memorabilia which belonged to him . Even though this contextualization doesn ’ t overlook the scientific aspects , it is educationally effective and , at the same time , very enjoyable for a non-expert public , especially for young visitors and school-age children .
More interesting , intriguing and attractive solutions are to be found in temporary exhibitions , where it ’ s easier and natural for the visitor to trigger mechanisms of conceptual reference thanks to less conventional layouts compared to the ones in permanent exhibitions . Sometimes , these layouts can be daring , but just because of their boldness and disciplinary transversality , they manage to activate the famous “ Aha ! Experience ” ( Angela , A ., 2009 , pp . 37-38 ; Scartabelli , T ., 2014 ) more easily .
This phenomenon , which should be an appreciated , indispensable companion of every good museum tour , enables a further , deeper understanding , even after the tour , of elements which are set apart or in abeyance in the long-term memory and only at a later stage , linked to a stimulation which , acting from the outside , triggers associations named chunks . These chunks , in their turn , permit the dredging up of informaton already stored , letting the two kinds of memory interact – the long-term memory and the short-term memory – with clear advantages for museum learning ( For further information about the issues of cognitive psychology , particularly related to learning system , see Reed , S . K ., 1989 ).
Also , as Andrea Zifferero claims , the knowledge of such aspects related to the the way a message is received and to the mechanisms of memory is useful for the construction of a museum information system ( 1999 , p . 413 ). In fact , as museum experts know , a good solicitation or an intelligent stimulation from the outside are much more effective and fruitful in learning than an educational-communicative system which uses , for instance , the so-called functional language ( with such an expression , Giacomo Devoto indicates the use of language that a specialist or an expert of a specific discipline tends to develop in their own professional field , Ibidem , p . 411 ) in a not pertinent or even exaggerated way .
We refer , by way of example , to some exhibitions held in Rome between 2002 and 2005 , especially I marmi colorati della Roma imperiale , “ The coloured marble of imperial Rome ”, at the Mercati di Traiano , and some of the exhibitions set up at the Colosseum , such as Nike . Il gioco e la vittoria “ Nike . The game and the victory ” ( it took place from 4 July 2003 to 7 January 2004 . See the Exhibition Catalogue : La Regina , A ., 2003 ) and Forma . La città moderna e il suo passato , “ Form . The modern city and its past ” ( from 2 July 2004 to 9 January 2005 . See the Exhibition Catalogue : La Regina et al ., 2004 ). They were all extended beyond the specified expiry date because of their enormous success with the public . In these cases , it is clear that the context and I would say even the historical and architectural grandeur of both locations played a decisive role in the overall interpretation of the exhibitions . But what thrilled the public the most , as well as the preciousness of the exhibits which came from the most important Italian and European museums of classical archaeology , were the reconstructions , the settings , the charts , the reconstructive hypotheses , the storyboards , the thematic combinations and , perhaps , more than anything else , the uninhibited use of colour in the educational and museographic
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