ATTRACTIONS & EXPERIENCES 33
The goal of the Encounters exhibition is to educate and honour the courage, patriotism and sacrifice of all who served in WWI
historic primary source materials such as journals and diaries, and secondary sources such as newspapers, to create characters based on real-life people who were impacted by the Great War was a highly effective way of bringing these stories to life. The project also represents people from diverse backgrounds and offers a wide range of different perspectives. All the enhancements were created for a more immersive visitor experience. “It’s not just reading history on an object or a wall; it’s hearing and seeing those stories,” explains Warren. “It just brings a more exciting and a more interesting component to history,” he continues. “People read books all the time about history, but they come into the museum because they want to see what it was like for those who lived in this time period. By using audio-visual sound and lighting, we can emphasise that kind of storytelling and help visitors make a personal connection.” The ultimate goal of the Encounters exhibition is to educate, inspire reflection and honour the courage, patriotism and sacrifice of all who served in WWI. “The exhibit really humanises the experience by introducing characters to tell their own story,” adds Conte. “This gives a human-to-human connection to the viewers, which is important to children, teenagers and adults alike.” The Great War was not a war that was only fought on the battlefield and in the trenches, it was also fought at home. A munitions factory worker, a dissenter, the colonial soldier, the conscientious objector. These are real people from recognisable places who were caught up in WWI, but are often forgotten to the wider populace. Electrosonic wanted to ensure historical accuracy while telling these underrepresented stories. “A project like Encounters isn’t ever easy,” concludes Westerh, “but by working with so many talented specialists, I think we helped create something really special.”
This technology allows all alcoves to be running at the same time without disrupting the visitor experience. “The audio system allows you to steer audio in a very directional way, and when you are outside of that bubble you can barely hear the audio program. When you step into the bubble, this full-fidelity soundtrack is present to you,” says Chris Conte, executive consultant and global ambassador at Electrosonic. When it comes to Electrosonic’s approach to any experience, Conte emphasises the importance of quality. “We don’t just ask how big a screen size or what kind of audio system you want, those are the wrong questions to ask,” he adds. “The right question is instead: ‘What do you want the guests to feel when they walk into a space?’ That then helps us define technology that delivers on a creative level rather than just displaying what the message is.” The new technology reflects the museum and memorial’s mission of remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community. A striking example is the new interactive touch tables, which invite visitors to take on the perspective of a soldier navigating communication across a battlefield or a shipment to allies across the sea. Matthew Naylor, the museum’s CEO, believes these make for an impactful guest experience. “We don’t push people in a particular route in gallery, nor do we push them into learning or exploring in a certain way. That’s the real power of technology and how it’s used here at the National WWI Museum and Memorial.” Naylor also argues that one of the powerful things about the museum, and especially the main gallery, is how technology folds into the background while supporting the storytelling. DIFFERING VOICES Encounters proved to be an ambitious undertaking from all involved. Using
Technology bolsters the storytelling with interactive touch tables to help immerse visitors in the exhibition
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