Eco-Checkers - An exhibition of ZOOM Children's Museum

Status

completed

Summary

The translation of complex contents from research and development for the broad public belongs to the greatest challenges of research politics. This challenge is also from high relevance for the "Austrian Program on Technology for Sustainable Development" and the accompanying sub-programs. The target group of children and teenagers seems particularly difficult at first sight: Complexity of the contents to be conveyed, divergent interests and the search for attractive communication methods demand greatest efforts of all persons involved. After a duration of six years the sub-program "Building of Tomorrow" is able to show the results of nearby 150 research projects. For the communication work a decisive question arises: Which results can be communicated to which target groups?

For children between six and twelve years of age we have to give answers to the following questions: What is the building of tomorrow? How does it look like? What is the difference to other houses?

In the reply one must primarily be reached: Reduction of complexity, simplification of the communication targets and connectivity to the world of children. The now existing final documentation of the exhibition "Eco-Checkers" of ZOOM Children's Museum offers a best practice example for the development and realization of an attractive communication of research results to children between six and twelve years.

The exhibition dealt comprehensively with sustainability; the "Building of Tomorrow" took therein a core topic: The complete exhibition was conceived as a "building of tomorrow in an metaphorical meaning" in which could be worked, searched and played for desire and mood. The exhibition took place in the ZOOM Children's Museum, which is situated in the Viennese Museums Quarter. During school days (from March till the end of June) the exhibition was booked out completely; so the organisers reached approx. 30 000 people. Accompanying education materials for the first six levels of education in Austria complete the communication strategy with a powerful tool for teachers. So the chosen contents found an additional (and long-term existing) way into the education of children. The education materials found great recognition just like the exhibition: The first print run of 2,000 pieces was unavailable already six months after the publication although it has only be submitted to teachers.

Project management

Dr. Elisabeth Menasse-Wiesbauer
ZOOM Kindermuseum

Project or cooperation partner

• Robert Lechner, Ulli Weber
  Österreichisches Ökologie-Institut
• Cornelia Meran

Dr. Elisabeth Menasse-Wiesbauer, Lisa Noggler
ZOOM - Verein interaktives Kindermuseum
Museumsplatz 1
1070 Wien
E-Mail: e.menasse@kindermuseum.at