Alūksne Narrow Gauge Train station with integrated VR element

Alūksne Narrow Gauge Train station exhibition (the author of the content concept Ineta Zelča Sīmansone, design – H2E). In 2019, it has been awarded at the two main awards of SEGD Global Design Awards – 2019 Global Design Awards/Honor and the grand-prix of the competition Best of Show. The exhibition has also been nominated for the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award 2021.

The main input of the renovated former Alūksne Narrow Gauge Train Station storage room for society is the regeneration of the place, combining high-quality renovation work, a well-arranged adjacent outdoor area and innovative multimedia exhibition. It was created, based on the three content dimensions: local, technical and European. Each of the dimensions provides for its own type of presenting of the story.

Technical - railway dimension - is demonstrated equally through the physical railway history objects and the VR experience integrated into the exhibition, allowing the visitors to try for themselves the role of locomotive operator and get to know the control panel. Such a type of VR experience, to be ranked in the gaming and entertainment category, immerses the audience, through the subtle presence of educational content, into interactive study processes and supplements the experience of the physical exhibition in the real space. Alūksne Narrow Gauge Train Station exhibit is one of the first VR experiences in Latvian museums, therefore it is especially valuable, in terms of developing methodology and assessing the user experience. The first conclusions, evidenced not only by international recognition, but also by the statistics of attendance and references about the new cultural object, are unambiguously indicative of the feasibility of new technologies in museums.

Here one should especially highlight the fact that such an innovative VR tool has been for the first time integrated into a museum outside Riga, which only attests to the ability to introduce innovations irrespective of the location. What matters the most is the cooperation with branch specialists, who, in the form of pilot projects, are willing to test new technologies and, thereby, add a valuable record to their creative work portfolio. The next example provides for an excellent role model of such creative coworking-based methodology.