Reykjavik city museum
In 1971–75 archaeological excavations had been carried out on Aðalstræti in downtown Reykjavík, unearthing relics from the Viking Age. Further excavations in 2001 revealed the well-preserved remnants of a longhouse, and north of it part of a turf wall. The Settlement Layer of tephra, which has been dated to around 871 AD, or the time of the settlement of Iceland, was visible adjacent to the wall but not under it, indicating that the wall had been built before 871.
The Reykjavík City Council decided to preserve the site, and to create an exhibition around it on the settlement in Reykjavík. The exhibition focuses on scientific approaches to the subject, as witness the date 871 +/- 2: scientific methods indicate that this date is accurate to within two years. The exhibition opened on 12 May 2006.
The Reykjavik City Museum received the Icelandic Museum of the Year Award in 2006, "...due to its varied exhibitions and contribution towards professionalism in the museum sector."
challenge
The Settlement Exhibition Reykjavík 871 +/- 2 is the fruit of work by many different parties. Gagarin’s role was to design, program and produce the interactive multi-media content of the exhibition. The exhibition seeks to explore the settlement of Iceland in a new way. The longhouse site, which is located about two metres beneath present-day ground level, underneath a new hotel on Aðalstræti, was surrounded by a dark-blue oval exhibition wall, into which a panoramic photograph of the view from the site is set, altered to show the environment of the early settlers. An illuminated stripe in the wall indicates the surface level at the time when the Settlement Layer of tephra fell in 871 +/- 2.
solution
Gagarin produced a variety of digital content for different parts of the Settlement Exhibition, including motion silhouettes showing the lifestyle of people at the time of the settlement, a 3D model and animation of the longhouse, and Flash animated content appearing in a media station. Visitors can explore a variety of information on archaeological methods, the structure of the Viking-Age longhouse, and life in early Iceland. The interactive design of these aspects were carried out by Art+Com.
On two comparison screens, designed and programmed by Gagarin, visitors can explore cultural affinities between the nations around the North Atlantic, and Viking expansion and settlements during the Viking Age.
Gagarin produced a system used in the multimedia centre to present more detailed information about the excavations and other related subjects. In due course, this information will be accessible on the Internet.