Time. Space. Travel

It takes more than simply presenting objects in display cases to make early history approachable. Archaeological museums, in particular, face the challenge of creating contemporary ways of illustrating history that are both valid in terms of content and attractive to their audiences. The desire for low-threshold access is especially evident from the fact that exhibitions often become major attractions when they promise an experience in the form of a journey into the past. Thus, in different ways, images are generated and settings are created which are intended to allow people to actively interact with historical objects and practices: from re-enactments to living history and from experimental archaeology to virtual time travel. Each of these approaches comes with a lot of potential, but many challenges too. In the workshop, we will explore the different approaches to making history capable of being experienced. How can we create visualisations without ourselves establishing hard and fast images of the past? Whose idea of the past can be seen in the reconstructions, and who creates them? Can access for all and expert knowledge be guaranteed in equal measure? What contribution to society does an archaeology make that presents the past in a vivid way? We ourselves will embark on a virtual journey into the past and along the way discuss the challenges and potential of working with re-enactment groups and attempt to draft our own digital story during a workshop. The focus will be on the wide range of often playful approaches, the issue of communicability, and the contextualisation of historical narratives, in the creation of which museums play a significant role.