Exhibitions at the Museum

In order to make a visit to the Museum as attractive and informative as possible, the staff creates, as its essential heart, exhibitions made up largely of interactive exhibits. Each exhibition is based on a carefully-chosen theme, and all the exhibits relate to that theme. The themes are chosen for their intrinsic interest, for their relevance to society and to the school curriculum, and where possible to ongoing scientific research, especially in Israel. The themes are science-oriented, but in the broadest sense, to include the contexts of technology, society and art.

Some exhibitions are brought in from other sources and adapted to our needs. However, most are created entirely in-house, though of course with outside advice and consultation (especially with Hebrew University staff) where appropriate. The process starts with the decision on an appropriate theme. The staff then creates a list of possible exhibits, combining our own ideas with those of other science centers. The list is filtered according to these criteria:

• Significant content – relevant to the chosen theme
• Accessibility to visitor understanding
• Attractiveness
• Interactivity – involvement of the visitor in a dialogue
• Robustness and ease of maintenance
• Cost

A general concept of the layout and physical and graphic design is then created. Each exhibit passes through a detailed design and planning process, and is then constructed. In some cases, a prototype is built, to see if the idea really works and to fix parameters. In parallel, text material (labels in Hebrew, Arabic and English, and background material) are prepared, and a Website is set up to complement and supplement the exhibition.

And off we go!