Exploring the Fabrics of Identity at Zurich’s Long Night of Museums
What a night! At this year’s Long Night of Zurich’s Museums, the Johann Jacobs Museum opened its doors to over 600 explorers with an interactive exhibition celebrating fabrics, diversity, and the many facets of our identity.
Family-friendly exhibition
The family-friendly exhibition was based on the Digital Museum of Learning’s second online exhibition, “Fabrics of Identity.” The interactive physical exhibition was created and developed in cooperation with partners, including the Schulmuseum Thurgau, Schulmuseum Bern, ARTIZIP, JEFF, and Machines à Histoires.
Kids explore ‘Fabrics of Identity’
What textile heritage shapes your identity?
At the fabrics of identity table, visitors were invited to explore the rich cultural heritage of textiles. The vibrant installation was based on the story “Clothing and cultural diversity” and featured fabrics, traditional objects, and dresses from Ghana, Colombia, Switzerland, and Scotland. An interactive matching game challenged visitors to explore the heritage of different textiles used in school uniforms around the world.
Mirror, mirror on the wall…
This interactive digital installation didn’t declare who was the fairest of them all – but it did inspire visitors of all ages to explore dressing up playfully. Clothes and accessories can empower us to embrace different facets of our personalities or to feel different emotions – be it playful, serious, confident, or even brave. Visitors were thrilled to ‘try on’ different outfits and identities using the magic mirror. We’re looking forward to seeing their favorite shots on social media!
Evolution of school bags
This installation was based on the story “What’s in your school bag?” and invited visitors to explore an interactive timeline of school bags. As one of the few constants in an otherwise quickly evolving world of education, the school bag is a great entry point to explore the history of education and how it’s changed over time around the world.
Puzzles in the classroom
In partnership with the Schulmuseum Bern and Schulmuseum Thurgau, the Johann Jacobs Museum transformed the villa’s former music salon into a historical classroom filled with puzzles to be solved. Each school desk reflected the identity, interests and skills of a particular student. By learning about each student, visitors could solve puzzles about their favorite school subject and unlock an accessory for the photobooth.
Can you spot the fakes?
Today, it’s easy for anyone to manipulate or generate a photo or image. But is it as easy to spot the fakes? These interactive quizzes based on the story “Real beauty and fake images” challenged visitors to sort out the real and fake images and spot photoshopped intruders. The story speaks to larger issues about the importance of media literacy education for youth.
Cheese, please!
As if there weren’t enough reasons to smile at this year’s Long Night of Zurich's Museums, the photo booth station invited visitors to dress up, step into the spotlight, and think about how they present themselves. Many images we see online, in magazines, or on TV today are carefully curated to send a specific message.
Trunk of memories
This installation was inspired by the story “Memories of dolls and teddy bears” and invited visitors to solve puzzles showing invaluable friends from many people’s childhoods: toys, dolls, and teddy bears! Each toy was embedded in a picture that reflected the memories and experiences they shared with their owners.
How do you decide what to wear?
The textile factory celebrated the diversity of clothing and accessories people wear to express their heritage, preferences, and identity. Surrounded by an inspiring ensemble of figures dressed in traditional clothes, visitors could learn about different textile techniques and patterns while creating their outfits.
Sports selfie: Discover your strengths
Visitors were invited to discover their strengths with an installation based on the story “Gear up for sports and fair play.” Sports are a great way to stay fit and teach skills like teamwork and fair play. Visitors could pick a sport, snap a selfie as an athlete, and reflect on their skills and strengths.
Workshop "Stitching Stories"
Textile art offers an inspiring way for people of all ages to explore and express themes of identity, heritage, and dreams. In a workshop led by our partner ARTIZIP, visitors drew inspiration from the exhibition to create personalized embroidery patches. Using leftover fabrics, visitors of all ages took a moment to reflect, share stories, and get creative during the hustle and bustle of the Long Night.
The courage of a schoolgirl
Sometimes, the stories behind an object aren’t obvious at first sight. This teacher’s pointer stick, from the Schulmuseum Thurgau, was used to punish unruly students at school. A young student who strongly believed that physical punishment at school was wrong, stole the teacher's stick and kept it hidden for over 70 years to ensure it was never used again before handing it over to the Schulmuseum Thurgau for safekeeping. This artifact is a prime example of objects that inspire stories and demonstrate the rich, moving history and educational value of objects in the education collections of our partner museums.
Musicians and entertainment
The Johann Jacobs Museum offered visitors an inspirational oasis on their journey through the Long Night of Zurich’s Museums. Visitors were entertained with soulful live music by the Hannes Kasehs Duo while enjoying culinary delights and cocktail creations on the terrace or in the garden lounge under the tree.
