Digging up Memories – Empowering collections at Vindolanda Museum through virtual exhibits

Abstract

Digital exhibits allow museums to showcase artefacts to the public irrespective of distance, museum closures, and delicacy of the object. Vindolanda Museum developed the Digging up Memories – Making Connections digital exhibition to present wooden artefacts with a focus on maintained narrative of Roman history and emotive responses from museum workers. The exhibition content was developed and co-curated by the Vindolanda Trust team, who picked their favourite wooden objects and discussed their emotional connections to them. The display represents their responses through creative writing, voice recordings, and short film clips, with 3D models of the chosen artefacts embedded for enhancement. Over 10,000 visits were made during the three-month opening, with an average of 1:35 min spent per page. The exhibition was supplemented with 3D prints to allow public handling of accurate replicas within the context of the museum and original artefact on display. Recommendations for future digital exhibitions are provided.