The floor is set, the walls and ceiling are clean and the lighting is perfect. All there is to do is to put our exhibition back. The temporary layout of the shelves pays off, we are gaining a lot of time. In one afternoon only all is back in place, as if nothing ever happened. We are ready for the usual opening hours this coming week-end.
As the saying goes, think global but buy local. Our choice for floors was to address the best in town, the company Menetrey, specialist in the field for over a century.
The museum is full of emptiness. We took out everything to prepare for the arrival of a new oak floor that replaces the over 30 year old linoleum floor. The room has never been so empty 😉 But have no fear, this weekend we will again be ready to welcome you.
The concept of the museum restauration also includes lighting adapted to the requirements of a museum.
The new setup is in place. The tools have their final position on the opposite wall, arranged by time period. Moving the shelves across the room has allowed us to increase our shelf space.
This years main project also implies a better presentation of tools and technical means used by shoemakers from various eras. (See blog 9/21/2013). We started the year with this part of the project, sorting out the tools and wooden lasts by historical periods.
After sealing the sources of humidity and ventilating the back rooms to keep the levels of humidity under control we’re finally ready to fix those walls. Due to a lack of funding it’s the boss in person who gets to the task.
This time we presented 18th century footwear and for the occasion in 18th century costumes, of course. We invested in new costumes. Few meters of fabric from IKEA and other used fabrics, wire, pieces of pipe, rods and string and two months of cutting and stitching were necessary for making these tailored monuments. The 18th century seems to be a time when one had to be an architect as well as a tailor to make such constructions out of fabric and basketry. The ladies in those beautiful dresses must have given the impression of a Spanish galleons in full sail floating through the candle lit salons. Both costumes won a price during the final fashion show. Our daughter received the public award and the price of authenticity, given by some costume experts went to Dr. Volken whose fingers still hurt from all the stitching. The event happend at the National Museum in Prangins
We were invited to a very special birthday. We took part in the festivities for the 25 anniversary of the Company of Saint George at the Castle of Vallerois-le-Bois. For once it was planned to celebrate with family and kids but without the public with their modern clothes and modern devices of all kinds. This gave a true medieval atmosphere. On really could feel being propelled 600 years into the past , particularly within such authentic surroundings of the medieval castle.
It would be about time to commemorate 10 years of our museum with something special. The first project by our newly created association aims to freshen up the exhibition concept. After a few sessions of brain storming we are ready to present our project. We also need to optimise the indoor climate conditions.
THe Roman site of Studen-Petinesca covers a large part of a forest, therefore the animation where distributed across those woods. Our Museum booth with a large collection of Roman footwear was placed on the main path, surrounded by nature. The event was organised by the association Pro Petinesca and the Archeological Service of the Canton Bern and was a big public sucess, proving once more that people show an iterest in past culture. Wh wher part of the society for cultural and archeological animations AnimArc.
