OVERVIEW

‘Destination Archaeology’ is an archaeological exhibition curated and hosted by the Cantonal Museum of Archeology and History in Switzerland. The archaeologically-led exhibition invites visitors to discover how science shapes our understanding of the past by combining text, exhibits and spatial design.

One of the struggles faced by the design and architectural team was to fill the large space with only a limited number of exhibits. The environmental graphics were therefore designed to be much larger than normal, in order to simultaneously act as text headings and wayfinding elements. These headings also serve as storytelling elements, as typefaces continually fluctuate in order to reflect the locale and period of time of the accompanying text. 

The deployment of colour was also pivotal to guiding visitors and ensuring legibility. As a key theme of the exhibition was contrasting modernity with tradition and highlighting the use of modern archeological techniques, a vibrant RGB green/yellow was chosen to make a bold distinction between the present and past.

Circular time machines were a core part of the visitor experience, and also served as an interesting spatial element which helped fill the space. Situated in the center of rooms, they differ from the main exhibition experience by stitching large time periods together in sequential order, thus providing visitors another way of digesting the content.