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Trace has been appointed by the National Museum of Gaborone to design a new permanent exhibition. The National Museum was built in the 1960s and stands in the centre of Gaborone. The current exhibition has not been updated since it the museum was opened over fifty years ago. For the most part, the exhibition is sorely outdated and our brief is to design a modern and interactive exhibition that appeals to learners and tourists alike.
Trace has produced new design drawings that are based on the following principles:
The design of the new exhibitions will be life affirming, welcoming and empowering. It will draw on indigenous design as inspiration. In general, it will:
- Integrate indigenous artifacts into the museum’s design language for example Nkgwana (clay pot), Tshilwana (grinding stone), the tootso (sharpening stone) or Khoi and San rock art.
- Recover cultural traditions that have been marginalized from museums such as age-old practices of weaving, carving, metalwork etc. These will lend the exhibition much of its character and innovative feel and will allow local crafters to showcase their work.
- Integrate the rich and varied soundscapes of Africa sounds, one of the most powerful forms of indigenous knowledge. Music, dance rhythms, communal singing, chanting, praying, songs of protest, songs of labour will feature prominently in the design.
- Discover new materials and modes of representation to materialise the country’s present and to capture the spirit for the future. The materials will not re-inscribe colonial forms of representation.
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