The first entails showing an exhibit each day on the social network platforms Facebook and Instagram whilst the museum is closed to the public. The best exhibits are being chosen as well as curiosities that can be shared with the visitors. Antonio Espinosa, Head of the Municipal Service of Historic Heritage and the Museum said “Each publication takes between 2 and 3 hours to research, looking for more interesting aspects and then translating that into 3 languages”
Vilamuseu has been surprised by the enthusiastic welcome the initiative has received. Already, Facebook alone has reached more than 40,000 people and has generated more than 1,500 comments (I like it, times that have been shared…) in the first 4 days; that gives meaning to the output and makes the effort worthwhile.
From Monday 16 march, a daily programme on Onda Cero Marina Baixa has been added as virtual visiting to the key exhibits of Vilamuseu. In this programme the Museum Director tells the most intimate secrets of exceptional pieces from the collection.
“Museums have an obligation to exploit the technology to continue being in the cultural arena as a service to society. With it they fulfil a dual purpose of heritage outreach and entertainment during the difficulties of quarantine” said Historic Heritage Councillor, Xente Sebastiá.
From yesterday the museum has added two further initiatives. Firstly, there are videos in 3 languages showing virtual visits to special museum spaces (stores, laboratories, work areas, curious details of the exhibitions…). These virtual visits will be on offer 2 or 3 times a week for so long as there are personnel available to make the recordings.
Lastly, the museum also launched a daily participation campaign to preserve the history of these moments as intangible heritage. Remembering Antonio Machado’s poem “Todo pasa y todo queda” (Everything moves on and everything remains), Vilamuseu is suggesting that the public send to them a brief audio message, photo or whatsapp video (628 993 175), in any language, telling how you are spending the quarantine, what is happening and what message you would like to send out. This testimony will remain as an historic document for ‘all that moves on and all that remains’.