Release | Montreal Science Center: the underside of the exhibitions in five points

A attendance record was set at the Montréal Science Center during the holiday season: some 40,000 people were welcomed in 12 days. We bet that during the school break, the place will also be very lively. Curious to know how the exhibitions presented there are created? Five-point overview.

Thinking about the trends of today… and tomorrow

From seven to ten years old. Here is the lifespan of the permanent exhibitions presented at the Montreal Science Centre. If, to develop a new exhibition, the museum team gathers information on current major trends in science and technology, it must also ensure that the theme explored will remain relevant in the years to come. Although artificial intelligence is a very interesting subject, talking exclusively about its current uses would be a bad idea, explains Cybèle Robichaud, director of the Science Center, with whom The Press visited the premises. To create new content, she and her team “take inspiration from what is done elsewhere, but also from [leur] experience “. For example, when the time came to renew the exhibition Science 26, which ran from 2007 to 2019, it was clear that some favorite attractions needed to be kept. The giant bubble and water table are among the revamped (and multiplied) experiences for the exhibit Explore which, like its predecessor, speaks of the great scientific principles, a timeless subject.

Focus on interactivity

To interest young people (and those not so young) in science, the museum relies heavily on interactivity. “What visitors come here for is not to read a text. That they can do in a book or on the internet. They come to live an experience”, explains the director. In each room, visitors are invited to handle objects. How long are the intestines of an adult? In the exhibition Human, we invite the curious to unroll a six-meter rope to find out. “One guideline that we try to keep in mind in the development of experiences is to give our visitors something to experience that they don’t have the opportunity to experience at home or at school” , adds Cybèle Robichaud. An example ? To explore the theme of light and mirrors, the museum turned to the kaleidoscope. While everyone can get one at the store, no one has a giant one like the one at the Science Center.

Fix excess enthusiasm

Museum visitors are sometimes “very enthusiastic”, admits the director. “When you come, you expect to touch everything, to test different mechanisms. It has to be solid, it has to be durable, but sometimes there are surprises in the way visitors use their creativity. » When switching from The Press, an experiment involving a series of pipes through which air moves objects was being repaired. “We have a team of technicians […] who ensure that the magic continues to exist. That everything is always in very good condition and functional,” explains Cybèle Robichaud. Their “magic” takes place in a workshop located on the second floor where you can find all the equipment needed to make repairs of all kinds.

Listen to the audience

“In the process of creating an exhibition, we set up several moments in development to test elements with our visitors. […] It can be an activity, a prototype. It can be testing a design, instructions or a multimedia game,” reveals Cybèle Robichaud. Participants in this “testers’ club” are recruited through the Science Center newsletter. Intended for children from 0 to 7 years old, the exhibition mini mondo has for its part been tested by families of immigrant origin, with a view to “inclusion and diversity”. “We wanted them to feel welcomed,” says the director. The Science Center also pays particular attention to universal accessibility “to ensure that everyone can benefit from it”.

Navigate through constraints

A tyrannosaurus and a few dinosaur companions stormed one of the exhibition halls until March 12. The impressive size of some specimens gave the museum team some headaches. “Visitors may not notice it, but we are in an old Port of Montreal hangar built in 1908. […] When we built the Science Center in 2000, we kept the skeleton of the old hangars, which is fantastic for highlighting the industrial heritage, but it’s a little more complicated when you’re doing exhibitions. We have very variable ceiling heights. We have columns in several places, ”explains Cybèle Robichaud. All these constraints must be taken into account when the museum receives a temporary exhibition. The next one, however, should be easy to install since the Science Center participated in its creation. His subject ? Hockey. To discover from April.