Bodenleitsystem – Steffen KJ. Zimmermann

On March 23, 2024, the Cologne City Museum opened in its new exhibition rooms (Haus Sauer) in the center of Cologne. In my opinion, it is the museum with the most inclusive exhibition in Germany, setting new standards. Its unquestionable self-image of an inclusive exhibition concept has raised the bar several notches.

„It is now state of the art for museums to offer one inclusive station per themed area or room. Strictly speaking, however, this approach is anything but inclusive, as it provides exclusive content via exclusive routes to exclusive stations. These usually don’t even pursue the same educational goal as the rest of the exhibition, let alone achieve it.“ Steffen Zimmermann

Preparation and consulting

Here, in the Cologne City Museum, we took a more fundamental approach. This is crucial for the high aesthetic inclusive quality. My consulting services on all inclusion issues were called upon very early on. As early as the conception stage and in close collaboration with the curators and scenographers, we looked at and discussed the entire list of exhibits from an inclusive perspective (i.e. „How can we make it better for all visitors?“), spontaneously explored possibilities of how and whether the respective object could be presented inclusively – and then made a preliminary selection based on these standards. As a result, many exhibits were removed from the display case, others were replaced, purchased, created as replicas or printed to make them freely and openly accessible. We decided which graphics were didactically feasible for everyone, which texts and objects and which photos and paintings. It was not so much a question of „What do we highlight?“ but rather „What do we unfortunately have to do without?“.

Execution included

After the final decision was made, it was also my task, together with the designers from neo.studio, to develop the didactic design of the objects and to create a tactile layer and lettering (also in pyramid writing and Braille) for all selected objects and graphics and finally to produce them with my printing partner. I also developed a stringent and intuitively usable tactile floor guidance system that also fits in perfectly aesthetically. The audio and videos are of course coordinated with the guidance system and additional information. The checkout counter is equipped with an inductive hearing system. The MultiMediaGuide naturally also offers videos in German sign language. The signage is non-discriminatory. The entire exhibition is accessible without thresholds.

Services for blind visitors

There are many opportunities for blind people to experience the city’s history in the new museum. The floor guidelines lead from the sidewalk to the entrance door, the cash desk and the checkroom. Then through all the exhibition areas and, of course, to the sanitary facilities. There are tactile overview plans on all floors for orientation. The most important texts in each exhibition area are also in Braille, and some graphics can also be experienced tactilely. Many exhibits explicitly state: „Touching allowed!“. The MultiMediaGuide also offers a guided tour specially adapted for people with visual impairments. People who are blind or visually impaired and have an assistance dog are allowed to bring it into the museum.

„The collaboration with the scenographers and exhibition designers neo.studio Berlin and the curators Stefan Lewejohann and Sascha Pries was characterized from the very beginning by equality and the common desire for a barrier-free place for everyone. This resulted in a wonderfully comprehensive project for me over two years. In addition to the inclusion advice and the floor guidance system, I produced around 166 (!) objects – all tactile – from information boards to plans, graphics and panels to exhibits. That’s an unusually large amount on 700 square meters with a total of 650 objects.“ Steffen Zimmermann

The Cologne City Museum writes:

A city museum for everyone

Inclusion and accessibility were key objectives when redesigning the permanent exhibition. In terms of both the spatial design and the content, the museum team focused on contemporary standards to ensure that everyone has an unforgettable visit to the museum. The exhibition areas are barrier-free throughout. Blind and visually impaired people are guided to important objects and content via a guide for the blind. For some selected exhibits, the explicit rule for visually impaired people is: „Touching allowed!“ In addition, numerous „hands-on“ stations have been designed for visitors with visual impairments. All main texts in the exhibition are also in Braille. There are also tactile graphics; the popular city model also makes the topography of medieval Cologne tangible with a haptic mediation element. The MultiMedia-Guide offers numerous other barrier-free functions. Source: Cologne City Museum press release from March 22, 2024

The new address:

Cologne City Museum Minoritenstrasse 13 50667 Cologne Postal address and administrative entrance: Kolumbahof 3 Opening hours: Tuesday Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm 1st Thursday of the month: 10 am to 10 pm (except on public holidays) On public holidays (such as Good Friday or Easter Monday): 10 am to 5 pm

Mind game: You are Linda P.

When Linda P. goes to the Cologne City Museum with her husband and children, they walk through the building as a group, talking and pointing out, discussing and adding to their knowledge of each area and aspect of the exhibition. They ask each other questions and share what they have learned.

Does it matter whether Linda is blind or not? It doesn’t matter in the Cologne City Museum because each themed area is equipped with a comparable depth of information and range of objects in different ways. But it does play a role in the other museums when Linda is guided to only a few, mostly monothematic „inclusion exhibits“, which, as Linda then realizes, actually ensure her exclusion. In fact, she didn’t notice anything about the actual exhibition or her family.

This photo shows a value-added exhibit for everybody. The historical city model (left in the picture), which is only visually accessible, is made much more interesting and informative by the didactic presentation on different levels that can be moved over one another (topography, urban development, important buildings, urban structure). These are, of course, tactilely legible alongside the models of the important buildings. This didactic presentation is the key to achieving the educational goal for all visitors.

And so, to conclude, the crucial question: what does inclusion in museums cost?

It costs the investment in a good didactic concept (which of course thinks inclusively) and often not only brings added value, but also the utility value for some exhibits that would otherwise remain inaccessible to the majority of visitors. Incidentally, Linda P. and her family would not have come without the inclusive design of the exhibition because they naturally wanted to experience the day together.

A multimedia guide provides further background information and the text version in sign language for those interested. The museum’s inclusion concept, the tactile implementations and the floor guidance system were created by Steffen Zimmermann, the exhibition design by @neostudio.berlin

Schlagwort: Bodenleitsystem

The Cologne City Museum as a new benchmark for inclusion in Germany