Exhibition “Salt of Aveiro Salt of the World” – City Museum

The creation of the exhibition took several stages, from the initial conception of the image to the preparation of the designs for the installation pieces.

Floor 0
Salt production and trade in Aveiro through the ages.

Wall/floor panels with a map and waves to connect the history of exports through coloured threads. The stairs to Floor 1 follow the wave pattern previously used to “embark” the visitor on the journey that awaits them, reinforced by the sound of waves and the sea in the space. The room sheet includes three spaces in the shape of a pyramid of salt, so that visitors can stick stickers of the same shape along their visit, enveloping them and allowing them to have a more active memory of the exhibition.

Floor 1
Scientific, food and cosmetic context.

As we climbed the stairs, we came across the first of two installations: One “staircase” built externally and assembled on site. This ladder was later completely covered with salt from the Aveiro marinas. It represents a section of the “skirts”, flaps that were made in the piles of salt as they grew. On this floor we also find a carpet which, together with a subtly lit partition, invites the visitor into the education room. Here we also begin to find some of the collection, which is displayed on customised shelves that we designed and built from scratch. They are made up of square pyramids, symbolising the salt mounds. They have the particularity that, together, they form a cube, the three-dimensional shape of the salt molecule. It should be emphasised that all the pieces in the installation were the subject of 2D and 3D studies and, later, augmented reality tests, carried out in the place where each piece would be exhibited. The collection is protected by acrylic hoods with safety locks.

Floor 2
Legends and traditions.

Going up to the second floor, we find the first of three installations: A “hayloft” built externally and assembled on site. It is a direct representation of the haystacks found in salt mines, which served as support, shelter and storage for implements. This installation has the particularity of having the word “salt” in various languages of the world cut out on all sides. Illuminated from the inside, these words are projected onto the surrounding walls and ceiling, creating a very particular and original atmosphere.

Here we find the rest of the collection, which is displayed on customised shelves that we designed and built from scratch.

The second installation is a group of reproductions of old photos from the Aveiro municipal archive. The reproductions were printed on canvas and mounted in wooden frames of various sizes. The third and, in fact, most important space in the exhibition is what we call the “treasure room“. It’s a partition created from scratch in an unused space in the museum. It was completely painted and lined in matt black to protect the documents stored there from light. A number of important documents from the municipality’s collection have been reproduced there and it is where the

ex-libris of the exhibition: the original document (at least the oldest known) of the will of Mumadona Dias, dated 959, which is the first record of the place name of Aveiro (Suis terras in Alauario et Salinas) and its salt pans or marinas. It was temporarily loaned for this exhibition by Torre do Tombo.

Catalogue

We also did the layout, graphic design, photo processing and printing of the exhibition catalogue

Design, pre-production and assembly

As mentioned, all the pieces in the installation were the subject of 2D and 3D studies and, later, tests in augmented reality, carried out in the place where each piece would be exhibited. Here are some of these elements as proofs of concept.

Augmented Reality