futureum

FUTUREUM is not merely provocative; it is above all a rational project – it uses what has served well in the past. It draws inspiration from the root concept of the earliest museums, which were rather built as scientific centres and oriented towards the present and the future.

Variability is one of the hallmarks of our time – that is why we aim at using an innovative concept of exhibits. Our dynamic exhibits are based on the idea that it is important to change the content, not the movable furniture – the latter should be functional and reusable. In our opinion, dynamic exhibits can not only increase the attractiveness for visitors, but also contribute to reducing the carbon footprint.

We take a similarly critical view of the use of digitisation in the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage. We believe that the existing, conventional approach dramatically increases energy intensity and does not pay sufficient dividends. In our opinion, the application of this method is contrary to the principles of sustainability. Our inspiration comes from the practices used in industry; we especially mean the concept of Industry 5.0. Technology thus helps to protect a monument and to communicate with its visitors.

The FUTUREUM buildings – both the former tippler and the black coal grinding mill – are made accessible to the public through a combination of exhibits and a visitors’ tour, as well as exhibitions, presentations and talks, workshops and other events.

The aim is to bring the past and the future closer together. To present the original functions of the structures, i.e. the unloading of coal and its grinding as a sub-segment of Coal – Coke – Iron, a technological flow that took place for 200 years in the local industrial complex. This is a unique, not preserved elsewhere in Europe, complex of heavy industrial production, leading from the extraction of hard coal in the Hlubina mine through the coke processing and production plant to the production of pig iron in the blast furnaces.

Combined with the PATH OF COAL exhibit, the tour will bring visitors closer to the initial use and development of the premises. The route is divided into a segment situated in the underground area of the tippler and another one mainly leading through the above-ground area of the coal mill. This familiarises visitors with the two basic functions: unloading coal (underground areas of the tippler and connecting corridors) and coal grinding (the mill). The Tour under the Ground combines views of the authentic premises and multimedia presentations and is adapted for guided groups only. Another part of the tour can be seen without a guide as well. It is focused on the grinding and transporting of ground coal and is situated in the above-ground premises of the mill. The tour symbolically culminates with an unusual view of the Lower Vítkovice complex, which unveils the initial interconnection of the tippler and mill buildings with the other facilities.

Visitors with reduced mobility can make use of a presentation in augmented reality (AR), developed as an alternative to the tour of the rough, uneven premises under the ground.

The past is an important foundation for our present and future. That is why, in addition to the history of coal processing, we want to present the most promising raw material of the 21st century, which, in our opinion, is knowledge.

Part of the property is the FUTUREmuseum – an experimental, dynamic exhibit, allowing communication of a range of topics that may be crucial for shaping our future. Visitors are presented with global megatrends, as well as other tools to track trends. Following the introductory section, the exhibit comprises basically three levels – Nature, Technology and, on the top floor, the topic of Humanity. The last-mentioned presents current knowledge, as well as the creative process, all within a unique open laboratory, where creative people from various fields and disciplines work.

Creation is the very phenomenon that greatly appeals to us. Hence the use of FUTUREUM, especially the FUTUREmuseum, as a non-traditional gallery, combining factual information with works of art.

Due to the turbulent development in each of the fields under study, the content of the exhibits is gradually updated. It is complemented by thematic exhibitions and other types of communication formats. The standard professional activities are coordinated by SOBIC, a registered institute, which strives to mediate new trends affecting Humanity, Nature and Technology, in collaboration with local and foreign partners.

We are currently preparing the possibility of the active involvement of visitors as collaborators participating in the cultivation of individual topics.