There are several floor with different exhibitions and spaces. On the very top floor, there is a "Smell room". You can sit on a bean bag, close your eyes and see where the scent (produced by some kind of machine) takes you. It was a bit weird, the smell was not unpleasant but not exactly pleasant either. The space was very relaxing though.
The main exhibition about Helsinki is on the second floor. There are many interesting photos of the olden days, with short texts. They have also tried to make it interactive and child-friendly, especially the ground floor. There is also a room where you can go through old photos, a cafe and very funky sofas.
What I missed was a bit more information on the beginnings of the city, and a chronological story of how it came about. Of course this is the more traditional approach to these things and they had probably tried to avoid doing exactly that. Just a personal preference.
I agree, the museum wants to be exciting, not so scholarly. There are Signe Brander's photos on exhibition too. Or were in summer. Old photos are nice and fancy. The old Helsinki and the inhabitants live again.
ReplyDeleteLots of interesting photos although I cannot remember the names of the photographers, unfortunately.
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