Utrecht City Archives
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
An old archive dusted off
The Utrecht Archives are located in a special, historical building; a former court, built on the remains of the old Paulus Abbey. The visitor centre is a new phenomenon; in a very refreshing and stimulating way, it allows for a broad audience to become acquainted with the treasures of the archive, the city and the Province of Utrecht.
Virtual and real treasures
The visitor is introduced to the archive by personal stories of historical people from Utrecht. This virtual guide tells many personal stories and allows visitors to create their own personal dossier. The Utrecht Archives has challenged its image of a dusty archive and can now rightly describe itself as a multimedia visitor centre, where everyone can enjoy digging into treasures and memories of their everyday world.
AV immersive spaces
The auditorium is situated on the ground floor in a room that was formerly the refter, dining area. In the auditorium, the history of the Paulus Abbey is told in a spectacular multi-screen projection and light show. There are four cells in which the court history is brought to life. In the ‘Utrecht Moment’s’ treasury room, historical figures have been brought to life with the aid of virtual manipulation. As well as this, a glass showcase is filled with original documents from the archives, which are related to the historical figures.
Scope of project
Design, graphic design, AV and multimedia scripts, fabrication management