Manchester Jewish Museum Case Study

MANCHESTER JEWISH MUSEUM

Heritage Interactive created a number of bespoke film, interactive and audio exhibits for the stunning new Museum and refurbished synagogue. We were also responsible for the design and commissioning of all AV hardware.

Highlights include a dynamic digital case label system inspired by sliding ladders in libraries or archives, and an imaginative, large-scale, immersive AV experience exploring the physical and emotional journeys of migrant Jewish communities.

A visual representation of Jewish life in Manchester at the Manchester Jewish Museum

Shops from Jewish communities in Manchester at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A visual of letters and photographs at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A visual of transit and ships at the Manchester Jewish Museum

Text reading 'Nobody wanted them' at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A display from the journeys exhibition at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A visual of adverts and transport at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A montage of photos from Manchester's Jewish community at the Manchester Jewish Museum

JOURNEYS AV

Our ambitious Journeys film offers a thought-provoking and personal insight into migration journeys across 200 years.

In shaping the narrative for the film, we took our lead from the Museum’s rich oral history archive, working through these with the curatorial team to find a wealth of compelling and diverse extracts.

After many hours of editing, we managed to distil these down to a 4-minute duration, we were able to weave these authentic voices together with period imagery, new location filming and more stylised assets to create a visually arresting presentation.

Visual display boards showing people travelling at Manchester Jewish Museum

Visual displays of Jewish life at the Manchester Jewish Museum

SLIDING CASE LABELS

Our digital case label can be moved up and down the central display case, updating the onscreen interface to match the nearby objects.

The visitor can then unlock a wealth of fascinating stories from the Museum’s rich archive, exploring text, images, audio and video files.

As the system is fully updateable, addition material can be added easily by the client team to respond to new research or an updated object display.

A tin with map of Israel and explanatory text at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A map of Israel from the Jewish National Fund at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A display of items from the Jewish community at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A jacket worn by David Levy on a screen at the Manchester Jewish Museum

Margaret's photographs at the Manchester Jewish Museum

Text about the Jewish Fresh Air Home and School at the Manchester Jewish Museum

A display showing information about Rosie's story at Manchester Jewish Museum

A display showing information about the Jewish Fresh Air Home and School, Delamere at Manchester Jewish Museum

IT WAS A PLEASURE WORKING WITH HERITAGE INTERACTIVE.

“Throughout the whole process the Heritage Interactive team were enthusiastic, helpful and reliable. They adapted to a changing timetable and circumstances with great ease and worked hard to still ensure high quality results. It was a pleasure working with Heritage Interactive and I would highly recommend them”.

Alex Cropper
Curator, Manchester Jewish Museum

ORAL HISTORIES

Working with the Museum’s rich oral history archive, we developed a range of listening posts linked to each of the gallery’s key themes. These help ensure that complex, sensitive stories are told through multiple, authentic voices.

We also incorporated first person extracts in our ambient audioscape which is linked to the communities floor map.

For the Synagogue audio posts we invited members of the ex-congregation to share their memories and recorded them in the synagogue itself to create a greater sense of place.

IDENTITIES

This area of the gallery explores diverse perspectives on what it means to be Jewish in Manchester.

Our interactives work on a web-based tablet system to offer a more intimate experience.

Visitors can explore individual stories curated from the Museum’s oral history, film and archive image collections to discover the many factors that influence people’s sense of identity.

The system is fully client updatable.

Leslie's story at the Manchester Jewish Museum

Tilly's Story at the Manchester Jewish Museum

An interactive device at Manchester Jewish Museum

A woman using an interactive screen at Manchester Jewish Museum

Exhibition design: All Things | Fit-out: The Hub

To find out more about our services and discuss your own interactive experience or museum storytelling requirements, simply contact the Heritage Interactive team.

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