State Tactile Museo Omero is a museum in Ancona whose name reveals that you can and must touch the art in this museum with your hands. Created for the visually impaired (but open to all), the Museo Omero puts the most intimate and emotional aspects of art on display through multisensorial and interactive exhibits which stimulate all the senses—and especially touch.
It is a sort of “home” where you explore and experiment with objects so you can freely discover all of their beauty. This home has opened the doors on its new Design section, a selection of iconic Made-In-Italy objects which made Italian design history.
Curated and designed by Fabio Fornasari, one of the leading experts in Italy in exhibition display and cultural accessibility, this new collection includes 32 icons recognized by the Compasso d’Oro which have been displayed in relation to our everyday lives. The objects become witnesses of the past and present in an exhibition which highlights their value through an emotional and immersive experience. There are also 32 corresponding opinions on how to live on this planet: like Beethoven’s Diabelli musical variations ‒ an homage to Aldo Grassini’s, the president of Museo Omero, passion for classical music ‒ because each object makes its own noise and has its own signature sound.
The different sounds, which were researched by sound designer Paolo Ferrario and accompanied by the words of Politecnico di Milano design professor Chiara Alessi, are what reveal the history and peculiarity of the pieces through an innovative Bluetooth audio-guide system.
“Things have an attitude that resembles us and we resemble them; they give us an impression and allow us to bring a certain behavior home,” explained architect Fabio Fornasari. That’s why you must touch them with your hands, rotate them and move them in the museum just like at home.
It is a unique occasion for those who have only heard of these objects, but also for those who have had the chance to observe and admire them but wish to discover them in a new light.
“Things speak to us through their own languages which are not necessarily visual and which also act on our emotions. Like art, design is also a continuous exploration that operates in form, content and matter.”
That’s why the objects become the stars on a journey which goes from the store to our homes: the packaging itself becomes a narrative element of the exhibition design, which is divided into the small and large revolutions of daily life coming from design.
It goes from the Valentine typewriter by Olivetti which brought the office to the park, to the legendary Grillo telephone which was held with just one hand; Cubo by Brionvega, the first battery-powered radio; the timeless Moka by Bialetti which is a key symbol in the Italian collective memory; and Tod’s moccasins which made luxury also comfortable.
Small and large objects are displayed in “Everybody out” in a miniature format so they can be handled and studied with ease; it is a quiet room for everybody which allows you to gather new and unique perspectives and fully understand the meaning of things.
Where: State Tactile Museo Omero, Mole Vanvitelliana, Banchina Giovanni da Chio 28, Ancona, Italy
