In designing the exhibition Tech and Tales, we once again had the opportunity to approach things with a great deal of playfulness and imagination, and to create an environment where both young and grown-up children can feel at ease.
The curators of the Technical Museum of Slovenia searched their storage rooms for objects related to fairy-tale characters from Slovenian children’s literature and displayed them in a temporary exhibition at their premises in Bistra near Vrhnika.

The individual thematic sections of the exhibition were spatially connected into a whole by a road that guides visitors through the exhibition. Along the road, there are backdrops or silhouettes that hint at the themes on display – on the road, on the farm, leisure time, at home, in the workplace, and beneath the treetops. The future is not yet entirely clear and largely depends on our actions, which is why we chose to interpret it as a mirror opening somewhere in the distance, behind the green hills.

The graphic design further enhances both the form and the interpretation of the spatial layout, bringing it even closer to a childlike nature. It is clear that children, by their very nature, first connect on an emotional level – often through eye contact – and that is precisely why our characters were given eyes and a smile, as well as hands, so they can guide us along the long road.

All five characters, each representing one of the thematic sections, are introduced at the very beginning of the exhibition. They continuously invite us through the colorful backdrops, addressing us and encouraging our participation in the exhibition.