Swiss National Museum –
Experiences Switzerland: Forced Fostering
Client
Year
2024
Realisations
Design and implementation of the multi-touch application, visual presentation of all content, content management
In collaboration with
Swiss National Museum – Experiences Switzerland: Forced Fostering
The video installation Experiences Switzerland: Forced Fostering, presented by the Swiss National Museum, sheds light on a sensitive chapter of Swiss history. Until the 1980s, hundreds of thousands of adults and children (source: Swiss Federal Justice Office) were removed from their families and placed in institutions or foster homes, where many suffered mistreatment. The exhibition highlights the poignant testimonies of those affected and invites visitors to reflect on the consequences of these forced measures.
Deliverables
We developed a multilingual interactive application that is displayed on two 65-inch touch tables. The application enables visitors to explore the exhibition’s content through an intuitive user interface. It features personal stories from eyewitnesses, archival photographs, newspaper articles from the time, enriched with short texts that allow for a deeper engagement with the topic.
A total of ten thematic areas are available for in-depth exploration: [ Coping ], [ Criticism and change ], [ Working through the past ], [ Consequences ], [ Numbers ], [ Contemporary witnesses of home care ], [ Why did this happen ? ], [ Everyday life ], [ Where do we stand today ? ] and [ You too? ].
All content is presented in four languages (German, French, Italian, and English), and users can switch the language any time. Many visitors can thus share the experience with others at once, even if they speak different languages.
