The use of digital media in a new urban history exhibition: STAM — Ghent city museum

In 2010, after a radical reconstruction of both buildings and exhibitions, STAM re-opened as a modern city museum. It makes use of digital media on a much larger scale than seen at most other city museums. The permanent exhibition tells the (hi)story of Ghent in a chronological way. This in itself traditional approach opens opportunities to add digital media without losing focus or context. The software application Views of Ghent reinforces the connection between the different rooms (and times in history). It contains maps, pictures and textual information about streets, squares and buildings in the past and present. And there is more: entire rooms covered with screens, 3D-models, multi-touch tables and digitally enriched photographs on floors and walls, next to more traditionally curated rooms. The use of digital media is part of the reason why both young and old, and both museum lovers old & new style have welcomed and embraced STAM the way they did and keep on doing. Along with STAM's clear and genuine manner in which it tells `The story of Ghent'.