When in a museum, objects are valued for their shapes, materials, functions, but mostly for their stories. In this installation, inspired by Franco Binda’s interview book “I vecchi della montagna” – the mountain’s elderly – the main character is not the object, but its story. The idea is to immerse the visitors into a world of memories so that they can experience the life in Val Verzasca in the begining of the 20th century. 

The objects are placed in the center of the room and illuminated punctually. At the walls there are projections of the objects and context with its soundscape. From time to time, the projections are animated and reproduce situations where these objects were used. For the purpose of this project these projections were illustrated with a short movie.

To answer the museum’s need of a space for occasional events, the ground floor is designed to be a multipurpose room. It can be used for: workshops, temporary exhibitions or city gatherings. The glass entrance and the floor material keep a constant connection between the village and the museum. The floor material, gneiss, is the same as used on the street but inside it has a polished finish. The etnographic museum is a reference for the past and the present of Val Verzasca.