Museum building
The Etihad museum is made up of 2 main site historical buildings, which are the union house and the guest house. The museum is the visitors pavilion, and the museum is underground. The visitor’s pavilion is designed by the Architects Moriyama Teshima. It combines minimalistic design with the hi-tech approach to create a unique architectural ensemble that will impress visitors to buy its beauty and unusual shapes. The museum looks at the time period of the unification of the United Arab Emirates.
Types of halls and exhibits
The Museum has many halls and will be discussed below.
The visitor’s pavilion has upper temporary exhibits that have mainly artworks and photography exhibitions.
- Main exhibition area: The main exhibit area has many sections, such as founding fathers, falaj, the road to unification, and cubes area, which is interactive and other sections.
- Cinema screen: There are two cinema screens, one is a hologram screen, and the other one is a cinema screen.
- Auditorium hall: There is the main auditorium in the museum that hosts events such as talks.
- Temporary exhibition: the temporary exhibition hall exhibits other areas that link to the time period of the unification or that has a close link with the country. In this hall, the museum has two shows per year.
Furthermore, there are eight pavilions devoted to different issues. Pavilion 1 demonstrates a documentary film about the UAE and its history. Pavilion 2 offers a unique panoramic map containing information about the area before the formation of the federation. The third pavilion shows visitors an interactive timeline with the key historical events before the appearance of the UAE. Pavilion 4 demonstrates an essential meeting between prominent persons of the UAE. Pavilion 5 suggests critical data related to the UAEs formation. Pavilion 6 outlines the basic challenges founders of the state had to overcome. Pavilion 7 is devoted to the UAE Constitution. Finally, the last area is a gallery that describes a new nation and its peculiarities.
Collection system
Etihad Museum is currently using an Emu cataloging system where they are able to add information for all of the collection they have from Digital photos, Videos, objects into one system that could be accessed by more than one user at a time. This system demonstrates the increased efficiency regarding the work with numerous objects that belong to this organization and their peculiarities. Additionally, the Emu cataloging system is characterized by enhanced stability, which is critical for the museum as it guarantees that no data will be lost.
In the system, the museum team is able to include all types of information such as loan agreements and also condition reports for any object that is already in the system. They are also able to print reports on all the collections. They are also able to add locations of the object, whether they are either in any of the exhibition halls or in one of the storages.
Another tool that the Emu cataloging system has is that the team could insert multimedia images for all of the collection they have, and it also gives the collection an accession number automatically. The system could also deaccession any object when necessary.
The museum management could easily track changes by who and when they are made, this helps identify much information when objects are requested. In such a way, the enhanced efficiency is achieved due to the implementation of the innovative Emu cataloging system and into the museums functioning.
Guidelines when showcasing
There are many points that Etihad museum considered in all of the exhibition areas, we will look at some:
To begin with, will look at the heights and accessibility of the exhibition cases for people that are on wheelchairs, the museum exhibits have the standard height were people on where chairs are able to maneuver the museum smoothly, they are also able to use all the interactive screens. In the cinema screens, there is a place for them in the front where they can easily access the space. The museum overall is very spacious that allows all visitors to move freely.
All of the collection that is on display is maintained once a week by the collection and exhibition department of the museum, this is done either before or after operating hours of the museum. This is because of many risks, such as health and safety.
Humidity
To guarantee that all exhibition objects remain in a perfect state, the Eithad museum uses a specific climate control system that creates an appropriate environment and maintains that needed level of humidity.
Temperature log
There is a small temperature meter in all of the cases, and collecting the temperature is written manual three times a week by the collection team member. This data collection process is essential for the functioning of the museum as there is a certain temperature profile that is needed to preserve the quality of all objects in the appropriate way.
Other exhibition halls are all logged automatically as there is a sensor in the ac tunnels that reads both the temperature and humidity for each hall and gives a reading every 12 hours.
Magnetic lock and keys
All of the showcases in the museum have magnetic locks and keys, and only the collection team has access to the showcase. It is one of the most outstanding security systems that are used to ensure that all objects are guarded.
Lights
There is no direct light in any of the showcases, there is track light in the museum and natural sunlight in the museum. At the same time, light could be considered a central element of the museums design as it combines innovative spirit and professionalism to create a unique impression. It also could be considered the way to demonstrate the mood of modernity and the need for change peculiar to the current society and art. Light also emphasizes the architectural elements of the museums building and interior for a visitor to enjoy a unique feeling. In such a way, light is one of the central aspects of the Etihad museum as it creates the buildings unique appearance.
Conservation of objects
The museum looks at the objects daily and if any special conservation is needed they call the conservation team to handle it. The team consists of competent and skilled specialists who choose the most appropriate approaches to conservation and guarantee that all exhibition objects will remain untouched during a certain period of time. It is fundamental for any museum that tries to save its collection.
Different methods used in show casing objects
Being one of the most prominent world exhibition centers, Etihad Museum provides numerous opportunities to use innovative solutions in show-casing objects. First, it displays films for visitors to enjoy an outstanding experience or atmosphere peculiar to a particular epoch and exhibit item. It also helps to explain the most important pieces of knowledge understandably. Second, Etihad museum introduces audio exhibits to guarantee that people will be able to acquire additional information about all objects presented there. These audio exhibits could be translated into different languages for representatives of other countries to be able to understand them.
Furthermore, numerous interactive screens provide historical information about exhibit items, peculiarities of their discovery, context, and civilization that managed to create it. Moreover, biographical pieces of data about prominent people are also presented using these interactive screens. Etihad museum also follows innovations and can guarantee the delivery of a unique experience to all visitors using holographic movies that depict various important events. It is one of the most outstanding technologies that are nowadays used in famous museums across the word and Etihad belong to this category.
The Storage is maintained twice a week by the collection team and checked daily the security man in charge of the storage. Only the collection team in the museum has access to all of the storages in the Museum and they are all have motion detectors, fire detectors and CCTV cameras 24/7. In general, it could be characterized as an innovative and well-equipped storage that provides a safe environment for all precious objects that should be stored.
Cursorial aspect for the museum
One of the central aims of the museum is to ensure that people will acquire new information about the culture and traditions of the UAE, its history, and main events. For this reason, its functioning presupposes the use of temporary exhibitions in different states to demonstrate the most important objects and inform people about their history. It is a critical element of any museum which results in the improved cooperation between people and the organization with the main aim to attract more visitors and interest them in Etihad museums functioning.
Curatorial for temporary exhibition
The museum is one of the central cultural objects in the area. For this reason, it tries to cultivate the further investigation of history, customs, and traditions of people who lived in this and other regions. Etihad museum provides other organizations with an opportunity to organize temporary exhibitions by providing numerous facilities needed to demonstrate objects and explain their cultural and historical value to people. Moreover, it tries to attract new partners with the primary aim to foster international cooperation and increase the level of visitors interest devoted to the museum and its functioning. For this reason, it plans to organize numerous temporary exhibition devoted to different themes.