How can we mobilize historical collections at the university in a dialogue about science and its history, involving a variety of local audiences?
We will discuss three interconnected projects concerned with preserving the heritage and history of physics at the University of Oslo in-situ, and engaging staff and students as their main publics and co-curators.
The projects cover the entire history of the Physics Department from its beginnings in the early 1800s, when the Physical Cabinet was built up as a teaching collection for lecture demonstrations, to contemporary times. The first project is the Study Magazine, where we exhibit parts of the Physical Cabinet of the University in their original 1935 cupboards behind the lecture theatre.
In the second project, we discuss Per Krohg's monumental mural painting 'The Atom in the Universe' (1935–1938) in the entrance hall of the Physics Building. This artwork is closely related to the instrument collection as well as the local scientific environment of the time and the transition from what became known as classical into modern physics.
In a third project, we present the history of the Department's 35 MeV variable energy cyclotron, commissioned in 1979, which is still running and facilitates the study of the structure of heavy atomic nuclei. We will discuss our experiences in collaborating with students and staff in the ongoing making of exhibitions in their open spaces.
About the speakers
Ida Margrethe Klingvall is project leader for exhibitions at the Museum for Science and University History. Roland Wittje is an Associate Professor at the same museum. Wittje's expertise includes the history of scientific instruments, collections, research technologies and scientific practice.