Chests, keyholes, and impossible bottles

The Museum of Ethnography's META space and recently opened collection exhibition hide more secrets than visitors could imagine. The caskets are filled with mysteries and games, mischievous animals peek out from behind keyholes, and the impossible bottle tests the patience of the most persistent explorers. It is a space where curiosity is the best ticket to enter, and where children, families and friends can experience new adventures together.

What do the chests conceal? What can be seen through the keyholes? Who can test themselves with the impossible? The META space and collection exhibition of the Museum of Ethnography have been supplemented with interactive solutions that not only entertain and educate the youngest visitors, but also allow them to discover the spaces from completely new perspectives.

Young and old alike can explore hidden corners, glimpse the invisible and test their own skills. The casket was originally a small, lockable box or container used in the past to store various small objects, valuables and mementos. In folk culture, it was often made of wood, metal or bone, and could be used for everyday purposes as well as for festive occasions. In the collection exhibition of the Museum of Ethnography, the casket takes on a new meaning: here, it does not preserve objects, but hides experiences. The magic of the boxes is revealed to visitors again and again in every section of the more than 3,000 square metre exhibition. These small doors conceal exciting games and interesting information related to the theme of each section of the exhibition, helping visitors to understand what they are seeing.

 When visitors glance through the small lenses, they can see them playing with the objects in the exhibition in various situations. While adults observe the details of the exhibition, children can discover secret worlds where every little movement tells a different story. The two animal figures are also brought to life in the illustrations of a storybook, in which readers can follow the two mischievous characters through the poems of József Keresztesi. The book can be purchased from the museum bookshop and online. (Please note that the book is only available in Hungarian.)

Meanwhile, the impossible bottle, located in the META space, tests perseverance and logic. The impossible bottle was originally a glass object containing meticulously crafted miniature scenes, churches, ships or everyday objects, which were assembled with extraordinary skill and patience through the narrow neck of the glass. Although the task seems simple when tried in the museum, in practice it requires strategic thinking.

All these developmental elements transform the collection exhibition and the META space into an interactive discovery tour, where visitors can actively engage with the exhibition material, learn from new perspectives and deepen their knowledge through personal experiences. With this special feature, the Museum of Ethnography proves that not only the META space but also the collection exhibition is a place where people of all ages can find an experience that speaks to them in their own language.

In a slightly different way, children and childhood memories are also the focus of the Archive of the Present (Jelenarchívum)'s latest Facebook campaign. The Facebook group for the Museum of Ethnography's community photo and story collection has announced a theme month dedicated to childhood memories. In August, they are looking for pictures and stories related to childhood, full of play, adventure and nostalgia.