Saga - 2003, Page 68

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EGGERT ÞÓR BERNHARÐSSON
Byggðasafn Árnesinga í Húsinu á Eyrarbakka. Vefslóð: http://www.
husid.com/islenska.html.
Byggðasafn Rangæinga og Vestur-Skaftfellinga í Skógum. Véfslóð: http:/ /www.
skogasafn.is.
Byggðasafn Vestmannaeyja. Vefslóð: http://www.vestmannaeyjar.is/~bsafn/
byggdasafn.
Geysisstofa. Vefslóð: http://www.geysircenter.com.
Kaupfélagssafnið á Hvolsvelli. Vefslóð: http://www.islandia.is/~njala/
saga.htm. —» Kaupfélags- og veiðisafn.
Rjómabúið Baugsstöðum. Vefslóð: http://www.husid.com/rjomabu.html.
Sjóminjasafnið á Eyrarbakka. Vefslóð: http://www.husid.com/sjominjasafn.
html.
Þuríðarbúð. Vefslóð: http://www.south.is/husid/thuridarbud.html.
Summary
HISTORY ON DISPLAY
A tour ofmuseums and exhibitions in Iceland 2002-2003
The author visited almost 80 Icelandic museums and special exhibitions in 2002
and 2003 to study their presentation of the past. The conclusions drawn are
reported in this article, classified on the basis of the opposing pairs: designed
exhibition/open storage, thematic orientation/chronological orientation,
past/present, emotional experience/intellectual experience, extensive written
text/limited written text, and simple communication/ multi-faceted communi-
cation.
An awakening has occurred in museum and exhibition presentation in
Iceland during the past two decades. More thought is given to design and pres-
entation than before, although there are still exhibitions which are like an "open
storage". By far the largest number of exhibitions in Iceland can be classified as
an intellectual experience, since their main emphasis is on traditional instruction,
most often in the form of an interaction of text with other material, with scenar-
ios of various types gaining in importance. Providing an overall emotional ex-
perience, however, is the aim of a few exhibitions, which have been the focus of
considerable attention.
Local museums generally place their main emphasis on rural agricultural
society, together with former fishing and fish processing methods. The history
they exhibit usually does not extend past the pre-World War II era. The growing
number of special museums and centres, however, has extended the scope of
exhibitions substantially and moved historical material further into the 20th cen-
tury, with the result that it appeals to a more varied group of visitors.