Museums are only attracting 6% of the visitors they normally would before the pandemic, leading a heritage NGO to think outside the box – and set up window displays that showcase artefacts so that people don’t have to physically enter the premises.

Anyone passing by the Malta at War Museum at Couvre Porte in Vittoriosa will stumble upon its Window on History. They will be able to view a vast collection of civilian wartime gas masks, until now hidden in storage, from the safety of the outdoors.

The new concept was born of the fact that numbers have dwindled but it was already a seed before COVID-19 broke out, said FWA chairman Mario Farrugia.

“The idea behind the focused exhibition is also to appeal to non-museum goers, who would be passing by and can learn something.

“We always wanted to reach out to those members of the public who were unwilling to pay to visit a museum; to get to those who would not come in.

“And this is also an ideal way of using artefacts that are stored away in FWA’s reserve collection so that people can enjoy them,” Farrugia said.

That collection runs into thousands of pieces, covering 200 years of British rule in Malta.

The first window exhibition at the Malta at War Museum is “directly influenced” by the coronavirus situation, and more specifically, the daily wearing of face masks, “in line with what we are experiencing today”.

Among the 42 artefacts in the capsule display of gas masks is a rare infant American version – a sort of rubber envelope in which the child would be slid and covered from head to toe.

The idea behind the focused exhibition is also to appeal to non-museum goers

They also include a unique cot, which has a transparent cover and is fitted with an air pump, so the baby would have been sealed inside and could breathe.

Apart from other rare German gas masks, the varied collection hails from some 25 countries – from Japan to Hungary and Malta – collected through purchases and donations over a span of 30 years and still growing.

The idea is that the theme of the exhibitions, which will each last four months, will be related to current times, but not always of a military nature.

FWA is mulling the idea of focusing on curfews and lockdowns next, although the subject is somewhat abstract: it has yet to see if it has enough material.

The concept of the window displays is not new overseas, with museums on main thoroughfares embarking on these projects before COVID-19 struck, Farrugia said.

Of course, museums would need some sort of a window to be able to implement the idea. Luckily, the entrance to the Couvre Porte site had recently been changed, with the more visible of its many doors being used instead.

This meant the old entrance, opening onto a small box room, could be used for the display, and a glass door was inserted to be able to look through.

So far, the wooden doors are shut in the evening but Farrugia is aware of lots of passing trade under normal circumstances and would consider keeping the Window on History open and lit until late when normality resumes.

Social-distancing measures have meant guided tours are down to a minimum and audio guides are used as much as possible, Farrugia said, agreeing that museums need to reinvent themselves.

He maintains they have been among the worst-hit institutions in the pandemic, with restrictions, lack of tourism and money, as well as the public’s reluctance to go out all chipping away at them.

“We have ideas but we need money to keep our sites alive,” he said, referring to a crowdfunding initiative that has collected €18,000 in 10 days.

The first Window on History exhibition is complete with an informative interpretation panel, artefacts are labelled and visitors can buy a catalogue for €2, which is the only source of income from this project.

Donations to FWA can be made through crowdfunding: https://gogetfunding.com/malta-heritage-fund/; direct bank transfer to Bank of Valletta, IBAN: MT97VALL22013000000040017232740 BIC: VALLMTMT; or Pay Pal on https://www.wirtartna.org/making-a-donation.html

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