2013-2023: A journey full of "light"
The City of Athens Industrial Gas Museum, the first industrial Museum in Athens, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The “hottest” cultural venue in the city, having welcomed more than 150,000 visitors of all ages, is turning ten.
On the occasion, it has prepared a series of events and happenings besides its regular program, reflecting its multifaceted character and openness. A conference on industrial heritage, afternoon tours for adults, industrial routes in the city, a concert, a two-day event dedicated to children, and the enrichment of the Museum’s exhibition with new exhibits are all occasions to re-discover the Museum.
Conference on industrial heritage
On Saturday, March 4, the “Gas-working together: New perspectives” one-day conference, held in Technopolis, was a huge success. It focused mainly on the reuse of industrial heritage in Europe. Distinguished scientists, academics, professionals and representatives of cultural institutions from seven European countries investigated how gas installations can become an integral part of the urban fabric and levers of development for cities through their transformation into cultural and technological venues, presenting case studies including the Industrial Gas Museum which is a leading example of reuse.
The conference was co-organised by the Civil Non-Profit Company “Vault of Industrial Digital Archives” (V.I.D.A.) under the auspices of the Greek Chapter of the International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (T.I.C.C.I.H.) and the Greek Chapter of ICOM Greece.
You can watch the conference HERE.
Afternoon Guided Tours for adults
From March to November, the IGM team invites adult visitors to rediscover the Museum through guided afternoon tours with “early drinks” and free participation. From 19.00 to 21.00, visitors will tour the facilities of the gas plant, come in contact with its smells, listen to the stories of its workers through audio evidence and touch the equipment that remains intact on site.
The guided tours will take place on Thursday, March 30; April 6, 20 and 27; May 11, 18 and 25; October 5 and 19; and November 2.
Industrial routes in the City
From April to October, the IGM team, in collaboration with Yiannis Stogiannidis, Assistant Professor of History at the University of West Attica, and the Civil Non-Profit Company Monumenta, organise four industrial walks with two different themes, one for adults and one for families with children from 12 years old. The industrial routes, inspired by the gas plant, will familiarise participants with modern architecture, industrial heritage and the reuse of industrial monuments in the heart of the City while revealing unknown aspects and secrets of the City’s modern history.
The industrial routes will take place on Sunday, April 23, May 21, September 24, and October 22.
2023: A Year of Celebrations
Concert
Our big, fun party is an important landmark of the anniversary activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of IGM. The Museum’s birthday was celebrated on Saturday, May 20, inaugurating the summer concert period in Technopolis. The acclaimed artist Vassilikos took the stage and presented his new project, “The Grand Duet”, which he shares with George Triantafyllou. Their idea was born before the quarantine and realised after the end of it, with all the energy and passion following the time of isolation.
The two of them took us to an unforgettable musical experience through their favourite Raining Pleasure songs, covers of iconic songs from “Vintage” (2009), while the references to “Sunday Cloudy Sunday” (2013) covered by Vassilis Tsitsanis brought their own subversive character to the concert. In addition, of course, we enjoyed his latest album “Amazing Grey” (2019), which has a special place in the “The Grand Duet” concerts of Vassilikos, creating a pop atmosphere with dark touches that mesmerised the audiences.
More than 150,000 visitors, hundreds of cultural and educational events, partnerships, awards and openness are just a few of the things we have achieved in the past 10 years, and they are all reasons to celebrate
A two-day event dedicated to children
The anniversary program culminates with a festive two-day happening dedicated to children and the faithful audience of families who have visited the Museum from its “birth” until today. So, on the weekend of October 14 and 15, children can enjoy their favourite educational activities, such as art workshops, dance and STEAM workshops, theatrical performances and many more. Favourite partners of the IGM, artistic teams, educational robotics experts and experienced pedagogues will be there throughout this fantastic weekend “strictly” dedicated to children!
Augmented Reality Application “Athens IndustRy”
Looking into the future, the IGM extends its routes by including in the last stop, the New Watergas, the innovative augmented reality application (AR) “Athens IndustRy” that aims to offer an exciting journey into the world of the city’s industrial history in an interactive way. In the tallest building of Technopolis, which today operates as an Observatory offering a 360-degree view of Athens, visitors are introduced, with the help of technology, to iconic industries of Athens dating from the post-revolutionary years until the 20th century. By downloading the application and following the instructions placed on site, visitors discover emblematic buildings of the city through three-dimensional representations, interactive elements and hitherto unknown information.
Athens IndustRy was designed by Artfygio in collaboration with the Industrial Gas Museum and the Information Management Research Lab of the Department of Archival, Library and Information Studies of the School of Administrative, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of West Attica. It is implemented under the auspices and funding of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
New exhibits in the Museum’s collection
The IGM enriches its collection with two new exhibits, two stamps of the French factory management (1900-1937). At the same time, digitising the lamplighter’s itinerary book (1930) allows visitors to digitally “leaf through” it with the aid of a brand-new video. Furthermore, a series of audio evidence with memories and voices of the workers have been placed in specific parts of the factory, offering a more vivid and “humane” version of the information. The audio evidence is activated with a sensor, surprising visitors, adding a new exhibit and, simultaneously, a new interpretative means of the exhibition. In addition, the favourite video series, “Object Stories”, created during the pandemic, is “transferred” to a natural space. Finally, through QR codes dispersed here and there, visitors discover the history of selected exhibits through narratives.
10 χρόνια ΒΜΦ σε αριθμούς
Στην πρώτη μας δεκαετία, έχουμε σχεδιάσει και υλοποιήσει:
10 εικαστικές και ιστορικές εκθέσεις, 10 διαφορετικές θεματικές ξεναγήσεις για μαθητές, οικογένειες, ενήλικες και ειδικές ομάδες κοινού (θεατρικές, οικογενειακές, διαδραστικές ξεναγήσεις για τυφλούς, άτομα με μειωμένη όραση ή/και άτομα με προβλήματα ακοής στη νοηματική γλώσσα, ξενάγηση μετά μουσικής, ξεναγήσεις στα αγγλικά κ.ά), 3 θεματικά late-night events για ενήλικες.
250 Σαββατοκύριακα με εικαστικά εργαστήρια και εκπαιδευτικές δράσεις για όλη την οικογένεια, 30 διαφορετικά εκπαιδευτικά προγράμματα για σχολικές ομάδες, 9 summer camps με διαφορετική θεματική κάθε χρονιά.
Από τον φθινόπωρο ως την άνοιξη, τουλάχιστον 200 μαθητές όλων των βαθμίδων μας επισκέπτονται κάθε μέρα, ενώ από το 2021 το ΒΜΦ «ταξιδεύει» στα σχολεία της Αττικής και της επαρχίας μέσα από μία εκπαιδευτική μουσειοβαλίτσα που περιλαμβάνει 4 διαφορετικές εκπαιδευτικές δραστηριότητες για παιδιά του Δημοτικού.
130 θεατρικά κείμενα έχουν γραφτεί με θέμα την ιστορία του εργοστασίου φωταερίου και 21 έχουν παρασταθεί με φυσικό σκηνικό τα κτίρια και τα μηχανήματα του παλιού εργοστασίου.
Η πρώτη δεκαετία του Βιομηχανικού Μουσείου Φωταερίου είναι μια διαδρομή γεμάτη πρωτότυπες μουσειακές πρακτικές και καινοτόμες δράσεις, ανεκτίμητες συνεργασίες, εξωστρέφεια, σημαντικές διακρίσεις, συγκινητικές στιγμές, εκατοντάδες πολιτιστικές και εκπαιδευτικές εκδηλώσεις, χιλιάδες μικρούς και μεγάλους επισκέπτες, αμέτρητα παιδικά χαμόγελα. Είναι μια διαδρομή γεμάτη «φως».
The first decade of the Industrial Gas Museum has been a journey full of original museum practices and innovative actions, invaluable partnerships, openness, important distinctions, moving moments, hundreds of cultural and educational events, thousands of visitors of all ages, and countless children’s smiles. In other words, it was… a journey full of light.
10 years IGM in numbers
The IGM has designed and implemented:
10 visual and historical exhibitions, 10 different thematic tours for students, families, grownups and particular audiences (theatrical, family, interactive tours for blind people, people with visual impairments and/or people with hearing impairments in sign language, music tours, guided tours in English, etc.), 3 thematic late-night events for adults.
250 weekends with art workshops and educational activities for the whole family, 30 different educational programs for school groups, and 9 summer camps with a different theme each year.
From autumn to spring, at least 200 students of all levels visit the Museum daily. At the same time, from 2021, the Museum “visits” the schools of Attica and the regions through an educational museum suitcase that includes 4 different educational activities for primary school children.
130 theatrical texts have been written on the history of the gas plant, and 21 have been presented with the buildings and machinery of the old factory as a natural background.
All events in the framework of the 10th-anniversary are carried out with FYSIKO AERIO – Hellenic Energy Company as their primary sponsor. In Addition, Brown Hotels was the hospitality sponsor of the “Gas-working together: New Perspectives” conference.
