Museums, once bustlingculture with schoolchildren admiring artefacts, lie silent. Catacombs, forts and palaces, usually brimming with life, are now still and eerie. The closure of our sites and museums has dealt a blow to what drives us – seeing present and future generations come in direct contact with our national heritage.
Thankfully, our team at Heritage Malta has risen to the challenge brought upon us by the spread of COVID-19, and we are learning to quickly adapt to the new normal.
We are more than aware that there is nothing quite like the museum experience, especially the interactive, multisensory experiences we have managed to create in those sites and museums entrusted to us.
The present circumstances have denied us all that wonderful experience, but that does not mean that the Heritage Malta team has thrown in the towel.
On the contrary, we have amped up our efforts to offer the next best experience – the virtual experience, lived from the comfort of your own home.
Before the pandemic, the digital transformation of our entire structure was already on our mind.
From the implementation of management information systems and collaborative workspaces through video conferencing tools, the agency’s strategy was that of creating a workplace ready for the challenges – and opportunities – of 2020 and beyond. The sudden change brought about by the virus proved our aims right and considerably sped up the process in getting there.
Likewise, the digitisation of our entire collection was also in the works, which is why, less than a month after we were forced to close our physical doors, we have managed to open wide our virtual ones.
Before the pandemic, the digital transformation of our entire structure was already on our mind
Thanks to our professionals’ dedication, Heritage Malta can now offer access to over 35 stunning locations, complete with facts and photographs; innumerable resources, including lectures and video productions, as well as interactive, child-friendly content to educate and entertain. All this is just an internet connection away, on our revamped website.
Here is where I find the silver lining to the crisis. Despite our best efforts, some sites will never be accessible to all. From non-wheelchair friendly sites to ones with highly delicate microclimates, it is a fact that, sometimes, preservation must win over accessibility.
This does not apply in the virtual realm. Be it the sensitive chambers of the Hypogeum or the narrow corridors of St Paul’s Catacombs or even the underwater resting places of the HMS Olympus or the SS Polynesian, anyone can now click through to explore them fully, irrespective of age, ability or origin.
Our website, therefore, goes beyond documenting our heritage. In collaboration with Google Arts and Culture, we created virtual tours – best experienced through virtual reality technology – which include audio guides. We want to educate but also inspire a genuine connection with our national identity and heritage.
The digitisation process has also allowed us to reach out to a younger audience. Social media users may have noticed a higher level of activity on our pages and profiles – we love to create interactive and engaging content for all, but especially for children.
Beyond our social media interaction, the website will also host various competitions and challenges as well as a fully digitised collection of educational material, in line with national curricula, for our teachers and parents.
Necessity is the mother of invention and, with our curators ‘in limbo’, we have shifted their focus towards the production of a ‘Curator’s Tour’ series, which will include fascinating and educational guides to our sites as well as themes such as ‘a day in the life’ and ‘memorable events’ among others.
There is an unbreakable bond between our society and our own heritage. It has shaped us and continues to shape our collective future.
At Heritage Malta, we believe that our current period of isolation only heightens the need to reconnect with our roots, and find solace, but also inspiration, for the better times ahead.
Noel Zammit, Heritage Malta CEO