Exposition Mémoires d'Egypte, Strasbourg, France

Overview & Synopsis

The ‘Memories of Egypt’ exhibition-show devoted to Jean-François Champollion was presented in Strasbourg, Paris and Berlin between 1990 and 1991. The itinerary developed themes around Champollion's life and work: Bonaparte's Egyptian Campaign, the deciphering of hieroglyphics, the birth of Egyptology, Champollion's journey to Egypt, and so on. Visitors moved from the tent of the Egyptian army, to a desert setting, to the hypostyle hall, and finally into the labyrinth of the treasure of Amanishakheto, Queen of Meroe. The narrative of the exhibition was supported by a series of short films and a soundtrack that visitors picked up using infra-red headphones. This production mobilised directors, actors, film crews, natural settings and studios to produce historical mini-fictions that helped to introduce the first digital technologies to museum outreach.