Jonathan Marks responds to our article on new ideas for an Eindhoven based Technology Museum. Mayor Rob van Gijzel thinks a “traveling museum” and a local “phenomenon route” would serve the city best. Marks says: first of all, take a good look elsewhere, there is a lot to learn from other museums. The real solution might very well lie in collaborative spaces like De Kazerne.
Great technology comes as a result of great people collaborating on a shared goal. It is ecosystem driven not location driven. I would look at the new National Military Museum in Soest for inspiration. I would also learn from experiences of people who run the computer-history museum in California, science museum in London, or NEMO in Amsterdam.
I think you’ll find that a permanent collection or a house of the future concept no longer has the same attraction. Eindhoven is clearly the city of invention, but there seems to be an overemphasis on the incandescent light bulb.
Eindhoven started the first international broadcasts in 1925, had the largest radio factory on the planet, championing broadcast technology as well as inventing and perfecting recorded sound.
Eindhoven is good at organising “firework displays” – like Glow, DDW and DTW. But it is poor at keeping the story alive for the other 49 weeks of the year. I think the solution lies in collaborative spaces like Kazerne which celebrate the heritage, but at the same time look forward to next great invention.
