Exhibition: Pyskowice – City. E-publication available online at Municipal Centre for Culture and Art in Pyskowice, Poland

The permanent exhibition ‘Pyskowice City’ at the MOKiS Exhibition Centre in Pyskowice presents the rich history of the city’s post-war development and the importance of the Pyskowice railway junction in the years 1945 – 2005. The exhibition was created on the basis of unique archival materials, documents, photographs and private memorabilia, obtained thanks to cooperation with residents and local institutions.

Under the slogan ‘What they were and what they could have been – the town, the station, history’, the exhibition thoroughly documents the reconstruction of the market square, the urban development of the town and the construction of large housing estates. A special section is devoted to the history of the ‘Pyskowice Miasto’ railway station and the ambitious project to build the ‘Silesian Metro’.

The exhibition includes, among other things, archival photographs from the post-war expansion of the city, documentation of urban plans from the 1960s and 1970s, original information boards and platform signs, clocks and railway equipment from the former station, railway employee uniforms, local boards and railway infrastructure markings. The exhibition is complemented by a miniature sculpture by Stanisław Hochuła, whose history was discovered thanks to the efforts of Julia and Jarosław Słomski.

The project ‘Pyskowice Station • GOP Agglomeration and Museum Railway’, created in 2015, is the largest publicly available database on the history of Pyskowice, the local railway junction and the development of the agglomeration and museum railway in Upper Silesia.

The e-pub project was intended to provide online access to the exhibition, giving people with learning difficulties and physical limitations (including those unable to physically visit the exhibition) the opportunity to view the exhibition in an accessible format. The publication was also intended to complement the visitor experience for those using the audio guide.

• increasing the accessibility of the exhibition content to a wide audience
• facilitating the reception of information for people with learning difficulties
• ensuring a consistent visual and textual narrative
• use of the developed audio material in the form of interactive e-pub elements
• promoting local history and railway heritage in a modern, digital form

The e-publication was developed by the ARTeria Foundation team in close cooperation with MOKIS and Stacja Pyskowice employees, who provided all the necessary information, materials, etc., and also participated in the editing process. A special photo shoot was prepared and conducted for the purposes of developing the tool.

The ARTeria Foundation team includes people specialising in, among other things, designing exhibitions and experiences related to art or historical exhibitions, graphic design, composing and arranging music, including the selection of background music, as well as IT specialists, including those specialising in the preparation of publications in e-pub and other formats.

ARTeria has extensive experience in:

• preparing educational materials
• creating accessible digital materials
• ensuring the integration of various digital formats
• including developed audio material, and knowledge of the principles of inclusivity

The partners were able to ensure the professional integration of visual material with digital tools, while maintaining the principles of accessibility and readability of content.

The e-pub was developed as a digital preview version of the exhibition, available online, divided into sections corresponding to individual display cases and objects. Selected exhibits are presented in more detail (photographs), while the entire exhibition is described in summary form – due to the planned volume and the specific nature of the target group. It contains photographs, urban plans, descriptions of objects and selected excerpts from previously prepared audio recordings.

• narration in simple, accessible language
• short texts with illustrations
• additional contextual comments explaining the history of the city and the railway
• interactive audio buttons allowing users to listen to excerpts from the narration

• e-pub format compatible with tablets, smartphones and e-book readers
• integration of audio recordings
• options to enlarge text and change contrast for people with visual impairments (on the device)
• navigation in the form of an easy-to-understand section map

The e-pub is based on existing exhibition materials, photographs, urban plans and archival documents, as well as a previously prepared audio guide script. A special photo session was prepared and carried out for the purposes of developing this tool.

• the need to adapt the content to the requirements of e-pub and ensure full accessibility
• synchronisation of visual content with audio recordings
• simplification of some descriptions to make them understandable to people with learning difficulties

• segmentation of content into short chapters corresponding to individual display cases
• inclusion of audio fragments from the audio guide in the form of interactive buttons
• use of legible typography, large illustrations and a user-friendly interface
• user testing in a group of people with learning difficulties and sensory accessibility issues

The reception of the e-pub was very positive. Testers appreciated the simplicity of navigation, the legibility of the materials and the possibility of listening to audio clips. The publication enabled people with learning difficulties to learn about the history of the city and the exhibition on their own, even without visiting the Exhibition Centre. The tool is available in three languages: Polish, English, and German.

The e-pub significantly increased the accessibility of the exhibition and can serve as a valuable supplement to traditional sightseeing. The implementation of digital versions of exhibitions is recommended, especially for educational and historical exhibitions and for people with learning difficulties. Overly complicated interfaces and excessively long blocks of text should be avoided.
The use of existing audio recordings from the audio guide proved to be very effective. The partners provided professional substantive support. The project proved that the integration of digital publications with audio materials can significantly enrich the visitor experience and make the exhibition more accessible to a wide audience.