Från koppar till Facit – berättelsen om Åtvidaberg (From Copper to Facit – The History of Åtvidaberg)
What makes a place, a town, a municipality, a community? Is it buildings, roads, houses, and homes? Ideas, thoughts, and politics? Or is it the people who live there, their daily routines and celebrations, work and leisure? The truth is: it’s a little of everything.
From Copper to Facit is the first permanent exhibition at the new Åtvidaberg Museum in central Åtvidaberg. The exhibition traces the town’s history from the 15th century to the present day, with a particular focus on 19th-century mining and the 20th-century Facit era — two periods that shaped Åtvidaberg more than any others.
The exhibition brings history to life through constructed environments, photographs, video, and text. Its focus is on creating a connection to the past by highlighting the people who lived there. Their stories form a narrative thread that visitors can follow from past to present. The photographic material is complemented by immersive environments, sound, and video. Information is conveyed through multiple senses: visitors experience history not only through sight, but also through touch and hearing.
Since the exhibition space is an old factory with its own cultural and historical value, we developed a design that keeps the space open and allows the building itself to play a central role. A custom-designed modular system in wood and metal functions both as display surfaces and as part of the constructed environments, maintaining openness while allowing for easy updates of text and images, new themes, or revised content as discoveries are made.
The exhibition has two tracks — one for children and one for adults. The children’s track is designed so that even the youngest visitors can engage with and connect to the historical events presented. Simple text, sound, and hands-on exploration of the environments — for example, a mine recreated within the exhibition — provide a playful introduction to history.
The exhibition was created in collaboration with Anders Ristenstrand for Föreningen Brukskultur. We were responsible for all aspects of the project, including exhibition design, graphic design, illustrations, films, text, and printed materials.
The exhibition opened in spring 2025.
Role: Producer, Exhibition design, Illustration, Film and Text
Type: Exhibition
Year: 2025
For: Föreningen Brukskultur
For more information, visit Åtvidaberg Museum
Anna Öst 