Minister of Culture: ITB Museum Sets New National Standard for Museology

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has assessed that the presence of the ITB Museum, located on the 4th floor of the Sasana Budaya Ganesha (Sabuga) Building in Bandung, brings a new standard to national museology because it successfully adopts advanced digital technology akin to world-class museums. The museum, officially opened by Fadli Zon on Friday, aims to present a modern educational space based on science, technology, art, and interactive innovation that is accessible to the general public. “The digital intervention is already very extensive, immersive, and so on. Hopefully, this can serve as an example for other museums, both university museums and museums in general,” said Fadli Zon after the inauguration, which was part of the 106th Anniversary of Higher Education in Engineering in Indonesia (PTTI). Fadli Zon added that the concept championed by ITB is in line with the president’s focus on strengthening the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) sector. According to ITB, the museum was designed through the hard work of a Board of Initiators from cross-disciplinary sciences since 2018. Starting from an archive digitalisation project to save historical documents, this initiative has now transformed into a sophisticated physical space divided into four main zones. The four zones include the ITB Historical Roots Zone, the Research and Education Enlightenment Trail Zone, the Campus Life Through the Ages Zone, and the Future Inspiration Zone, which is equipped with a temporary exhibition space for cross-disciplinary collaboration. The main attraction that most distinguishes this museum from similar facilities in the country is the presence of a 360° Dome Theatre facility. This technology offers a cinematic immersive experience through a blend of cutting-edge visuals and audio, allowing visitors to directly experience the journey of the campus’s history and simulations of world scientists’ research. “We designed this museum for all groups. Children can interact, parents can also learn, perhaps there are seniors who want to reminisce. So, this is actually a cross-generational meeting space that is also a learning space,” said Tatacipta. The museum’s opening procession was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Rector of ITB alongside a number of national figures and strategic partners, including Sinta Wahid, Dato’ Low Tuck Kwong, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Yani Panigoro, Subakat Hadi, and art maestro Nyoman Nuarta.