Manchester Metropolitan University is to be part of a £420,000 project to develop Manchester Jewish Museum.
The project is to be funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund who are supporting the museum’s development plans which will result in a new museum extension that will house new galleries, learning and event spaces. The museum’s historic synagogue building will also be fully restored.
Development funding of £426,900 has also been awarded to help the museum progress their plans to apply for a full grant of £2.8million at a later date.
The museum plans to create a new visitor experience, exploring themes in its collection, such as immigration, integration and identity. New galleries will tell the story of Manchester’s Jewish community, including a dedicated gallery about the many Holocaust survivors that settled in Manchester. Volunteers will help catalogue and digitise the museum’s collection in a new archive room and new spaces will be developed with local Cheetham Hill communities to explore and celebrate Manchester’s diverse cultural heritage.
Dr Timothy Jung, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management, is developing an app for mobile devices which visitors could use as part of their experience.
Dr Jung said: “We are looking at many different ideas for the app, including ways we could ‘bring people back’ from the past. We are all very excited about being a part of this huge project.
“In previous projects, augmented reality has been used to tell personal stories from the past through overlaying of digital content onto the real environment. Using this approach can help Manchester Jewish Museum to bring its history to life while incorporating stories from the local community.”
Max Dunbar, Museum Chief Executive, said: “We’re looking forward to working with Manchester Metropolitan University on this exciting project, using the latest technology to bring to life the story of Manchester’s Jewish community and its oldest synagogue building.”
The University is the only academic institution working with the museum on the project, which also includes a museum extension housing new galleries, learning and event spaces. The museum’s historic synagogue building will also be fully restored.
Dr Jung said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Manchester Metropolitan University to get involved in research focussing on Manchester’s community.”
The research follows on from work carried out by Dr Jung last year into tourists’ use of augmented reality in Dublin, and the potential uses of Google Glass for museums, which was trialled at Manchester Art Gallery.
The museum is housed inside a former synagogue building, the oldest synagogue in Manchester. Built in 1874 by wealthy Jewish textile merchants, the museum now plans to fully restore the building’s architectural splendour to create a stunning new visitor experience.
