Heritage Malta are in the early stages of developing a major exhibition for 2023 on the topic of Capital Punishment. For this, the Digitisation Department will be developing interpretation tools and experiences that permit an interactive approach to this contentious topic. The nature of the exhibition has not yet been finalised – which is where we invite your contributions.

For the recent Giorgio Preca exhibition at MUŻA, the Digitisation Department developed interactive digital installations that revealed aspects of the work of this modern artist in ways that static displays cannot. During this exhibition we ran several focus groups with the public, many of whom included students aged 18-25. Through these discussions we discovered insights that we can directly apply to future exhibitions.

However, for the Capital Punishment exhibition we would like to involve young audiences much earlier in the project, during the planning stages, to brainstorm how this exhibition can better engage you and meet your needs. We would like to meet with you in focus groups as the project develops – once in the pre-planning phase, once during the later planning stages, and again when it is launched – in order to develop a co-design approach that can incorporate and adapt to your suggestions and feedback.

By involving audiences in the very early stages of the exhibition design we are truly putting the visitor at the very centre of the HM experience and ensuring you are part of us.

The first pre-exhibition focus groups are being held during the evenings of 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July. You will be placed into a group in one of these slots, lasting around an hour. The focus groups are taking place at the Gran Salon Hall, National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta. Please feel free to apply as a small group of friends or relatives.