New director at the Vogtland Museum plans digital offensive

3-D models of delicate exhibits or virtual protagonists: the new director of the Vogtland Museum in Plauen, Sebastian Dressel, is planning comprehensive digitization. "Given the diversity of our collections, we need to become much more modern and inclusive," he told the German Press Agency. The museum has four locations. The director estimates the size of the collection, which was created in the late 19th century through civic engagement and ranges from early history to the present day, at around half a million objects. One focus is on textile products, including "Plauen lace".

Much of the collection has not yet been properly inventoried, said Dressel. "Collections from the former lace museum or other collections still need to be recorded, photographed and assessed. Then they need appropriate storage." Dressel will be officially welcomed to his new post on Friday. His predecessor Martin Salesch will continue to support the institution as a research assistant.

Dressel has already been employed at the museum as Head of Collections for a year and a half. He was previously responsible for digitization at the Grassi Museum in Leipzig. "Interactive, digital offerings are expected by the public," emphasized the 39-year-old. Before his museum career, he worked in the IT sector.

One idea is to make the extensive collections visible to the public via internet platforms. There are also historical artefacts that people from the region identify with, for example from the textile industry. "If these are damaged and almost destroyed, we could bring them back to life using 3D models," said Dressel.

Artists or craftspeople from the past could also be resurrected virtually and engage in conversation with museum visitors. "Museums shouldn't overdo it when it comes to digitalization, but we clearly have room for improvement," explained Dressel. Inclusive services, such as accessibility and acoustics, should also be improved.

Dressel will take over the management of the main museum in Plauen city center as well as the "Factory of Threads", which only opened in November. This is a new museum complex dedicated to the city's textile industry. According to Dressel, 6000 visitors have already been welcomed there. The Hermann Vogel House in nearby Burgstein and the Jewish Cemetery Memorial in Plauen are also part of the Vogtland Museum, which has around 25 employees plus supervisory staff.