Four Virtual Museums and Immersive Experiences: UniTS Museum System Renews Itself

by InTrieste

The portal of the Museum System at the University of Trieste – smaTs [https://smats.units.it/] undergoes a transformation in its centenary year to make its collections accessible, strengthen ties with the local community, and ensure accessibility to its valuable heritage for scholars and researchers.

In collaboration with Erpac – Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, smaTs has initiated the digital cataloging of a significant portion of its heritage, now enhanced with immersive and interactive experiences in a completely redesigned graphical interface.

During the event “The University Museum System Portal: Between Research and Communication,” scheduled for Friday, December 1, at 2 PM in UniTS’ Aula Magna, all the updates will be presented.

Visitors to the site will have access to four virtual exhibitions, with the ability to navigate different rooms and interact with the displayed works:

1. “Gaetano Kanizsa – Scientist and Artist: My Peoples”
2. “The Centuries-Long Aspiration of the Giulia People: An Italian University in Trieste”
3. “A University Dear to the Hearts of Italians”
4. “Towards a New University Model: Modernity, Protest, Internationalization”

For those interested in specific themes, four narrative paths are offered:

1. “1953: The National Exhibition of Contemporary Italian Painting”
2. “The Library of the Institute for the Promotion of Small Industries”
3. “Keika Zuan: Kohen Jo”
4. “Remembering, Twenty Years Later”

Thanks to an easy and intuitive navigation system, users can also access numerous collections that will be further enriched in their digital version in the coming months.

Noteworthy is the extensive collection of plants and lichens at the University Herbarium Tergestinae, with 31,000 specimens already available for consultation, the Museum of Mineralogy and Petrography with 626 samples, the Kanizsa Fund with 75 drawings and sketches, and the entire University Art Gallery.

Established in 2004, smaTs is committed to preserving, enhancing, and promoting the cultural, scientific, and naturalistic heritage accumulated over a century at the University of Trieste. SmaTs is associated with ICOM, and the Collection-Museum of Mineralogy and Petrography is a member of the National Association of Scientific Museums (ANMS).