Photo Story Measina Show and Tell

Can virtual meetups become the future of museum storytelling?

The Measina Show and Tell series is a new experiential format to connect with our colleagues in Samoa. Unlike a single visit, a virtual series of meetings are organised, experiencing different parts of the museum’s collections. It is visually stimulating and interactive giving a feeling of connection and collaboration.

Experts from the Centre for Samoan Studies at the National University of Samoa shared their perspectives on topics, materials and treasures. You can experience the carousel of photographs from the sessions.

Learn more about the stories from the “Blue Continent”

Aiga Niualuga and Mitiana Arbon from our team were the hosts for the meetings, where we met with our Samoan partners via Zoom late in the evening or very early in the morning due to the time difference.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

A view of the room with display cabinets, two people, objects and technical equipment — Before each session, the objects were prepared by the conservators. Shortly before the start of the workshop, we consider how best to move around the room with the camera so that everything works smoothly.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

There is an administration on both sides to ensure that everything runs smoothly. To ensure that everyone can follow the discussions and ask questions, the sessions are moderated in the chat and translated from English into Samoan and back.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

Everything is ready for our first “Measina Show and Tell” session: the screening can start – hopefully everything will work, especially the internet connection on both sides of the world.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, Foto: Volker Beinhorn

Two wooden coconut shells are held up to the camera — In the first session, we wanted to give our Samoan partners an overview of the diversity of the collection. Kava cups, made from coconut, are shown and held up to the camera.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

Two people wearing white gloves are holding a wooden bowl towards the camera — A special, square kava bowl with decorations is examined more closely. We discuss the shapes of the inlays on the bowl rim with the guests in the conference room of the National University of Samoa.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

Three people are sitting on the floor next to a display cabinet containing a model of a house — During the screening, the team tries to get as close as possible to the objects and show details. Mitiana Arbon describes the interior of the model of a guest house in the showcase in the foam magazine.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

Close-up of a wooden boat with hands, featuring carved lettering on it — At the session on fishing and hooks, the boat models and the inscriptions that can be seen on them were an important topic.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, Foto: Volker Beinhorn

On the screen of a mobile device, you can see a close-up of a fishing rod — This device, known in our database as a “lure”, is part of a device for fishing for squid. It has inspired many stories and Samoan tales.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

A room with display cabinets in the background; two people standing in front of a table with objects such as fish traps, boats and equipment — Together we tried to find out how the individual devices, e.g. this fish trap, were used.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, Foto: Volker Beinhorn

On the screen of a mobile device (tablet), you can see hands wearing white gloves examining a mat — We dedicated an entire session to weaving mats and also talked about the plant-based materials. All the senses were involved: What does the mat smell like? Which one feels softer?
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

Close-up of a mobile device screen featuring a braided border — In addition to the materials, the production – here of a woven mat – was particularly exciting. By zooming in, we were able to talk about the details, even though not everyone could be there.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

A mat being unfolded by several hands wearing white gloves; a label can also be seen — The conservator unfolds the mat so that we can see its fine structure. The historical labels also stimulate discussion. They show the classification made by collectors at the beginning of the 20th century.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

Two people are laying out a large piece of fabric on a table — We were all particularly impressed by the session on siapo (bark cloth) from Samoa. The pieces were laid out one after the other by Mitiana Arbon and Aiga Niualuga. One pattern was wilder and more colorful than the next.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

A table covered with a piece of fabric; behind it, two people wearing white gloves — Larger Siapo and smaller components are placed on the table and the samples are streamed into the conference room in Samoa using the iPad’s camera.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, Foto: Volker Beinhorn

A colourful piece of fabric is unfurled by two people wearing white gloves — The patterns of the Siapo are so varied and the colours so different. We discuss the significance of the patterns with the guests in the conference room in Samoa.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

A tablet screen and the person filming; on the screen, you can see a close-up of an object — Again, we try to show the details in close focus – in the conference room in Samoa, the guests tell us what they would like to see in more detail. There is a lot of discussion.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

In the session on Siapo, we also went into the textile depot with the camera and showed how the textiles are stored.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, Foto: Volker Beinhorn

People standing in front of a drawer containing wooden objects; one of them is filming — During the sessions, we give our partner a virtual tour of the visible storage facility, which is open to the public. Many objects are located in pull-out drawers.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

Hands wearing white gloves, holding a labelled roll towards the camera — At the beginning of the 20th century, materials were also collected to document how things were made.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, Foto: Volker Beinhorn

Two people are each holding a wooden club; in the background is a display cabinet containing more wooden clubs — How does it feel, how heavy is it? Aiga Niualuga and Mitiana Arbon try out how well the clubs fit in their hands.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn

Find more stories …

As part of preparing our permanent exhibition “The Blue Continent—Islands in the Pacific,” we’ve built networks and collected stories. There are more stories to discover here!