Reformed Exhibition

The Musée Internationale de la Réforme in Geneva is the world's only secular public institution dedicated to the influence of the Reformation on religion, society, economy and culture. In an 18th century palace, a new permanent exhibition of 12 rooms invites visitors to discover the history of the Reformation through precious historical objects but also colourful audio-visual installations.

An animated wall projection illustrates the geographical spread of Reformed Christians over the centuries. Important events appear anecdotally with dates, a world map shows the countries where most Protestants live today, and the different currents - Anglicans, Méthodists, Reformed, Lutherans - are distinguished in percentages. You get an overview in a nutshell.

Reformed faith practice worldwide is also shaped by music and visual culture. This can be experienced in a small room where chorales, gospel, but also spiritual pop music can be listened to. Coloured light reflections of all kinds also move through the room. The origin of this play of light is a mosaic of coloured glass elements that rotate around three vertical and five horizontal axes in front of the window.

The light source is not only daylight, but also a beamer. In addition to white and coloured light, it casts visual patterns and figurative elements onto the reflecting dichroic glass at the window. This creates a complex, moving play of light in the room. The light-sound installation develops in a cycle of eight minutes from a resting state, in which the glasses lie flat, to smaller movements to a constant, dynamic flow and back again.

In the basement you will find a theatre in miniature format, on whose stage animated historical figures from different epochs converse on religious topoi such as the Virgin Mary. It is framed by colour elements that reflect the scenographic system of the exhibition, as each of the eight rooms is drenched in its own colour.

The next room is also about theatrical expression, as scenes of various protests aimed at political and social renewal are shown on three free-hanging screens. Here, then, the idea of the Reformation is thematised beyond the purely religious context. The scenes are taken from historical documentaries and feature films, but also news broadcasts, and are shown in 16:9, 9:16 and 4:3 format.

The new exhibition of the Musée de la Réforme shows how relatively simple use of media can be used to create complex sensory experiences and informative spaces. Thus, the 18th century palace that houses the permanent exhibition shines in a new light.