EDUCATION CULTURE AND HERITAGE
Old Fort Visitor Experience
Constitution Hill
The Old Fort on the Constitution Hill precinct has undergone a visitor experience upgrade, designed and crafted by formula D_. The new exhibitions use technology and innovative design to showcase a pertinent part of SA’s history and journey to democracy.
The Old Fort on the Constitution Hill precinct has undergone a visitor experience upgrade, designed and crafted by formula D_. The new exhibitions use technology and innovative design to showcase a pertinent part of SA’s history and journey to democracy.
Formerly known as the Johannesburg Jail, the Old Fort housed white male political and common law prisoners, as well as a number of prominent political inmates, including South African Communist Party leader, Joe Slovo and former president Nelson Mandela – The Fort’s only black prisoner, who was deemed too influential to be housed with black prisoners at the Awaiting Trial Block.
As one of the country’s main tourist attractions, telling its countless stories well for local and international guests to relate and understand the role it played in the country’s road to democracy remains a fundamental requirement. To ensure the Old Fort remains attractive to the public and to enhance its rich heritage innovatively, award-winning interactive exhibit design firm formula D_ has been commissioned to lead the visitor experience upgrade. The company is known for making history accessible and fun using interactive technologies and game design.
formula D_ CEO, Michael Wolf, says the upgrade, which includes a replica Howitzer Cannon, will provide visitors with a curious, self-guided experience; an opportunity to engage physically with the history of the site through audio-visual storytelling, game-like activities, and the punctuated use of cutting edge technology, like a hologram of Joe Slovo, bringing him back to life in a cell.
“Many museums in South Africa struggle to get feet through the door, because their traditional fashion of presenting content doesn’t work for their audiences anymore. formula D uses technology and good storytelling and asks questions that encourage the audience to build their own opinions. At the Old Fort, our intention is to unlock the site’s history in manners that encourage critical thinking for visitors of various age groups and educational backgrounds”, Wolf says.
