The Holon Children’s Museum, located just outside of Tel Aviv, widely regarded as one of the Middle East’s most popular educational museums and home to the highly-popular “Dialogue in the Dark” and “Invitation to Silence” exhibits has opened a third chapter in the series called “Dialogue with Time” which opens this September and is suitable for children of 12 years old and above.

Incorporating the Museum’s trademark form of interactive education utilizing blind, deaf and now elderly guides, the exhibits work to instill within visitors an appreciation for the challenges of the handicapped. The exhibit works to be both fun and educational with a combination of simulations and hands- on aspects together with discussions and games led by museum guides – all of whom are over the age of 70.

Museum visitors are invited to simulate the experiences of the elderly in a room that presents numerous “physical challenges” that come with age like coping with reduced muscle strength and memory and hearing loss. The exhibit stresses a highly interactive approach with the guides wherein visitors are invited to reveal often unknown prejudices about the elderly. In one area of the exhibit, visitors offer their opinions on their perceptions of an elderly person’s fitness for particularly sensitive jobs like an airline pilot or a ritual circumciser. All the exhibits are designed to be experienced in groups, intended for adults and children twelve and older, providing a dynamic which is at times humorous but always revealing.

The Dialogue with Time exhibit was developed by Andreas Heinecke and Orna Cohen, who were responsible for the previous two exhibits in Holon and have contributed in the design of similar presentations at other leading institutions around the world.

Photography: Itay Sikolski
Design by Golan levy