Engineering and Sport
02.12.2020 - 31.12.2022
The inspiration for this exhibition can be found in the success of the Reaching for the Stars with Elan exhibition held four years ago, which shone a light on the technological development of one of Slovenia’s most internationally recognisable sports brands. This time we are presenting 60 Slovenian sporting equipment manufacturers: from Mont, Športoprema Ljubljana, Planika, Toper, Rašica, Akrapovič, Goltes, Dedra, Slatnar, Dali through to the legendary Alpina, each from the perspective of their technological processes, which go largely unnoticed. On display is sporting equipment for air, land and water sports manufactured in Slovenia.
Although more than 180 sporting artefacts are normally kept in our museum, even more have been acquired during the preparation of this exhibition and this collection process is ongoing. Many of these objects from the museum’s sporting collections arw show during the new Engineering and Sports exhibition. Brands that have long since disappeared leaving little if any material traces behind yet left an indelible mark on their time and space are presented through stories and displays. Among the many items on display are the Jaxson ski jacket from Toper’s latest collection, an Everest 79 pullover made by Rašica, the oldest Phoenix Fly wingsuit, Hillstrike’s snowtrike, the Murksli freestyle skateboard, a Prijon Taifun kayak, which was the first polyethylene model from Anton Prijon’s factory, and archer Doroteja Oblak’s winning instinctive (recurve) bow, which won her the gold at the 2012 European Archery Championships and was manufactured by her husband Franc Oblak.
Delving into the development of a single piece of sporting equipment reveals the breadth of theoretical knowledge, practical application, innovation and cooperation required to make a product that meets the expectations of increasingly demanding markets – both here and abroad. As sport is an integral part of Slovenia’s tangible and intangible heritage, it is important to highlight, preserve and present the development of its technical achievements.
This exhibition designed to throw a spotlight on our sport technology heritage is accompanied by a catalogue, which provides an in-depth look into the diverse world of Slovenian sporting equipment production. It presents the stories of the people behind the development of these individual products and those still actively involved in their production.
An ambitious and diverse programme of events will accompany the exhibition, comprising of presentations of individual equipment manufacturers, lectures, workshops, discussions with athletes, etc.
We invite you to join us on a virtual walk through the exhibition.