On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 5:30 PM, Urania – Space of Creation will host the first in a series of lectures from the cycle Space as a Narrative Medium, organized by Muze and Urania, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia and the Goethe-Institut.

The talk will feature experts in the field of narrative environments:

• Dragana Lucija Ratković Aydemir – cultural manager and director of Muza (Zagreb), a studio specialized in the development of cultural and heritage projects, with a particular focus on interpretation and the design of visitor experiences through permanent exhibitions.
• Tricia Austin – professor and researcher in narrative spaces at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. She is the author of Narrative Environments and Experience Design: Space as a Medium of Communication and editor of the Museum Making book series for Routledge.

The lecture will focus on critically rethinking space as an active agent in the construction of exhibition narratives. In contemporary practices across architecture, design, and museology, space is increasingly recognized not merely as a passive backdrop but as a formative element of experience and meaning. Tricia Austin will present international theoretical and practical trends in designing narrative environments, with a special emphasis on the communicative potential of space and the relationship between space and identity in urban interventions and museum projects.

Narrative environments enable interaction between people, stories, and place. In such spaces, people are not just observers, but participants who move, experience, and co-construct the narrative. Designing narrative environments involves a coordinated sequence of movement through spatial dramaturgy—a progression of content across space and time to tell a story and convey messages to a specific audience. Narrative space is multilayered, incorporating architectural organization, experiential spatial design, and the activation of visitors’ sensory and emotional responses through various media forms.

Following the lecture, there will be a moderated discussion with the speaker and the audience, led by Dragana Lucija Ratković Aydemir. Key discussion questions will include:

• How can museum spaces become places of participation and audience engagement?
• How does interdisciplinary collaboration between architects, designers, museologists, curators, and artists contribute to the shaping of space?
• How do stories shape museum exhibitions and enhance the relationship between museums and their audiences?

The lecture will be held in English.

Seats are limited, so please reserve your spot here. Admission is free!

Workshop at the Croatian Architects’ Association (UHA)

The day after the lecture, on May 21, 2025, Tricia Austin will lead a specialized workshop at the Croatian Architects’ Association (UHA), intended for architects, designers, museologists, and curators. The workshop will focus on the practical design of narrative environments through an interdisciplinary approach.

Workshop registration: muze.hr.