Through artifacts, VR, and immersive storytelling, The Songs of Metal connects past, present, and future to reveal metallurgy’s profound impact on civilization.

THE SONGS OF METAL
Slovenia, Ljubljana
2019
Designed by Sanja Jurca Avci, The Songs of Metal is an experiential exhibition that explores the history, materials, and processes of metallurgy. Created for the Slovene National Museum, in collaboration with the Faculty of Materials and Metallurgy at the University of Ljubljana, the exhibition transforms the museum’s covered atrium—a space defined by classical architecture—into a striking industrial landscape. To match the scale and significance of metallurgy in human civilization, the exhibition employs towering structures that assert their presence within the atrium. At its heart, a red-glowing silhouette of metallurgical ovens rises above visitors, tracing the evolution of metal production throughout history.
Project Detail
Design Team
Avcı Architects
Status
Completed
Sector
Arts & Culture
Discipline
Exhibition Design
2019

Interactive exhibition elements invite visitors to explore metallurgy through history, materials, and techniques, turning learning into an experiential and sustainable journey.
Exhibition Approach & Design Elements
The exhibition is structured around three key themes: A historical overview, mapping metallurgy’s role in human development. An exploration of materials, detailing the evolution of metal types and their properties. Metallurgical methodologies, showcasing ancient and modern techniques. Each section is presented through custom-designed exhibition elements, with some structures specially created and others repurposed, reinforcing a sustainable approach to exhibition design. The graphic design, by Dolores Gerbec, incorporates a constructivist aesthetic and industrial signage influences, visually linking the content to metallurgy’s raw, industrial essence.
Asiana Jurca Avcı, 2018

A Multi-Sensory Experience of Metal
Beyond traditional exhibits, the immersive experience invites visitors to explore metallurgy in a new dimension: Historical artifacts and contemporary metal products, including 3D-printed powdered metal components and Slovenia’s first satellite. A 360-degree virtual reality experience, bringing visitors into the heart of an ironworks production hall, where they can get up close to molten metal and the heat of the furnace. By bridging past, present, and future, The Songs of Metal creates a visually and experientially compelling narrative, ensuring that visitors leave with a deeper understanding of metallurgy’s impact on civilization.
Asiana Jurca Avcı, 2018
An immersive journey through metallurgy, where history, science, and design merge in a striking exhibition experience.
A Joint Exhibition for the 100th Anniversary of the University of Ljubljana
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