Mullankaivajat exhibition at Satakunta Museum

Last year we finally begun the archaeological excavations of the Luftwaffe airfield in Pori by organizing an educational excavation together with the high school students of PSYL. The excavation was a part of a high school history course, during which the students did not only participate the excavation, but also cleaned and studied the finds before planning a small exhibition at Satakunta Museum. As the exhibition now comes to an end, I wish to share a few photos of the display.

Some of the personal items discovered from the area, including Junghans clock.

Exhibition, called simply Mullankaivajat due to the grant that made it all possible, was on display at the museum from September 25th, 2020 to January 3rd, 2021, although it technically remained closed to public for the last weeks due to coronavirus restrictions by the city of Pori. However, the exhibition gained quite a sizable audience during autumn and was met with positive feedback by the museum visitors and staff alike.

The corroded German boiler instructions were quite visible after conservation. 

The exhibition was planned solely by the students, who decided everything from displayed items to the written descriptions. They also chose a series of pictures taken during the excavation, which were then shaped into a slide show alongside the items. Besides exhibition planning, students got to practice their skills in public relations, as the invitation letter written by the youth to media led to a live stream and radio broadcast organized by Yle, during which the students described their experiences to the home audience.

Some of the Finnish and Soviet ceramic pieces found their pairs during cleaning. 

While the exhibition has now ended and the finds are wrapped for future use, the project lives on. An article about the project is waiting to be published and the many teaching materials created for the course have been shaped into "study packages" that can be used in future projects. One of such projects follows already this summer, as a grant by Vuorivuorineuvos Erik Rosenlewin säätiö makes it possible for us to organize an archaeological youth camp for those interested in joining the research.

Even the 'Porin Matti' stove found its place along with construction materials and a currycomb.

More photos from the excavation and exhibition can be found from this video released under Christmas. If you're interested in the students' thoughts about the project, check out the blog post written by two of the participants.
Location: Pori, Suomi

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