Ragnarock Lifts the Lid on Music Culture with Genelec

RAGNAROCK is a museum all about pop, rock and youth culture. It aims to tell the story of the connections between music, youth culture and society, from the 1950s to the present day.

Located in Roskildes ‘Rock City’, Copenhagen, RAGNAROCK outlines this cultural influence through sound, images and symbols from the world of rock and pop music. As part of a series of vibrant and engaging exhibits, the museum installed 10 Genelec 4020B active loudspeakers around the iconic building, which provide crisp neutral sound.

The museum’s concept was established more than 10 years ago, when a group of journalists, musicians and enthusiasts in the music business agreed on the need to document this dynamic story before it was too late, with the early pioneers of the culture advancing in years. Having opened in 2016, RAGNAROCK explores 12 themes, which include dance, psychedelic culture, music as a weapon for political and cultural change, fan culture, listening culture (radio, music formats) and recording technology. The museum utilises a variety of mediums beyond conventional exhibits, with a busy events programme, music stations, interactive features, teaching and research facilities and even a theatre space, to form a dynamic entertainment experience for visitors.

The team was quick to recognise the importance of audio-visual technology in order to deliver an exciting experience which evoked the lively subject matter. “As a modern museum dealing with contemporary popular music and with a topic that historically has often been communicated and experienced through visual and auditory media, AV technologies are crucial in our storytelling and outreach,” says Rasmus Rosenørn, museum curator.

“The speakers are often used in connection with lighting or video projection to create an experience that affects all emotions and senses. In some of the rooms, the speakers are used to create a permanent soundscape. In other places, the speakers are activated when museum guests interact with the exhibition.”

The compact and stylish Genelec 4020B active loudspeakers were installed by local integrators AVCenter Odense, who used an array of ceiling and wall mounts in order to ensure a discreet and secure installation. Genelec speakers are used in a variety of different environments, including the entrance to the exhibits, in a striking mirrored room. In addition, they are also used as part of an interactive feature which focuses on dance culture, which uses motion tracking to give visitors the opportunity to dance away with their silhouette projected onto the screen in front of them, and Genelec speakers playing the tunes.

“Visitor experience is often vivid and emotional, as sound and image activates personal memory and past experience", adds Rasmus. “The great feedback presented by visitors pointing out the vividness of the exhibition clearly shows that the correct AV systems have been chosen and combine powerfully. We have within our first year had almost 100,000 visitors.”

The superior design of the Genelec speakers allows ease of installation in numerous acoustic environments providing outstanding sound coverage. As an active speaker, the 4020B contains drivers, power amplifiers, active crossover filters and protection circuitry. Additional features include room response compensation, used to minimise the room’s influence and deliver a flat frequency response at the listening position, providing a superb experience for all visitors wherever they are stood.

KIT LIST

10 x 4020B Installation Speaker*

*) The Genelec 4020B was in production between 2013 and 2017. It was replaced by the 4020C model.