For the interactive installation Travelling by Batana, Studio Sonda won the bronze award at the European Design Award in the Digital Installations category.

The installation was installed in the Batana Eco-museum in Rovinj, registered in the UNESCO Register of Good Safeguarding Practices for the preservation of the intangible cultural heritage of the world. The goal of the award-winning interactive digital setup is to take the visitor on a journey through time (second decade of the 20th century) and enable them to personally “steer a batana” for 5 minutes. The journey also includes an educational component: learning about navigation by observing the stars, learning about dialect, singing culture, types of fish, fishing techniques, etc. The interesting element of the exhibition are the three simultaneous and synchronised projections (floor/ceiling/front wall) that together combine into a unique experience. The exhibits placed in the dark on the sides of the room are illuminated while explained on video. In this way, visitors can have a unique experience of the Batana, a wooden boat that significantly marked the history of Istria.

The European Design Awards holds a special place in the design community as it celebrates creativity at the European level. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in various design categories. The evaluation is carried out by an international expert jury that evaluates the submitted works based on the originality, creativity and innovation of the execution quality. The aim of this competition is to promote European design excellence and showcase it to the global design community and the general public. This is Sonda’s 6th award at the European Design Awards, while two years ago Sonda even won the Jury Prize.

It is a great success for Sonda, Rovinj and for the Batana Eco-museum, that a traditional and local Istrian story, presented through digital installations of the Museum, received this recognition at the European level.