General public, LGBT+ visitors
Iceland
Low technology investment and material (printing) costs
User friendly
Accessible: both hearing and visually impaired visitors can enjoy the exhibition on site by being able to both read and listen or both!
Exhibition is also accessible free of charge for those outside Iceland, or those that cannot travel to the building due to physical limitations.
No physical descriptions of the exhibits were offered, only the stories attached to them. Visitors accessing exhibition online can only hear the stories and not see the exhibitions they are connected to.
Requires some level of subject expertise and familiarity with subject matter
Visitors must have a cellphone and headphones with them
Cell phones, dedicated pages on museum main website, wifi access, social media, Soundcloud
Increased visibility: The exhibition brought attention to LGBTQ+ narratives in Icelandic history, which had previously been underrepresented in museum collections and storytelling.
Increased visitor numbers: both international and local.
Community Engagement: fostered collaboration between the museum and LGBTQ activists, in particular the working relationship between the National Museum and the Icelandic Queer Organization- Samtökin ´78.
Educational Impact: it provided educational opportunities for visitors, schools, scholars helping to challenge stereotypes and broaden understanding of queer history in Iceland.
International Recognition: contributed to Iceland´s reputation as a progressive leader in LGBTQ+ rights and history preservation
Knowledge of recording and uploading audio files to museum website, and providing link to exhibition visitors´
Printing accompanying brochure, and ensuring itös available for visitors.
Promoting exhibition on social media, news media
Stable wifi connection inside museum
Ability for collaboration with outside LGBTQ organizations
Good research skills to discover ´hidden´stories and connections
Ability and desire to tell LGBTQ+ stories in the face of possible opposition from outside sources.
A pamphlet and an audio guide in both English and Icelandic take museum guests through the museum´s main exhibition- Making of a Nation, Heritage and History in Iceland- and sheds a light on various queer sides of Icelandic history and nationality.
The thread directs the visitor to eleven places in the main exhibition where they stop and listen to information related to the material based on the relevant place in the main exhibition
School groups are also encouraged to take the tour
The Rainbow Thread is a self-guided queer-themed audio tour that overlays LGBTQ+ perspectives onto the museum’s permanent exhibition. The methodology emphasizes:
• Highlighting underrepresented histories by guiding visitors to 11 specific exhibition points with connections to LGBTQ+ narratives.
• Critical engagement with heritage – challenging heteronormative assumptions and emphasizing that gender and sexuality are fluid across time.
• Multi-format accessibility: audio content (in English and Icelandic) is paired with a printed or downloadable pamphlet.
• Online availability via SoundCloud and the museum’s website allows remote or mobility-restricted users to access the experience.
• Community co-creation: the content was developed in collaboration with Samtökin '78, Iceland’s national LGBTQ+ organization.
This approach merges interpretive storytelling, community activism, and inclusive pedagogy, creating a culturally sensitive, low-tech model for reinterpreting national narratives.
Core Resources:
Estimated Start-up Cost:
This initiative can be easily replicated by small museums with very limited budgets:
Estimated Low-Cost Implementation:
This model allows for inclusive, critical storytelling in small or rural institutions with minimal infrastructure or technical expertise.
