Multisensory Kit for La Monnaie de Paris: Reviving Memory is Priceless

How did this monetary institution come to be involved in the subject of memory? Through a study of its audiences, the mediation and accessibility team at the museum discovered that handling coins effectively stimulates the memory of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Emboldened by an Art Explora award, La Monnaie de Paris followed through this idea: creating an object that allows people to explore its collections beyond the museum walls while engaging the senses, critical thinking, and creativity. The initiative involves 10 partner nursing homes, each receiving a copy of the kit.

The circular kit, designed by Tactile Studio, is a nod to the shape of a coin. It includes 5 trays with 9 games: a memory game, bingo, a timeline, a puzzle, a treasure hunt, various coloring activities about monetary myths, a construction game, an olfactory memory game, and a blind test. The degree of difficulty can be adapted to the stage of the disease.

The Highlight of the Kit: Olfactory Memory Game

In this game, coins are used as tokens to bet on the smells players think they have detected. The player who identifies the most smells wins the game.

Tactile Studio is delighted to have delivered this first kit to La Monnaie de Paris and to contribute in its own way to stimulating memory through meaningful games.

Our partners

This project was conceived by Tactile Studio and entirely manufactured by the WAM workshop.

We would like to thank the partners involved in this wonderful project: Groupe SOS for its expertise on the disease, the residents of the Maison Nationale des Artistes for their feedback that improved the games, and La Monnaie de Paris for its trust.

Learn more about La Monnaie de Paris

◉ Museum website: here