MARITIME STORIES OF DENMARK
Museet for Søfart

The exhibition is a journey that begins with the universal longing for faraway lands and adventures at sea. A lighthouse projects dreamy footage of seafaring from the viewpoint of art and culture. Portholes have been converted into showcases. You can see the biased perceptions of sailors through objects such as the Le Male perfume bottle by Jean Paul Gaultier, erotic costumes, Lego pirate toys, Popeye the Sailor Man, and Donald Duck.
- Location
- Helsingør (DK)
- Client
- Museet for Søfart
- Year
- 2013
By interweaving many different perspectives on shipping, the exhibition appeals to a wide audience.

A very special building
Designed by the renowned Danish architecture practice BIG the museum is located under an old dry dock. During your visit, you will follow a linear route where the spaces change in height and width and take a different perspective at each turn. For the museum concept and exhibition design, we retained the quality of this spatial experience. As such the exhibition is a linear experience without partitions, and we left all the walls empty.


Spotlight on the container
The glorious maritime history of Denmark is explained through themes such as shipping, ports, fleets, war, trade, and globalization. It is put into context of the contemporary shipping industry worldwide. The connecting element in the exhibition is the concept of cargo. Stacks of goods illustrate the economic importance of the development of the shipping industry, also for the everyday consumer. The container, which led to economies of scale and standardization in shipping, is literally placed on a pedestal.

Especially for the exhibition, we made a scale model of the world's largest container ship, which was to be launched in China in the same year as the opening of the museum.

Three-part collage




Place a tattoo and learn how to navigate
Learn new skills at one of the many ‘interactives’. Impressive three-dimensional film installations illustrate the different themes. Original footage from archives and private collections was unearthed for this purpose.

Awards
German Design Award 2016
- Nominated
Luigi Micheletti Award 2015
- Honorable mention
Design Week Awards 2014
- Nominated
World Interior Awards 2014
- Museum/Exhibition Spaces, nominated
SBID Awards 2014
- Public Space, finalist
International Design Awards 2014
- Interior Design / Other, silver
FX Design Awards 2014
- Exhibition Space, nominated
International Design and Communication Awards 2014
- Best Scenography, silver