AN INGENIOUS PLAN

Museum of the Canals

On view
Museum of the Canals

This exhibition shows why the canals of Amsterdam are so unique and why they are still so alive after 400 years. The experience is situated in an authentic canal house on one of the most beautiful spots of the Amsterdam Canal district. A sequence of five rooms on the first floor takes the visitor on a journey through time.

Location
Amsterdam (NL)
Client
Museum of the Canals
Year
2011 & 2020
Service
Concept, design, art direction

An ambitious plan

The story starts in 1597. In the first room, the 3D model backed by double projection showcases the circumstances which led to the expansion of Amsterdam. Visitors go through the exhibition in small groups, with audio headsets that are tailored to the projections and objects in the space.

Museum of the Canals
Next in line is the story about the vision and decision-making behind the plan. Through an animation on a table you can watch the mayor converse with the chief government architect, the chief engineer and city treasury keeper as they chalk out an expansion plan for the city.

Lumber land

From the drawing board to feet on the ground: relive how the canal houses are built. As you walk through this room, feel the sand on your feet, watch the workers in action live and wade through the historic canals.

Museum of the Canals

Life on the canals

The next room allows the visitor a glimpse of life in a canal house. A miniature canal house shows how people used to live in these houses throughout the centuries. By using Pepper’s ghost technique, the rooms seem to be inhabited by real people.

Museum of the Canals

The room with the house blew us away. Each room has something special, with lots to learn. Visually, they get more and more detailed, engaging, and extra awesome. Very memorable visit!

Visitor of the exhibition
Museum of the Canals
Museum of the Canals
In the last room, an enormous model of the ring of canals takes centre stage. The end film projected on a circular wall is connected to projection mapping on the model. Different elements light up or move on the model when they are mentioned in the film. Here the visitor truly travels through time, from when the area had just been built to the most recent Gay Pride.

Update

Our 2012 award-winning exhibition at the Museum of Canals was renewed in 2020. The hardware was in need of an update and the museum felt their story needed fine-tuning in light of our ever-changing interpretation of history. Together, we re-centred the storyline, created a brand-new audio guide and produced an end film in the final room. An immersive projection now connects this film to the existing city model. We also upgraded the exhibition with the latest technology.

Awards

Gouden Reiger 2012

  • Spatial Media, winner

SBID International Design Awards 2012

  • Nominated

Want to build your own story in miniature?

Robert

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