An awarded heavenly setting
The exhibition ‘The Nebra Sky Disc – The Discovery of Heaven’ at the Drents Museum Assen, designed by NorthernLight has been awarded with a Special Mention at the German Design Award 2023.
The exhibition was designed to create a contemporary “heavenly setting”. The scenographic concept for this archaeological exhibition has been conceived as a unique cross-over between exhibition and stage set. Visitors explore different scenes, while being immersed in an audio-visual trip that takes them back to prehistoric Nebra, where archaeologists found a spectacular sky disc featuring the oldest concrete depiction of astronomical phenomena known from anywhere in the world.
The exhibition is built up in three parts. The first is the introduction, where visitors step into a giant light circle to start the audio-tour. Afterwards they walk in a procession-like way through the scenographic landscapes framed by circle-round showcases with objects integrated in graphical dioramas. The disc is finally revealed in the climax of the exhibition. It is presented in a mirrored half-circle, reminiscent of ritual landmarks from the Bronze Age, like Stonehenge. The end of the journey is an intimate eye to eye moment with the Nebra disc. A spiritual and contemporary take on an “as if you where there” approach.
The theatrical use of lighting, with gobo projectors and SFX lighting to mimic natural light settings like the northern light, are enhancing the overall atmosphere. A specially developed soundtrack by Composer Camiel Jansen is accompanying the audio-journey.
“The Drents Museum has been transformed into a heavenly setting….
When you think of an archaeological exhibition, you quickly think of display cases with pots and half-decayed objects in a somewhat dusty decor. Nothing could be further from the truth of the new exhibition of the Drents Museum: upon entering you imagine yourself under an enchanting starry sky. The walls in the dark space show an abstract vast landscape, surmounted by a blue-purple sky full of celestial bodies.”
Dutch Newspaper ‘Trouw’
The premium award of the German Design Council
The German Design Awards are the premium award of the German Design Council. With its worldwide spectrum and international appeal, it is one of the most prestigious awards in the design landscape across all industries. Since 2012, the German Design Awards have been identifying significant design trends, presenting them to a broad public and honouring them. Every year, extraordinary submissions in product design, communication design and architecture are honoured.
The »Special Mention« distinction of the German Design Awards pays tribute to consistent design conception and implementation. In each category, the jury awards an appropriate number of entries with this mark of excellence for innovative design based on their quality. They are selected by a separate expert jury for each category of the German Design Awards.
International Impact
The German Design Awards set the highest standards in terms of selecting their winners: in the nomination process, expert committees of the German Design Council only invite those products and communication design services for participation in the awards who demonstrably stand out from the competition on account of their design excellence. Since their debut in 2012, the German Design Awards have grown considerably – from approx. 1,500 submissions in their first year to some 4,500 submissions in each of the past few years. As such, the huge international impact of the German Design Awards is underscored by the number of participants from other countries. Most recently, the share of international submissions stood at 50%. In total, participants from 60 countries have taken part in the awards.
In the three award disciplines, »Excellent Product Design«, »Excellent Communications Design« and »Excellent Architecture«, a total of 98 products/projects have been awarded »Gold« in 2023.
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