The transhistorical space

Creating transhistorical museum galleries

From THEN to NOW. Relevant, urgent and timeless.

Whilst historical exhibitions quite often try to mimic the THEN for the visitors, our aim is to think the topic from the NOW. Something that correlates with recent tendencies in historical studies, to link historical events with current and timeless developments, rather than binding them to their epoch only. Contemporary exhibitions about historical topics should aim to catch the visitors in the now and relate the content to this. That would lead to a shift from an “As if you were there” to a “there is here” approach for exhibition design. Six recent exhibition design projects at NorthernLight serve as examples that show this aim.

Travelling with Vincent

The historical journey of Vincent Van Gogh is brought to life in a timeless set up. Whilst the visitors travel with him on an abstract train that could be just as good a train from nowadays. At the core of this exhibition lies the concept of translating Van Gogh’s emotional journey into a contemporary and timeless experience that allows visitors to literally step into the artist’s shoes. ‘Travelling with Vincent’ takes the visitor on an immersive road trip, featuring an abstract train experience that bridges the gap between past and present. The train is kept abstract and purposely becomes timeless. One can identify here with Vincent and relate it to nowadays ‘soul search’ trips. By creating an immersive space that can be experienced from the train as well as walked through, visitors come even closer to Van Gogh’s emotional journey. A ‘road movie,’ showing a fusion of Drentse landscapes and Van Gogh’s paintings, brings his time in Drenthe to life. The works of Van Gogh, contemporaries and his sources of inspiration are presented in several spaces inspired by the unique colours in the Drentse landscape as described by Vincent in letters to his brother Theo. The themed exhibition rooms, with carpets that evoke the Drenthe landscape, take the form of a walkable ‘color swatch’ and feature these unique colors. The immersive space does not compete with his real and compelling works being on show, but enhances them. In this way, the visitors take their knowledge from the travelling experience to the ‘theme rooms’ where they can admire the real works. ‘Travelling with Vincent’ seamlessly blends immersive audiovisual storytelling with the genuine authenticity of real artworks.

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Dying In Beauty

Shining a contemporary light on ancient aesthetics. In our visual and spatial design, we use a contemporary aesthetic to showcase the objects and bring them into the foreground, making them relatable to modern day life. A clear grid of concrete blocks cut through by two diagonal lines, that follow the architecture of the room. They divide the gallery into three perspectives on beauty: the public propaganda on the forum, the private beauty in homes and the created beauty in roman gardens. The design refers to ideals of beauty that have its origin in ancient time – and last until today. By that it transfers the context of beauty into the now. “Ancient original graffiti within a street grid of concrete blocks are both roman inventions that are found in our modern day cities. Playing with the ideas of order and beauty, of disruption and subversion, then just as now.” Why do we need to fake an ancient city or even focus on the fatal end of it with the eruption of the volcano, when we can just focus on the beauty of it. The beauty of the objects that have lasted until today. The hint to Vaporwave aesthetics in the graphical wall backdrops and the lighting and sound design, aesthetically clearly marks the relation to the now.

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The Discovery Of Heaven

The fascination of the sky and what the stars tell us is centuries old. The Nebra Sky Disc is the oldest concrete depiction of astronomical phenomena known from anywhere in the world. 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. The shapes on the the disc were used to derive an aesthetical language for the exhibition that spans towards the now. In a procession-like way through the scenographic landscapes framed by circle-round showcases with objects integrated in graphical dioramas, the visitor finally stands eye in eye with the Nebra Sky Disc itself. It is presented in a mirrored half-circle, reminiscent of ritual landmarks from the Bronze Age, like Stonehenge. The setup not only brings the sacral character of the disc to life but is also literally shown in the space of the literal place of the former altar of an old church as a trans historical link. 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 is accompanying the audio-journey. A spiritual and contemporary take on an “as if you where there” approach.

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The Prince And The City

To recreate the historical ambiance, NorthernLight has brought the grand gala ball of the eighteenth century to life through an immersive audio-visual enactment of the Royal Palace, thus bringing the historical sensation to the now. Visitors will experience the historical sensation of the largest ball ever held in the Burgerzaal, where over a thousand guests from both domestic and foreign origins danced late into the night. The contemporary furniture resembles the shape of a V (Willem V) and an A (Amsterdam) referring to the two players. It makes a significant impact on the objects through the use of light, while also reflecting on the materials in the palace interiors to seamlessly blend in. The contemporary audio breathes life into the historically largest gala ball ever held at the palace of Amsterdam, bringing it to life and to the now. The soundscape, with its modern twist, establishes a connection between the historical sensation and Amsterdam as a thriving city of dance and music today. The two specially crafted stadhoudersstoelen (steward chairs) used for this five-day reception will return to the place they were originally made for, after a span of 255 years. The dining room is brought to life with a reconstructed banquet, featuring tableware and cutlery from Willem V, along with impressive sugar artwork specially created for the exhibition by renowned pastry chef Jeroen Goossens. The exhibition shines a spotlight on a relatively unknown period of Dutch history, finally captivating a wider audience and garnering well-deserved attention.

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Pilgrims to America and the limits of freedom

‘Pilgrims to America – and the Limits of Freedom’ examines the limits of freedom. The exhibition is an account of the extraordinary journey of the Pilgrims early in the 17th century. They started out from England and spent 11 years in voluntary exile in Leiden, before setting sail for America to establish Plymouth Colony. Upon arriving in what they regarded as the New World, the Pilgrims behaved as if the land were uninhabited and they could assert their rights there, despite the presence of indigenous tribes. How did the Pilgrims deal with the limits they encountered in their search for freedom? And what does the historical account of the Pilgrims have to say about our present-day boundless liberty? This exhibition focuses on the decisions the Pilgrims made during their journey, with the emphasis on a historical, factual representation of their story. The story is told in 4 chapters divided over 4 rooms, representing the steps of the journey of the Pilgrims. An impressive graphic wall paper of the sky reflects the emotional state of the Pilgrims in that particular part of the journey. Paintings, maps, prints, drawings, weapons, books, goods and everyday objects are used to illustrate the impact of the choices they made during their journey. The objects are meticulously integrated in the graphic design. Each room also contains a reflection space, in which you’re literally encouraged to think about your position with respect to the choices the pilgrims made 400 years ago: Can I Be who I am, Do I stay or do I go, Do I dare to start a new life and Your freedom or my freedom.Through these intriguing questions a connection is forged between the past and the present. With the Poetry hall, the exhibition has a poetic ending. Inspired by a number of quotes on the topic of freedom, visitors can make their own quote or poem with magnetic word cards.

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High-Tech Romans

The Romans were responsible for more technological advancements than any other culture. Offering a chance to experience these surprising innovations first-hand, High-Tech Romans highlights how and why several of them are still in use today. The exhibition includes everything from the earliest iteration of a sat nav to a 2,000-year-old tiling system that could almost have been made yesterday. Modern society faces countless challenges, some of which can be solved with the newest technologies. Many people think of high tech in terms of the latest and greatest gadgets. They often don’t realize that such innovations have happened throughout the ages and have something in common: they were inspired by previous eras and cultures. The Romans, for example, were clearly inspired by those before them, including the Egyptians, Etruscans and Greeks. Following this lineage, the exhibition encourages visitors to discover their own innovative nature. The exhibition’s nine themes – which include architecture, water use and machines – combine installations with real-life artefacts. The contemporary design of the show reflects the theme of inspiration. Instead of simply mimicking a Roman building, the space reflects the culture’s techniques, detailing, organizational skills and art.

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Aiming for new perspectives

At NorthernLight, our team loves to work on transhistorical exhibitions for museums. Two persons even more! Maximilian Pecher is Lead Creative at NorthernLight, with more than 8 years of experience in exhibition design. He studied Visual Communication at the Weissensee Art Academy in Berlin as well as Art Education at the Goethe University Frankfurt. Combining these academic backgrounds and professional experience he is aiming to bring a twist to historical exhibitions. Opening up new perspectives on historic topics, by finding urgency in them and translating them into contemporary design. Rosalie Slootweg works as a Content Strategist at NorthernLight and has a background in Cultural Heritage Studies at the Reinwardt Academy in Amsterdam. With her thesis, she researched the transhistorical curating strategy in the museum practice. Now, she brings her knowledge into our projects – bridging the gap between the past and the present, discovering the urgency, and making them relevant to a broad audience. Get in touch!

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