Underwater Series Communication 2 | Anders Jensen & Eleni Stefanou | May 14, 2024

Anders Jensen:
On the Concept Behind the New Museum in Thorsminde
Strandingsmuseum St. George reopened in 2017 after a major expansion with new architecture and new exhibitions. Initially established in 1992 to exhibit the objects from the National Museums excavation of the wreck of the English ship of the line HMS St. George, which ran aground on the Danish west coast in 1811 during the Napoleonic Wars. The museum later expanded its dissemination to include the cultural history of wrecked ships on the Danish west coast in general, including their influence on the local population. The museum is site specific, located by the North Sea in the small harbour and tourist town of Thorsminde , close to the place where HMS St. George was wrecked. The museum won the Silletto Prize for community participation and engagement in 2019.
HMS St. George ´ s dimensions are integrated in the new architecture, where e.g. the number of floors corresponds to the ship's deck. The building's distinctive landmark is the high tower, which forms one large display case that stretches up through all the museum's floors. This display case contains the 11.5 m long rudder from HMS St. George. The five new exhibition rooms are built as independent scenarios, each with its own theme, with HMS St. George's stranding and the objects from this wreck as the central narrative. In each exhibition space, lighting design, sounds, smells, animations and interactions are part of the communication as strong elements that appeal to both the senses and curiosity. The engaging design means that everyone, regardless of age and background, is enlightened, touched and enriched by the stories.
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Eleni Stefanou:
Contemporary Approaches to Traditional Wooden Boatbuilding: the Case of the Museum of Aegean Boatbuilding and Maritime Crafts (MNNTA) in Samos, Greece
What is the role of a contemporary maritime museum in displaying, safeguarding, and communicating the knowledge, techniques, and oral traditions of the people associated with traditional wooden boatbuilding? In this presentation we will explore the above questions through the case study of the municipal Museum of Aegean Boatbuilding and Maritime Crafts (MNNTA), which soon will be up and running on the Greek island of Samos. Furthermore, we will discuss issues such as the potential socioeconomic impact on traditional wooden boatbuilding on modern coastal and island societies, as well as the excessive subsidy by the EU and the Greek State of the destruction of old fishing caiques in the context of the renewal of the Greek fishing fleet, which has led to a tremendous loss of intangible cultural heritage elements.