Projects
Curating Dreams
Degas
Danse Dessin
About the project
The first exhibition of original Degas drawings organized on a cruise ship, this multi-art form dining experience brought passengers closer to the world of Degas and a spellbinding exhibition of his impressionist works.
The first exhibition of original Degas drawings organized on a cruise ship, this multi-art form dining experience brought passengers closer to the world of Degas and a spellbinding exhibition of his impressionist works.
‘ 21
- Location
Travelling - Duration
01.01.19 – 25.10.21 - Client
MSC Cruises
Curated by Marcello Smarrelli
An unprecedented project, featuring “Degas Danse Dessin”
Scope of Work
Creative Concept
Exhibition Design
Curatorship
Content Production
Artwork Loan, Transportation & Insurance
Climate-Controlled Display Cases
AV & Technology
Project Management
Set-Up & Dismantling
2021
A spellbinding exhibition of
original impressionist art
A turnkey exhibition solution from
conception to production.
A turnkey exhibition solution from conception to production.
The entirely new nature of this project required meeting the contrasting expectations of the clients – TheAimes had to meet the shipowner’s expectation to have original and renowned artwork pieces as a long term loan on a cruise ship, and to meet museum conservation standards regarding this kind of work on a ship.
A long period of mediation with the shipyard architect, the shipowner, the curator and the lender was a crucial early step, along with cultural mediation regarding the cruise-ship passengers: their interest in arts exhibitions, their tastes and their demographics were fundamental to the conception of the exhibition experience.
Our team worked hand-in-hand with the shipyard to develop the proper exhibition space and the showcases, also collaborating to find the best system to secure museum conservation standards of humidity and temperature.
In total, passengers of more than 30 cultural backgrounds had to be engaged with this exhibition, requiring a totally different approach to the museum exhibition.
The exhibition’s digital content was conceived by our creative team with the curator and produced in-house. The tools for the public to engage with the exhibition were bespoke and diverse; the multi-media narrative storytelling included the filming images of moving ballerinas that were available via touchscreens to immerse passengers into Degas’ world, his period of history and his obsession with movement.
An exhibition on a cruise ship requires rapid turnaround; the exhibition space was ready only at the very last minute when the ship itself was completed by the shipyard.
