Naval Battle
Navy Museum, Den Helder (NL), 2017
Two historic naval battles are brought to life as museumgoers meet sailors who fought in them.
Two battles
2017 was a landmark anniversary year for two strikingly different Dutch naval battles: the glorious Journey to Chatham of 1667 (known in English as the Raid on the Medway) and the disastrous Battle of the Java Sea in 1942.
Two friends
In the Chatham exhibition, visitors meet the gunner’s mate Thijs and the marine Joris. Through thrilling films and interactives, we sail along with them in a sloop to the fort at Sheerness and send the mightiest English warships up in flames.
Two eras
The Battle of the Java Sea exhibition, by contrast, has a subdued atmosphere. Visitors enter an underwater world that recalls and commemorates a tragic event. Animated films tell the stories of the medical orderly Alex Moorman and Ru Crommelin, the ship’s oldest officer, as they face an unwinnable fight. The exhibition honours the bravery of the sailors who risked their lives for their country.
Oil paintings
Hisko Hulsing’s wall-sized illustrations give the exhibition its own unique look. The artist produced a few dozen oil paintings depicting key scenes in the sailors’ stories specially for ‘Naval Battle’. The paintings also feature in the exhibition’s interactive media and animations, bringing unity to the visitor experience. Hulsing is known for his animations for the film ‘Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck’.
“Very interactive and educational.”
HolidayNetherlands, TripAdvisor — August 2017
Credits
Client
Navy MuseumContent Design
Studio LouterSpatial Design
Todd van Hulzen DesignGraphic Design
Studio LouterIllustration
Hisko HulsingFilm and Interactive Media Production
Studio LouterAudio Production
KlevR sounddesignLight Design
Tinus HolthuisConstruction
Fiction FactoryGraphic Production
WatjezietHardware
VHS