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Casson Mann's renovation of the Musée national de la Marine, which opened last year, is the cover story in the latest edition of La Revue des Musées de France. The 67-page spread covers all aspects of the project, from the installation of collections to the innovative mediation of the transformed museum.

"At a press conference on September 26, 2019, the Musée National de la Marine unveiled the new scenography for its permanent exhibition, designed by London-based scenographic agency Casson Mann. One visual was chosen and widely publicised by the media: an immense, almost transparent wave above romantic paintings, playing on contrasts of scale and style, described as animated and immersive, never before seen at the Musee National de la Marine! This image of the future “Shipwrecks and Storms” area was to become the symbol of the renovation. In the eyes of all, it crystallised the transformation that was about to take place: the arrival of “innovative, immersive, accessible and intuitive museography”."

"One of the strengths of Casson Mann's project is that it provides the navy with its own specific exhibit area, thus responding to the need to identify it within the visitor route and to ensure its valorisation."

"To make the most of this architecture, Casson Mann studio proposed to exploit its specific features by creating a central line of display windows, and equipping the alcoves with custom-made furniture...This sequence of four large display windows creates a guiding line, conceived as the “backbone” of the crossing, to which the lateral alcoves respond."

"Casson Mann studio has not only spatially translated a pre-existing narrative, it has also proposed a rewriting of it through scenography. Considering the immersive devices that exist elsewhere, there's nothing innovative about the wave. What is new, however, is what it allows us to implement in the visitor route: a narrative told through space."

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Shipwrecks and Storms gallery

"This innovative spatial concept was proposed by Casson Mann in the competition, in response to the various requirements formulated by the museum...The emphasis was placed on the emotional dimension of Shipwrecks and Storms, one of the challenges of which was to give the visitor a powerful experience using manmade works, objects from shipwrecks, and testimonies, to confront them with the power of marine elements. The introduction to this space had to be on a par with the spectacular nature of the works exhibited in the introduction."

"From the outset, Casson Mann set this wave as the high point of the visit...The spectacularisation of the subject no longer places the visitor outside the representation but plunges them into the heart of it. Critical distance from what is shown is replaced by emotional engagement."

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Accessibility

"An 'Essential' route was thus designed, bringing together eight devices in universal accessibility. This inclusive approach is still little used in museums: it was therefore a major challenge and a new design. One of them introduces Shipwrecks and Storms...On a table with two seats - thus encouraging interaction between visitors - is the exact replica of the Lapérouse bell, placed under glass to its left, which is cast in metal to restore its cold touch and aid understanding amongst those with visual impairments. The choice of this bell is not insignificant: it punctuated life on board, was probably the last sound heard during the shipwreck, and opens up the challenges of underwater exploration. By touching it, visitors have more direct access to the work, and can, at the same time, access a text written on a simple label, translated into English and Braille, as well as a touch screen. Equipped with notches with Braille to facilitate independent use by the visually impaired, this screen required a long design process, crossing the views of experts, the scenographer, service providers, the museum, but also the audiences solicited during tests. Its simplified interface here allows access to different content...This device is thus open to the public, with or without disabilities, for a more in-depth understanding of an emblematic object based around a shared experience."

"This consideration of universal accessibility extends to the design of the wave. In parallel with the artistic design, close collaboration between the museum, Casson Mann and the designers Clap 35 and Mac Guff was necessary to avoid any visual effect likely to cause discomfort, such as seasickness. Thus, sinuous lines were removed from the digital projection, during tests in real conditions, and the effects and speed were adapted."

"By integrating the visitor's body, their senses, their emotions, their memory or their imagination, mediation opens up their visit experience and enriches their relationship to objects, by promoting memorisation and concentration. This holistic approach to the visitor was one of the important dimensions of the overhaul of mediation, intended to reach a wider range of visitors, experts or beginners, adults or children."

"The sense of smell, for example, makes it possible to provoke an immediate reaction in the visitor, while limiting visual and sound stimuli. At the heart of the wave, near a photographic report on an oil spill and an oiled bird under a bell jar, the visitor can activate the diffusion of the smell of the fuel oil that invades the coasts. Since smell has a strong “memory revival capacity”, this sparks the memories of people who have already experienced this event or allows them to better remember this point of the visit. Here, it creates a synesthetic experience of the drama: awareness of ecological issues then emerges through a sensory response, without complex or moralising discourse."

"The mediation devices here fulfill their primary role: to accompany and promote the museum's collections by making them accessible to all."

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