OnaVirtualTourofthePortofHamburgwithDemodernandDuMont
An interactive, forward-looking permanent exhibition that brings the Port of Hamburg to life virtually using the latest Virtual Reality technologies, projections, and real-time data: Together with DuMont, the multiple award-winning experts from Demodern – Creative Technologies create and realize a unique live experience: the Discovery Dock.
With the goal of enabling unseen perspectives and unique experiences around the Port of Hamburg, two Demodern teams at the Hamburg location, together with the client and numerous partners from business, politics, and science, are developing the Micro Amusement Park Discovery Dock. The teams have been inspired by the current conditions of the Port of Hamburg and maritime trade for both the naming and design direction. The Discovery Dock was officially opened on May 13, 2019, by Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – right in the heart of Hamburg's HafenCity, in close proximity to the Elbphilharmonie.
The 'Discovery Dock' conveys the diversity of the Port of Hamburg on an interactive experience path, enhanced by ambient light and realistic sound. The centerpiece is a model of the Port of Hamburg, which is brought to life virtually with the help of interactive 4K projection mapping. Visitors learn about the working world in the port through eight stations or exhibits, including several Virtual Reality installations, in authentic portraits of employees, experience the underwater world of the Elbe interactively and life-sized, and feel the ship movements using real-time data. Furthermore, visitors can become crane operators of a container bridge themselves or stand virtually next to a gigantic cruise ship in Europe's largest dry dock. Complementing this unique present-day experience, there is an exciting outlook on the future of the port.
To realize this, Demodern started with research and prototyping in the conception of the overall experience. The experts created a creative framework including a storyline, on which a so-called content mapping took place. This ensures that all relevant topics and partners are involved – while also creating a cohesive experience for the visitor. This applies to Hamburg residents who love their port and want to experience its infrastructure and pulse from new perspectives, as well as to the numerous tourists who get to know the 'Gateway to the World' daily. The infrastructure and hardware are designed and planned for hundreds of visitors daily. A tour lasts approximately 50 minutes.
“With the 'Discovery Dock' as an interactive on-site experience, a Micro Amusement Park is created that allows previously unseen perspectives and insights around the Port of Hamburg and becomes an unforgettable event for tourists and locals alike through novel, playful, and fascinating interactions,” explains Alexander El-Meligi, Managing Partner and Creative Director at Demodern. Demodern refers to spatial installations as Micro Amusement Parks, which primarily aim at entertaining guests, evoking enthusiasm, and also conveying educational and informative content in a playful and impactful way. “And that's exactly what we want to achieve with the installations of the 'Discovery Dock',” says Alexander El-Meligi. He and his Hamburg team are responsible for the overall conception of the 'Discovery Dock' together with the client and have developed the entire experience in close coordination with the project team from DuMont.
But not only Demodern is entering a new era with the development of the experience world. DuMont's goal is to establish a new business model for future-oriented business expansion with the 'Discovery Dock'. “With 'Discovery Dock', we are expanding our Hamburg expertise into non-media business fields. We are investing in the growth market of tourism and edutainment alongside our core business, thus reaching new target groups,” says Susan Molzow, Managing Director of Hamburger Morgenpost Medien, DuMont.
Cooperation partners of the "Discovery Dock" are AIDA Cruises, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), and the Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA). Additionally, the experience world is supported content-wise by Blohm+Voss, the University of Hamburg, and the Hamburg Authority for Environment and Energy. Antje Dittrich leads the overall project for DuMont. Besides Demodern as the lead agency, other service providers are involved in the development of the experience. These include The Marmalade, WESOUND, Exozet Berlin, Impuls Design, Lichtfaktor, Ladiges, and Dekom.
Want more insights into the Discovery Dock? Then check out our Case Study on the topic.