Expedition to the World's Oceans

Approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, of which 96.5% is seawater. The oceans are thought to be the source of all life on earth. They provide raw materials, energy, food, transport routes and function as a climate machine. Humans have been using the ocean as a global highway for 4,000 years, so it seems almost paradoxical that today we know more about the surfaces of the Moon and Mars than about the world’s oceans, only 5% of whose depths have been explored.

The complexity of the theme of the world’s oceans means that it can be approached from many different perspectives and angles. Taking a cultural, historical and scientific approach, our immersive exhibition focuses on the exciting and pleasurable exploration and investigation of different facets of maritime worlds and their processes of transformation. The exhibition concentrates on three main subjects: The deep sea with its mysterious habitats and fragile ecosystem, the oceans as a contested economic space and the basis for globalisation and, finally, the oceans as a place of longing and a space for the transfer of people and ideas. These mysterious realms have always inspired creative and enquiring minds: alongside objects from the realms of nature, science and technology, a selection of historical artefacts and works of contemporary art sheds light on the endangered beauty of maritime flora and fauna and encourages reflection on the colourful and chequered history of man and the sea.