The Ship (Dhow), National Museum of qatar

doha, qatar

Lead designer Taylor Cullity Lethlane, Adelaide Office

Arterial, Interpretative and interactive Design

Opened in March 2020, the Ship Playground at the National Museum of Qatar features  remains of the legendary Qatari sailor and trader Erahmah Bin Jaber’s treasure and the ‘shipwreck’ of his most famous ship, the Ghatrousha. This playground responded to and incorporated cultural stories and histories of Qatar and its people, with Arterial working closely with the museum staff ensuring that there was a direct curatorial link to the museum and the stories and themes captured in the ship's narrative.

Arterial collaborated closely with lead consultants/designers TCL and all sub-consultants from engineers to lighting designers, throughout all design phases. Arterial also met with the curators at the National Museum of Qatar on-site in Doha on 2 separate occasions to workshop ideas and approaches to the content. Integration of Museum content was paramount to everything we designed. All text was delivered in 2 languages: English and Arabic.

There is a direct correlation between the interactive objects to be found within the ship's myriad interaction moments and the artefacts within the museum. Designed to International Playgrounds Standards with 70% of interactive play accessible by wheelchair, our role in the interpretation includes sound, projection, text, tactile and physical challenges.