The new exhibition for the Icelandic Museum of Natural History is imagined as a journey through the ocean where visitors are immersed in the incredible diversity of ocean life. It is a journey of theatre that encourages us to feel affection and hope for the future. The museum’s place next to the ocean becomes an important part of the visitor experience. The visitor’s journey begins outside and weaves through both levels of the building before returning outside where they are encouraged to explore this close physical connection with the sea. Strategies to promote enjoyment, engagement and learning underpin the design. These take into account that different audiences will have varied preferences when engaging with scientific content. The strategies also shape people’s experience throughout the museum and outline techniques for encouraging learning. Ensuring physical, emotional and intellectual accessibility will be essential throughout. A museum is envisaged where visitors go on a personal emotional journey. It begins with immersive moments which trigger emotion and subsequently lead to care and a desire to protect the ocean. Moments of theatre are used to create spectacle and wonder that help visitors imagine ocean habitats and their diverse and intricate webs of interconnected life. The exhibition, journey through the landscape and building could be seen as a piece of theatre in two acts, one for each gallery. The museum’s close location to the ocean plays an essential role within this piece of theatre, where the ocean and landscape just outside the museum become a vital part of how visitors experience the museum – the prelude and coda to their experience. The design approach embraces seasonality, and strives to create a place of wonder that subtly shifts and evolves as time passes, encouraging visitors to return again and again. The experience inspires hope for the planet, and at each moment the oceans lie at the heart of the storytelling. Our oceans are in crisis, but there is hope for a brighter future at the Icelandic Museum of Natural History.

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