ANARCHIVING OCEAN MARGINS
Redefining Maritime Museum Narratives
This research project has been selected for the Global Connectivity in Maritime Perspective Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum and the Leibniz Institute for Maritime History (DSM) in Bremerhaven. The fellowship is scheduled to take place between August and November 2025.
Description:
As I look closely at the photographs of the ship models PAMIR and PREUSSEN from the DSM Schiffsmodelle collection, I am struck by the untold stories surrounding these merchant vessels. Their voyages to South America, transporting mineral resources back to Europe, left profound marks on the histories and environments of the regions they touched. Yet, the museum’s labels omit the perspectives of those directly impacted—communities on “the other side” of these maritime routes. Instead, they primarily recount the voyages, shipwrecks, and technological advances in steam shipping, leaving these intertwined histories unexplored. This encounter with the collection raises the central questions of my project: How can Maritime museum collections be reimagined to tell these unheard stories about the global impact of the German relationship with the sea by amplifying marginalized voices and uncovering silenced histories? How might the Schiffsmodelle collection’s potential be unlocked to critically engage with the complex relationships between maritime exploration, colonial exploitation, and cultural perceptions of the sea?
In alignment with the fellowship theme, Global Connectivity in Maritime Perspective and the DSM's exhibition projects such as Points of View, this project seeks to enrich international dialogues on maritime heritage. Focusing on the relationships between Germany, South America and the sea, DSM’s diverse collection offers a valuable resource for this inquiry. By investigating the provenance, layered meanings, and global significance of its artifacts, the project will address colonial and ecological dimensions while foregrounding silenced narratives. This work will reimagine the collection as a platform for transcultural perspectives, employing innovative, multisensory, and collaborative methods to highlight marginalized stories that challenge Eurocentric frameworks. Ultimately, it will contribute to new understandings of humanity’s relationship with the sea and foster deeper connections between past/present maritime histories.
Anarchiving the DSM’s Knowledge
This project leverages multiperspectivity and postcolonial ocean epistemologies to reinterpret the Schiffsmodelle collection, examining how maritime histories are interwoven with colonialism, commerce, and ecological transformation. The PAMIR and PREUSSEN ship models serve as a focal point, pointing towards broader narratives such as the exploitation of saltpeter in the Chilean Altiplano—a striking example of the enduring impacts of merchant shipping, symbolized by the Chilehaus in Hamburg, constructed with the wealth of saltpeter. At a more granular level, the project will investigate the object's provenance and craftsmanship, delving into the traditions of naval model-making.Reimagining the Schiffsmodelle collection as a space for fluid, relational narratives shifts the perception of oceans from barriers to connective corridors shaped by maritime currents. Such reconceptualization highlights the relationships between lifeworlds, routes and histories. Postcolonial ocean studies and hydrofeminism provide critical frameworks for examining these connections, enabling a holistic museology that fosters sensitive and inclusive interpretations of maritime heritage. Central to this ethnographic-artistic provenance approach (Macdonald & Adler, 2025) is the concept of the anarchive—a dynamic, ethnographic-artistic framework that transcends static archival practices. By prioritizing interaction and multiplicity, anarchival methods aim to transform collections into living representations of shared histories and struggles. Interventions such as sound-object installation and collective listening sessions will unlock the decolonial potential of the museum’s collection, fostering inclusivity and engaging audiences in meaningful dialogue.
This project aims to foster a dialogue between the DSM and the Chilean Maritime Museum through off/online collective listening sessions connecting Germany and Chile. The initiative seeks to enrich DSM maritime artifacts with perspectives from the Global South. Special focus will be placed on ship models depicting voyages to South America, investigating the absence of narratives about Germany's role in the saltpeter trade and its lasting impact on today's environmental degradation. Building on my previous artistic-ethnographic work on postcolonial ocean studies and collective listening methodologies, I will collaborate with Chilean researchers to bring in untold stories.
This fellowship envisions the DSM as a pioneer in critically engaging with maritime collections, challenging institutional norms, and adopting inclusive, decolonial practices. By reactivating these collections, the project connects maritime heritage to contemporary issues like climate crises and global inequities—the past is not merely ‘behind’ us; it exists in our present-future collective aspirations, reimagined through engagement with multivocal narratives.