FLUGT Refugee Museum of Denmark

FLUGT – Refugee Museum of Denmark, designed by architects BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and exhibition designers Tinker imagineers, was officially inaugurated in the summer of 2022 in the presence of Queen Margrethe II. The new museum is created by Varde Museums, who is also behind TIRPITZ, the international tourist attraction in Blåvand (for which Tinker also designed the exhibitions). FLUGT is situated in Oksbøl on the west coast of Jutland. After World War II, the site of the museum housed the largest refugee camp for German civilians in Denmark. The brief was to create a concept for the exhibitions inside the new museum (app. 700 m2) and a concept for the storytelling in the former refugee camp, now a forest of 4.5 km2. FLUGT wanted to be the first museum in the world dedicated to refugees’ stories: both contemporary and historical.

The brand-new museum gives a voice and a face to refugees worldwide. It captures their universal challenges, emotions, drive, and stories. The exhibitions use personal stories to put a face to the history and abstract numbers, and to show the connection between the local history of Oksbøl and today’s refugee crisis. The search for refuge and the tensions that come with it are of all times, and it’s something that could happen to anyone.

Tinker imagineers came up with an innovative immersive design that tells the stories of refugees of all ages in a way people have never experienced before. As part of this, the use of audio functions as the backbone of the experience design rather than just in support. The museum experience consists of several exhibition rooms and a large outdoor area. The personal stories of the refugees are brought to life with visual highlights, soundscapes, animations, interviews, and original film material. Visitors experience what refugees had to deal with then and still have nowadays. They put themselves in the shoes of the refugees and get to know them.

Outside, a huge and notable model of the former camp, made of concrete and Corten Steel, indicates its scale. Here, visitors start an immersive audio walk through the forest. During their walk, they hear sounds and voices, experiencing history through the eyes of former camp refugees. This offers visitors a realistic experience of what daily life in the camp was like. The cemetery and an old barrack can be visited as well.

Credits

Client: Varde Museums

Exhibition design & audiovisual design: Tinker imagineers

Set construction: Kloosterboer

Hardware & showcontrol: Stouenborg

AV content (first two rooms): Shosho

Interactive table: YIPP

Art installation wireframe figures: Rina van der Weij

Lighting design: 50lux

Audio design: Big Orange

Audio device: Tonwelt

Copywriting audio stories: Story Matters

Architect: BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group

Photos: Mike Bink

Project video: Joris Verleg