A catamaran boat resting in harbour

The Art Explorer, a catamaran, has the capacity to receive 2,000 visitors per day. It is on the way touring 15 countries over two years.

Visiting an exhibition about water is about to become a reality. A catamaran adapted as a museum will begin a two-year journey around the world at the end of March.

The vessel, called Art Explorer, will visit the ports of 15 countries until 2026, including a quick stop in Lisbon, which has not yet been announced. Designed by architects Alex de Beaufort and Guillaume Verdier, the vessel is 46 meters long and 18 meters wide.

With the capacity to receive around two thousand visitors a day, the museum ship will open an immersive exhibition dedicated to female figures from different Mediterranean cultures. The “Presentès” exhibition was drawn up from the collections of the Louvre Museum and allows reflection on the role and representation of women through an educational and sensory experience.

The program will be divided into two main parts. The first is the immersive exhibition, which takes place in the heart of the catamaran, where visitors are involved in a sensory journey. The second is a documentary, which can be seen at the back of the boat, which gives a voice to the women, involving them in a dialog between the works of art presented in the show and their own lives. The film is approximately seven minutes long.

In addition to digital audiovisual technologies, the museum presents a “sound odyssey” where visitors can explore the sensations of the Mediterranean and discover new soundscapes, both imaginary and real.

The ship will set sail from Malta on March 31, make a stopover in Venice in April and then officially open in Marseille on June 6. According to the festival’s itinerary, it will make stops in the ports of Valencia, Tangier, Beirut and Athens. You can follow the journey online.

Tickets to visit the museum will go on sale soon.

Direct link to the Art Explorer