A new app will open up the McManus’ huge collection of ship models for the first time ever.
The web-based application will offer people the chance to see the entire collection together, alongside the museum’s significant collection of Dundee-based maritime art.
The city has a rich history of ship building with its most famous vessel, RRS Discovery, having travelled to the Atlantic and back at the start of the 20th century.
The models, 149 in total, are being captured with precision by the museum’s curators and staff from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD).
Included are various types of models such as sailing ships, war ships and kayaks.
Julie McCombie, curator at The McManus, said: “There is a strong sense of enthusiasm, ownership and engagement about this area of the city’s history and the ship model collection.
“It only feels only right that we can now share these histories with our visitors both in the museum and online.
“We hope that it will open up one of the museum’s most significant collections to the public in a whole new light.”
Those behind the project are currently delving deep into the stories behind the ships, with hidden and previously unknown histories already uncovered.
Included in these stories is Dundee’s role as a major Scottish sea port, celebrating the shipyards that built the ships, honouring the crews who sailed them across the world and exploring the dramatic events they were caught up in.
The project is supported by Leisure & Culture Dundee, Museums Galleries Scotland, Walter Craig Charitable Trust, The Alexander Moncur Trust and The Dundee City Council Common Good Fund.
The app will be launched in the spring of 2020 and will be available at the McManus as well as online.
Robert Jackson, Malcolm Finnie and Sarah Smart of DJCAD are digitally interpreting each of the models through a mixture of 3D scanning and 360 ° visualisation.
Working on the app element of the project are researchers Dr. Jeannie Cooper and Dr. Andrew Jeffrey who are delving into the history of the collection and creating the content for the resource.
