Queen Maud’s Album Exhibition
The Royal Palace of Norway
How can you make historic fashion immersive? Tellart captured and animated the Norwegian Queen Maud’s iconic dresses with photogrammetry, 3D audiovisual technology and historic photographs. Creating a magical exhibition, the project shines a light on curatorial preservation with technology, and a fresh approach to experiencing historic collections.
Tellart created Queen Maud’s Album, a commemorative exhibit presented by the Norwegian government to the King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway on the occasion of their 80th birthdays. In partnership with the National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design in Oslo and the Royal Collections team, this two-year exhibition, launched in July 2017.
The exhibit honors Queen Maud, who, along with Queen Sonja, was one of only two queens to rule Norway since the country’s independence in 1905. Queen Maud’s Album delves into her visual world through over 44 photographic albums she left behind, showcasing her love for horses and sports, as well as her deep interest in fashion, photography, and design — elements influenced by her mother, Queen Alexandra.
The exhibit is installed in the Royal Stables' Hay Tower and features photographs with Queen Maud both in front of and behind the camera. Queen Maud was a passionate equestrian who expanded and remodeled the Royal Stables from 1908-1911, which remains the current design today.
Combination of historical photographs and digital renderings
The installation offers a cinematic experience centered on six dresses of Queen Maud, combining historical photographs and digitised renderings of her iconic dresses through a process called photogrammetry. Photogrammetry is the science of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant imagery to obtain reliable information about physical objects and the environment. This technique allows delicate and precious museum objects to be shown up close and in motion. The process involves taking overlapping photographs of Queen Maud’s costumes and converting them into 3D digital models.
Render of Queen Maud’s Album exhibition by Tellart with photography of Princess Maud in London, 1902 (The Royal Collections) by W. & D. Downey.
Six themes of iconic dresses
Organised into six themes—The Coronation, The Joys of Winter, Gala, Riding, In Merry Company, and Summer Life—the exhibit features large vertical 4K screens displaying 3D-scanned costumes alongside retouched photographs from the Royal Collections. Enhanced by immersive 11.1 surround sound, the dresses are animated within a virtual environment using cinema-grade particle effects inspired by falling snow. A custom audiovisual system, built with four portrait-oriented projectors, integrates these visuals with a musical score for wind and strings, recorded live and mixed with spatial sound effects, creating a seamless fusion of art, history, and technology.
Digital 3D depiction of one of the Queen Maud's ball gowns generated by Tellart
Gala
Gala presents a photogrammetry scan of an evening gown made of ice-green silk embroidered in green and silver. The tiara, gifted to Princess Maud in 1896 as a wedding present, is adorned with pearls and diamonds.
Digital 3D depiction of the Queen Maud's riding dress generated by Tellart
Riding
One of the themes, Riding, highlights a riding habit made of dark brown wool, consisting of a jacket and skirt tailored for side-saddle riding. The tight-fitting, single-breasted jacket features a men’s lapel and long, narrow sleeves, while the skirt, shaped like an apron, is designed specifically for side-saddle use. The outfit also includes a riding hat, boots, and whip. Depicted through a photogrammetry scan, this ensemble is based on photographs of Queen Maud and her family riding in England, on the grounds of the Royal Palace in Oslo, and at Bygdøy in 1933.
Digital 3D depiction of the Queen Maud's coronation dress generated by Tellart
The six dresses provide structure and organisation to an animated film of historical photographs, bringing the public closer to the treasures and stories of Queen Maud and the royal family. This exhibition demonstrated how new media can bring historical and fragile items closer to audiences, allowing them to be experienced more intimately—without the barrier of a glass display.
“Collaborating with the brilliant minds at Snøhetta, we brought history and technology together for this royal exhibition design. The project gave us the rare privilege of stepping into Queen Maud’s world. We 3D-scanned her coronation gown, equestrian attire, summer dress, and more, transforming these historical treasures into stunning digital creations.
At the heart of it all was a 20-meter-tall animation inside the old hay silo of her horse stables. Vibrant flakes of snow fell, revealing iconic dresses, interwoven with a photomontage of Queen Maud’s own photography. From raw 3D scans to clay models and finally the mesmerizing animation, the project showcased the layered alchemy of our techniques—each detail meticulously crafted to create an experience that felt truly magical.”
Matt Cottam, Tellart Founder and Principal designer
The Queen Sonja Art Stable is a museum, art gallery and concert hall located in the former stables of the Royal Palace in Parkveien street, Oslo. It was opened to the public eight months after King Harald V gifted Queen Sonja the Royal Stables with intention of transforming them into the Queen Sonja Art Stable. The official opening of the Art Stable coincided with her 80th birthday. Now open to visitors, it hosts three annual exhibitions showcasing art and items from the Royal Collection.
The Queen Sonja Art Stable
Project Data
Highlights:
- Queen Maud’s Album at The Royal Palace of Norway, Oslo. 4th July 2017 - July 2019
- Queen Maud’s Album was a commemorative exhibit presented by the Norwegian government to the King and Queen of Norway on the occasion of their 80th birthdays
- The exhibition was opened to the public at The Art Stable within the Royal Palace in Oslo by Queen Sonja of Norway.
Credits:
Tellart (NL) - Concept, Design, Direction
Tellart Productions (NL) - Media Production
National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (NOR) - Project management, Curation, Technical and artistic advice
Extended project team National Museum (NOR) - Conservation, Photography, Photography archive, Communications advice
The Royal Collection (NOR) - Curation
Henrik Skram (NOR) - Music Composition
Idee und Klang (CH) - Sound Design
Mark Florquin (BE) - Photogrammetry
Snohetta (NOR) - Brochure design
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