MOTHERS AND SHIPS . GHOST IN THE MACHINE.

When a new ship is launched it is traditionally christened by a woman who is thereafter known as the “Godmother” of  the vessel. 

"Mothers and Ships" is an exhibition that introduces us to the figures of “godmothers” of Polish ships. The exhibition took place in the holds of the SS Sołdek, a museum ship moored in the waters of the Motława River at the Maritime Museum in Gdańsk.

We were asked to design a catalog summarizing this exhibition. The catalog is divided into two parts - the first describes the customs associated with the christening of the ship and introduces us to the profiles of several godmothers, the second is dedicated to the ships themselves. The horizontal format of the catalog is a reference to the memorial books that are kept in the archives of the Godmothers Association. These books contain various types of documents, photos and other souvenirs showing the relationships between “mothers” and their "children". Much of the material on display and in the catalog comes from these archives.