Heavy Water Cellar

Under the cloak of a February night in 1943, a pivotal moment unfolded as Norwegian operatives embarked on "Operation Gunnerside," forever altering the course of history. Their target: the Vemork power plant, home to the Heavy Water Basement, a critical facility fueling Nazi ambitions in the nuclear arms race. By dismantling this production hub, the Allies dealt a significant blow to the enemy's progress.

In a bid to immortalize this daring mission, the Gagarín design team produced an immersive exhibition in a glass building surrounding the excavated original basement.

date

May – September 2023

client

Norsk Industriarbeidermuseum

Categories

Illustration

Infographics for museum installations

awards

FÍT Awards / Gold

European Design Awards / Bronze

We developed an innovative way to demonstrate how heavy water was produced in the 1940s using one of the few original electrolyzers that are still left at the powerplant. It serves as the backdrop for an interactive animation that explains the complexity of the inner workings of the heavy water production, yet simplified in a way that is easy to understand for all visitors. This is achieved by using simple and interactive visuals that detail the step by step process of how the machine worked and the chemical processes that took place inside.

Visitors can choose which part of the machine they want to learn about. As they interact with the exhibition and learn how the electrolyzer works, they can begin to understand why Vemork played a key role in the heavy water production. 

In this project, my role spanned conceptual storytelling, scripting, storyboarding, illustration and graphic design.