Netherlands design studio Overtreders W have designed an exhibition featuring shipping containers made of textiles at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

Called Textile Shipping Containers, the divisions are made of a range of textiles including voile, cotton and cheesecloth, which all have different degrees of transparency.

The use of fabric allows visitors to have a glimpse of the artwork within the ‘boxes’.

The installation was created for an exhibition called Portscapes at the museum last month.

Photographs are by Jorn van Eck.

Here’s some more information from the designers:

‘PORTSCAPES’ EXHIBITION (2010) – Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Overtreders W designed shipping containers out of textiles for the exhibition Portscapes currently showing at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

The exhibition Portscapes is the culmination of a year-long cultural project that invited Dutch and international artists to reflect on Maasvlakte 2, the extension of Rotterdam’s harbour.

Underway since 2008, the extension will increase Europe’s largest harbour by 20%, enlarging The Netherlands by 2000 hectares.

The resultant artworks include photography, performance, videos, sound installations and even a newspaper.

For the design of the exhibition, Overtreders W looked to the harbour for inspiration. The concept was to create a physical intervention in the space (Richard Serra Hall) as a basis for the artworks, many of which include visuals and sound.

Shipping containers, iconic symbols of the harbour, are fashioned out of fabric to provide an intimate backdrop for experiencing each artwork.

Constructed from textiles with differing transparencies – voile, cotton and cheesecloth – the containers paint an illusory image of the docklands in reference to a harbour that’s not yet built.

The textiles give a glimpse into the contents of the ubiquitous metal boxes which normally otherwise remain a mystery. Texts for each artwork are printed onto cotton labels and stitched onto the containers.

Through the play of transparencies – suggesting ships moving through a fog-filled harbour – the exhibition slowly reveals itself. Connecting the different containers and artworks, rough textured black floor tiles – inspired by basalt tiles often found in harbours – guide visitors through the exhibition.

The project was commissioned and supported by the Port of Rotterdam Authority and SKOR (Foundation Art and Public Space). The artists were invited by Latitudes curatorial office.