Henry Mole - The Ministry of Mythology

The Ministry of Mythology

Valhalla Oil Field, North Sea

The Ministry of Mythology is a specialist research facility situated in the defunct Valhalla Oil Field located in Norwegian Waters at the centre of the North Sea. Funded by the Norwegian Government, The Ministry of Mythology aims to preserve the cultural identity of the North Sea Area as the landscape is irreversibly changed by the impending sea level rise. To preserve the shared cultural identity, the Ministry of Mythology will identify, document, preserve and re-create the mythological stories of the areas past. These myths are at risk of being lost as their original location is reclaimed by the rising sea.

The Ministry of Mythology functions in three main areas;

RESEARCH - Past, Present and Future sites of mythology are identified within the North Sea area using Artificial Intelligence and historical records.

PRESERVE - The sites of mythology are extensively documented utilising the latest technology creating a encapsulating image of the mythological location and the origins of the myth. This data is synthesized and presented in the form of a website and transmitted locally from the myth site, telling the story and history of the myth through digital copies of documents, maps, photographs and 3D scans. The sites of mythological interest are physically remembered through the myth markers allowing the site to me marked once the sea has reclaimed it.

RE-CREATE - These myths are re-create using the Myth Re-Creation Chamber within the Ministry of Mythology, before being retold to the origin cultures through interactive, immersive exhibitions in art galleries and venues throughout the North Sea Area.