Container: the box that changed the world

22 May - 25 July 2021

In today’s global world you may have had coffee from Brazil or a smoothie containing frozen fruit from China.

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You could be wearing clothes made in India, watching a TV made in Japan while sitting on a sofa containing wood from Argentina on a laminate floor manufactured in Sweden. All of this has been made possible by a rectangular steel box - the humble shipping container.

In this free outdoor exhibition you can literally ‘step inside the box’ to explore six colourful containers scattered around the museum like giant Lego pieces. Each container covers one part of this six part touring exhibition developed by the Australian National Maritime Museum.

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Ship

Learn the history of transporting goods in crates, bales, sacks and barrels loaded by hand, and how the container now allows the world’s 1.5 million seafarers to deliver 10 billion tonnes of trade each year.

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Cargo

Discover the intricate world of trade, customs, and biosecurity, and how perishable goods are transported around the world in the ‘cold’ chain.

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Port

See the radical transformation of ports and port cities in Australia and around the world. Have a peek behind the scenes at Port Botany, one of Australia’s busiest ports and the gateway for 99 per cent of New South Wales’ container demand.

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Ocean

Explore the challenges mass shipping poses to our oceans, including lost shipping containers, cargo spills and acoustic pollution, and the current focus on sustainable shipping.

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Build

Be delighted by the quirky and innovative ways containers are used beyond shipping, including ‘small homes’, food trucks, art installations and even swimming pools.

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Things

Enter a glass-fronted container demonstrating the origins of everyday objects in our homes. The total number of kilometres travelled by sea by all the products in this container is 887,082 km.

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Words by Dr Mary-Elizabeth Andrews, Exhibition Curator

Container is an Australian National Maritime Museum touring exhibition

Principal Partner | Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Supporters | Shipping Australia Limited and Royal Wolf