ABBA THE MUSEUM CELEBRATES 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH A NEW EXHIBITION – ABBA VOYAGE

Costumes designed by B Åkerlund in collaboration with Michael Schmidt.

ABBA The Museum proudly presents the new exhibition – ABBA Voyage. The exhibition will show the making of their latest album and the ground-breaking virtual concert experience. The exhibition will also show exclusive interviews and footage, stage costumes by B Åkerlund in collaboration with leading designers such as Dolce Gabbana and Michael Schmidt.

In collaboration with the producers of ABBA Voyage, Svana Gisla, Ludvig Andersson and director Baillie Walsh,  ABBA The Museum has received access to costumes designed by B Åkerlund, sketches/drawings and film material from the process of producing ABBA Voyage.

“I’m so proud of creating this exhibition at ABBA The Museum together with my team and in collaboration with the producers of ABBA Voyage. The exhibition will give visitors a look behind the making of ABBA Voyage including new and exclusive interviews with Björn and Benny about the show – and album - in retrospect” says Ingmarie Halling, Creative Director at ABBA The Museum.

ABBA Voyage in London blends cutting-edge technology, spectacular lighting, and some of the most beloved songs ever written all within a bespoke 3,000 capacity venue that transforms Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid into digital versions of themselves, presenting an immersive in-the-moment live concert experience. The show was an immediate hit and has been called “Jaw Dropping” by The Guardian and “Out of this world” by The Times and has been seen by hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world. The exhibition at ABBA The Museum includes interviews with the producers of the show.

“We’ve loved working on this collaboration with ABBA The Museum in Stockholm, to give an insight into the magic of ABBA Voyage a year after we opened our doors. The herculean efforts of this whole magnificent team, the joyful adventures to make the impossible possible: technological wizardry, state of the art immersion and entertainment innovation are a proud moment for us.” says Ludvig Andersson and Svana Gisla the producers of ABBA Voyage.

B Åkerlund who worked on the stage costumes spoke about the three different costumes on display saying

About the D&G costume - “For this look, I went in knowing that I wanted this finale to take inspiration from Greek mythology and "god"-like imagery, which to me, meant that Dolce & Gabbana would be the perfect collaborators for this, having presented several collections in the same vein. We went back and forth sketching and ideating until we reached this final result.”

About the Metal mesh costume - “I wanted to play with tactility, texture and various detailing to create contrast, so I found myself gravitating towards metal mesh. This material finds its origins in Ancient Egypt, and was traditionally used for making silver and gold jewelry, but to me it represented a futuristic element that played nicely into the themes of rebirth and transformation that ABBA was experiencing at the time. It also is reminiscent of the Disco Era and can be seen applied in so many contemporary ways, which made all the more sense.”

About the Jumpsuit costume - “Arguably their most iconically recognizable silhouette, the jumpsuit embodies the essence of ABBA and I knew I had to put my own flare on it, so I chose this liquid orange velvet as the base and decided to create contemporary-style crystal embellishments of their names on them, to give it a retro-futuristic feel.”

ABBA The Museum opened in 2013 and has since then attracted over 2,5 million visitors from all over the world.

“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate ABBA The Museums’ 10 years anniversary than with a new exhibition. With ABBA Voyage, we truly have the full story to deep dive into the world of ABBA - from the very beginning and into the future. We can’t wait to welcome both new and returning visitors” says Caroline Fagerlind, Head of Exhibitions at ABBA The Museum.

ABBA Voyage Exhibition @ ABBA The Museum opens on Sunday, 7 May 2023.

For interview requests, press images and further information, please contact:
Helena Mattsson, press@abbathemuseum.com