Artful archaeology for the South Australian's story
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Artists and archaeologists are a powerful combination. Telling South Australian’s story through a variety of mediums; a graphic novel, a virtual dive and a museum exhibition, showcases it to new audiences and helps bring to life the adventures of this significant vessel.
Professor Holger Deuter
Professor Holger Deuter
Professor Holger Deuter
Professor Holger Deuter
Professor Holger Deuter
Pandemic project
One evening, during a pandemic and lockdown, a maritime archaeologist in Australia (James) and a professor of virtual design in Germany (Holger) were chatting over Zoom.
James said, ‘I’ve always wanted to do a graphic novel about a shipwreck’.
Holger went quiet, then said ‘I used to be comic book artist’.
They realised this was the perfect project for them to work on while stuck at home.
After about nine months of research, writing, sketching and drawing, the first draft was born.
Professor Holger Deuter
"I mainly like to draw analogue on paper with water colours and markers (mainly aquarelle for diffuse backgrounds and markers for sharp precise foregrounds), which I compose together digitally with all the additional components (rain, bubbles, text, speed lines etc.)."
Professor Holger Deuter
Creating the crew
There are existing portraits of South Australian’s wealthy passengers, but no images showing the ship’s crew. It’s not easy to draw people when you don’t know how they looked.
Holger researched fashions and hairstyles of the day, but reasoned that a company of rough whalers wouldn’t be in the latest styles or new clothes. They needed clothing they could move and work in. He sought inspiration from movies such as Moby Dick.
A critical character to include was JBT MacFarlane, South Australian’s captain. He was 26 at the time of the wreck and was a ‘headsman’ at the whaling station. He would have been young and strong and fit, but that’s all we know for sure. Holger looked at actors for inspiration and found the recent adaptation of Jack London’s Sea Wolf, starring Sebastian Koch. Koch had the right ‘look’; Holger just changed his nose!
Concept sketches of early 19th- century clothing.
Professor Holger Deuter
Graphic novel depiction of passenger David McLaren, based on an existing historical portrait from the 1830s.
Professor Holger Deuter
Concept sketches
Professor Holger Deuter
Concept sketches
Professor Holger Deuter
Virtually there
In 2019, James, Holger and Holger’s university students developed a virtual reality (VR) dive on the wreck of the PS Herald in Sydney Harbour. They’d intended to use the wreck of Lady Darling for their next VR build, but the COVID pandemic cancelled all fieldwork.
The students still needed a project, so they switched to South Australian, as James had already done four expeditions to the site and had all the assets they’d need.
They created a VR experience where users become researchers – investigating the wreck and its artefacts, and then time-travelling back to 1837 to explore the ship before it sank.
Artefacts and artworks on display
In July 2024, the museum opened the new exhibition A Graphic Tale of Shipwreck – Rediscovering South Australian. This exhibition told the stories of the shipwreck in 1837, it's rediscovery in 2018 and the subsequent collaborations between James and Holger.
"Too often exhibitions showcase the aftermath of shipwrecks. Rarely do we see the process of a ship’s destruction visually represented. This exhibition will allow visitors a rare perspective of this historically significant event by providing captivating imagery and objects that highlight South Australian, its loss, and its shipwreck site."
Dr James Hunter
Visit the display
Following its closure at the museum, the display was transferred to the National Trust Museum in Victor Harbour, near the site of the dramatic story it describes.