He builds one for himself! One of the world’s finest and most detailed ship models was built without drawings and tools in a WWII camp by Runar Husell, an Åland sailor. Our exhibition “What does a sailor without a ship do? An exhibition about the model of Ponape – a miniature miracle” tells the touching story of a sailor, a war and the power of creativity.
Model maker Runar Husell began life as an exceptionally headstrong and talented foster child from the island of Vårdö in the Åland archipelago. At the time of his death in his mid-50s, he had become both a master mariner and a civil engineer.
The unique model depicts the four-masted barque Ponape. It is 226 cm long and built to a 1:40 scale. All of its tiny details, including the millimetre-small turnbuckles, are fully functioning.
The exhibition is supported by shipping company Eckerö and the Hilda and Gustaf Erikson foundation and Gustaf Adolf Erikson’s support fund.
Watch the short documentary: The Ponape Sail Ship - a Dream of the Ocean
Script & direction: Michael Hancock, 2017. 30 minutes.
A documentary of the fascinating story of Runar Husell’s road from a poor orphan to the builder of one of the world’s finest and most detailed shop models. Read more about the Ponape model.
