007 Elements Opening
20th July 2018
Morten Steingrimsen reports from the mountaintop Bond museum in Sölden, Austria
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On July 10th, 2018, MI6 and other Bond fans from Europe were invited to the opening of 007 ELEMENTS.
This new James Bond cinematic installation is built inside the summit of the Gaislachkogl Mountain in Sölden, Austria, where the spectacular winter scenes in 'SPECTRE' was shot back in 2015. Located over 3,000m above sea level, it is the highest visitor experience of its kind.
After being transported in cable car to the middle station, where the original Range Rover Sport SVR from SPECTRE was exhibited, a second cable car transported us to top of the mountain. And what a stunning view!
IMAGE © Morten Steingrimsen
We arrived at the Ice Q restaurant, where we were welcomed by Neal Callow, Art Director on every Bond films since Casino Royale. Also presents were Jakob Falkner, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Sölden, Tino Schaedler, Head of Design Optimist Inc., Hans Obermoser, the architect of 007 ELEMENTS and Meg Simmonds, EON's Archive Director.
Callow and Schaedler guided us through 007 ELEMENTS’ nine galleries, which represents key elements of the Bond universe. The installation focuses on SPECTRE, but also celebrates the legacy of the James Bond films. For example, the architecture is very inspired by Sir Ken Adam’s ground-braking design, and the style inside the galleries are reminiscent of Maurice Binder’s innovative title sequences. Some of the galleries are also directly inspired by movie sets, such as the Mirror Room (which reminds one of Scaramanga's fun house in 'The Man With The Golden Gun') and the Tech room – very much like Q's lab.
Callow tells MI6 that the legacy of Sir Ken continues: “Ken Adam was and is a big inspiration to me as he created such a powerful cinematic architectural style. It was not only about cutting-edge bold and audacious architecture and automotive design but also the brilliant use light and shadow, theatrics and composition which are evident in his concept art and have influenced film design ever since, as well as real-world architecture. “
NEAL CALLOW GREETS THE PRESS AT SÖLDEN. IMAGE © Morten Steingrimsen
Also featured in one of the galleries are several props from the movies, such as four James Bond OMEGA watches (including the Seamaster 300 from SPECTRE), Bond’s piton laser gun from 'GoldenEye' and the ski stick Roger Moore used in the pre-titles sequence of 'The Spy Who Loved Me'.
The plans for 007 ELEMENTS dates back to 2015, Callow explains. “We started shooting SPECTRE in Sölden in January 2015, and Jack Falkner, CEO of the lift company Bergbahnen Sölden had the idea of creating a permanent installation to celebrate the relationship between 007 and Sölden and to celebrate the movie making that took place there. “
After filming finished, Jack Falkner proposed the idea to EON Productions and they approved in theory. “Once EON was on board, Jack and Austrian architect Johann (Hans) Obermoser started developing plans for the building. I was hired by Jack to develop the concept for the visitor experience, and I worked together with Camille Verhaeghe and Tino Schaedler and the team at Optimist Inc on the experience. Together with Hans, we collaborated to design the building and the interior simultaneously creating a bespoke home for this unique cinematic installation. “
WHAT REMAINS OF THE Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander USED BY BOND IN THE SPECTRE SNOW PERSUIT
IMAGE © Morten Steingrimsen
The creative team has created a jaw-dropping, beautifully designed, innovative and really impressive Bond experience, which made me feel like agent 007 – at least for a few hours.
Visit 007elements.com for more information and to book your trip.
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