Portfolio
Dunbrody was a 19th century three masted sailing ship that brought many emigrants from Ireland to North America during and after the Great Famine. Working in association with content producers CMC Associates and media specialists Zolk C, Studio SP has produced exciting and dramatic new displays for the Dunbrody Famine Ship Centre. Visitors pass through recreated 19th century harbour and room interior scenes within a new quayside building. Guided by costumed actors and immersed in the history of the times through interactive image, sound and smells, the visitor follows the footsteps of a group of Famine emigrants as they board the ship.
The Looking East gallery within the National Museum in Edinburgh, features the National Museums Scotland's rich and diverse collection of Chinese, Japanese and Korean material. Displays in the China area of the gallery focus on material from the Qing dynasty and the export trade from China to Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Japanese collections featured include material from the Tokugawa period (1615-1868), and a collection of woodblock prints. Korean displays present material from the Joseon dynasty which particular focus on Joseon dynasty ceramics and dress.
This new gallery in the refurbished Royal Museum of Scotland showcases 700 years of design style and fashion from Gothic grandeur to Victorian Revivalism and Renaissance rulers to Scottish noblemen, highlighting the roles of patrons and collectors, artists and entrepreneurs in the development of major international styles. The stunning Victorian architecture of the museum gallery itself is appropriately highlighted within the displays and provides a striking sense-of-place to the visitor. Studio SP has worked closely with museum curators to create an object-rich display with use of LED lighting and back-lit graphics to highlight key-objects and story-lines.
‘Singing the Reformation’ exhibition at the University of Edinburgh Main Library, brings together the eight Wode Partbooks, from around the world, for the very first time. The exhibition features early music that was sung and played in early modern Scotland whilst viewing the original musical manuscripts and musical instruments. You can also follow the careers of Thomas Wode, the man who preserved the music and of his patron Lord James Stewart, with the help of contemporary books, manuscripts, paintings and maps.
Studio SP has created an interpretive plan and design for a large-scale internationally touring temporary exhibition entitled 'Mongol: The Real Life of Chinggis Khan'. The exhibition is being produced by touring exhibitions group Nomad Exhibitions in association with Inner Mongolia Museum. The Studio SP design team has created branding and publicity materials for Nomad to assist with their marketing of the exhibition, in addition to creating the display concepts and outlining key thematic messages. The exhibition is planned to begin touring in Autumn 2012.
Studio SP has recently completed the refurbishment of the Local History Gallery at Bolton Museum. The industrial past of Bolton has been evoked with the use of materials such as woven metal mesh which was used to create plinths and banners carrying screen printed titles and images. The existing Victorian showcases have been refurbished and fitted with a flexible display system which maximises the display space. The gallery features a 3d stereoscopic screen where characters from Bolton’s history are brought to life by actors telling the story of the growth of Bolton’s industry.
Studio SP was commissioned to design and install the large scale promotional graphics display for The Playhouse and the Omni Centre, advertising the extremely successful touring musical We Will Rock You.
This gallery within the National Museum highlights the ways in which scientific developments over the past 150 years have revolutionised the way we live. Visitors can discover the surprising stories behind technology we take for granted today, and find out how Scottish scientists, inventors and engineers have had a major impact in shaping the modern world. Through large scale and vibrant graphics and cased object displays visitors can explore four thematic areas – life-saving breakthroughs in medicine, increased understanding of the universe, the explosion in communications technology and revolutionary advances in civil engineering.
Studio SP in association with CMC Associates designed, produced and installed interpretive and interactive displays within Russborough, said to be the most beautiful house in Ireland. The exhibition uses many interactive 2D and 3D features including touch-tables, touch-screens, cinema and 3D image viewers to portray the lives and passions of Sir Alfred and Lady Beit who lived there from 1952 until the mid-1970’s. Alfred Beit was a keen and innovative film-maker and photographer using 3D stereography, and the archives provide a wealth of material for the visitor to share in his extraordinary experiences. Visitors can also learn more about the stunning Palladian architecture and interior decoration of the house itself through audio-visual presentations and exhibition displays.
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is Scotland’s senior regiment and only regiment of cavalry. Its history and collection spans 325 years to the present day. The museum is sited within 18th century barracks at Edinburgh Castle and has a collection comprising many unique artifacts from the Battle of Waterloo including the symbol of the regiment, Waterloo Eagle. Studio SP created new displays which integrate showcasing with touch screen multimedia and hands-on activities. Sensitive daylight management was critical to the project as the museum rooms offer excellent views out. In addition to which, the rooms themselves, as the regiments historic barracks, require revealing and interpreting.
Studio SP designed and installed large scale graphics and projected imagery on the facade of the Omni Centre to advertise the musical Hairspray for Christmas 2011.
The completion of the Museum on the Mound project for Lloyds Banking Group is the culmination of nearly three years work for the design team involving showcase design, interiors, multimedia, interactivity, lighting, object arrangement and graphic design. The new museum is a state-of-the-art facility utilising the best current technologies to bring the displays to life. The displays are also designed to provide the most secure and protective environment for the objects, with air temperature, humidity and lighting carefully controlled and monitored to ensure the preservation of the artifacts whilst gaining maximum public visibility and access. Whilst the museum employs use of touchscreen and low tech interactivity throughout, the displays are centred around the objects, with a carefully balanced use of graphic interpretation, light, and colour allowing the objects to reveal their own stori
Studio SP was appointed by Edinburgh Council to design and manage the installation of a window display graphic on the facade of the Omni Centre. The imagery promoted St Andrew’s Day and the production ‘Our Scotland’ at the EICC.
We have recently completed a concept design for a new interactive gallery at Sangxingdui Museum, Sichuan Province, China. The 500 square metre gallery allows visitors to explore the unique bronze age collections through a series of innovative high and low technology interactives.
This exhibition at the Dean Gallery, part of the National Galleries of Scotland, features some seventy black-and-white photographs by the American photographer Diane Arbus, spanning the artist’s career from the mid-1950s until her death in 1971. This outstanding selection of Arbus’s images was put together by Anthony d’Offay, the donor of the ARTIST ROOMS collection, in collaboration with the artist’s estate, and is one of the finest collections of her work in existence. Studio SP was delighted to be asked to assist with the design of the galleries, exhibition interpretation and graphics.
Studio SP designed and produced this major exhibition celebrating the work of Basil Spence, one of the most renowned British architects of the twentieth century. Held at the Dean Gallery, Edinburgh in 2007, the exhibition was result of a collaboration between RCAHMS and the National Galleries of Scotland. Iain Gale in ‘Scotland on Sunday’ writes “The show sets the standard for exhibition interpretation, being at once both engaging and subtle...never before have I seen an exhibition which gives such immediate access to an architect’s creative thought...it is grounded on outstanding curatorial and design talent”. ***** A ‘rich and accessible exhibition’ The Guardian.
As Scotland’s greatest living sculptor celebrated his 80th birthday, June 2004 saw Edinburgh host the first full retrospective of his work. In addition to designing the exhibition graphics, posters, banners and flyers, we produced a special free exhibition guide for visitors.
In April 2010 Studio SP completed the masterplan for the Special Galleries building at Nanjing Museum. Spanning nine galleries and 8,500 sqm of display space, the masterplan has been universally well received and we are now developing elements of the proposals in further detail alongside the project architects. We look forward to continuing that collaboration towards the successful completion of the project in 2012.
Ardbeg, known as ‘the untamed spirit of Islay’ required new visitor facilities at its distillery in the southern tip of Islay. We produced a scheme which reflects the maverick quality of the brand including a bar one wall of which is a blackboard wall for visitors’ grafitti; a shop featuring reclaimed oak and oxidised copper fitments for their range of branded merchandise; and a cafe area for their renowned home cooking. Architectural and theatre lighting was used to great effect, illuminating the whitewashed internal walls, the tall pagoda roof, and creating atmospheric spaces in which intimate tasting experiences can be enjoyed by visitors.
Studio SP was commissioned to design a travelling exhibition for Historic Scotland to launch their publication ‘Building Scotland’. The design incorporated eight freestanding units focusing on a range of Scotland’s traditional built materials, including samples of materials and examples of tools. The units were designed to travel flat packed, and slot together to assemble. Building Scotland opened in Edinburgh Castle and will tour throughout Scotland during 2010.
Studio SP in association with Gareth Hoskins Architects were commisioned to produce a 10 year Masterplan for the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune. The museum is situated on one of the best preserved WWII airfields in the UK, and contains many unique aircraft and objects, including one of the decommisioned Concorde fleet. New displays will make full use of multi-media technology and theatrical display techniques to bring the aircraft to life and provide interpretive context.
In December 2009 Masterpieces One opened in the newly refurbished Edinburgh University Library. This was the first of a series of Masterpieces exhibitions which will highlight the richness and diversity of the Universities collection. For the inaugural exhibition Studio SP designed a striking, elegant display for 16 of the collections finest books, one of which was the oldest book in Scotland, the Celtic Saltire. The exhibition was housed in 2 large showcases in a Basil Spence designed exhibition space.
This exhibition on Scottish tartan was staged in December 2003 for six months. Studio SP were commissioned to research, curate and design the exhibition, and negotiated some seventy loans from museums across the UK and Italy. The displays occupied the temporary exhibition space of the Museo del Tessuto di Prato. A catwalk section in the display presented the results of an exchange project briefed to colleges in Edinburgh and Florence.
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art commissioned us to designthe graphics and print, including posters and pop-up private view cards, for this major exhibition of Hanson’s photorealistic sculptures. We also devised a modular system of display curbs that would protect the sculptures without creating a visual barrier.
Tim Pethick designed and produced the key spectacle for the opening ceremony for this event – an 8m diameter football which, after being carried onto the pitch, opened to become a thistle revealing a central stage. The Proclaimers then performed on the stage before the structure closed again. This was co-ordinated with massed pipe bands. The event was broadcast live to a global television audience.
Face to Face will be the first in a series of interactive travelling exhibitions from 3D Encounters, a collaboration between UCL Petrie Museum and Irish image/technology innovators IET. The exhibition challenges visitors to explore how the ancient Egyptians saw and portrayed themselves by discovering how we, and they, ‘read’ faces. The Petrie Museum’s exceptional Egyptian and Sudanese collections will be made accessible to the widest of audiences, using the very latest 3D technology and interactivity to show them in a new light.
Curtain Up was the 2009/ 2010 winter exhibition at the National Library of Scotland. The exhibition told the story of the plays, playwrights and major theatrical events in Scotland over the last 40 years through film, audio, interactivity and props. One of the highlights of the exhibition was the giant pop up book created by John Byrne for the 7:84 production The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil.
The team of Studio SP and CMC Associates was appointed by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage to produce a design and interpretation study for the Roman sites at Vindolanda, site of the discovery of the ‘Vindolanda Tablets’ voted as Britain’s greatest treasure, and the Roman Army Museum on Hadrian’s Wall. The objective of the study was to enable an application to be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund. We are delighted that our team’s proposals contributed to the successful award of an HLF Round One pass and has enabled this ambitious project to continue development.
Studio SP was commissioned by publishers Mercis bv, and Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books, to create a travelling exhibition celebrating 50 years of iconic children’s literary character Miffy. The exhibition incorporated many interactive elements to help children discover Miffy’s world, and the processes of its creator Dick Bruna. Many items of Bruna’s work were on display within this 100sqm exhibition, appealing equally to grown-ups as to children. The exhibition experience culminated in a birthday party set where visitors could sit down and share Miffy’s birthday cake! The exhibition began its tour in the Discovery Museum Newcastle in summer 2005.
The regimental museum of the Gordon Highlanders presented our design team with some unique challenges - a historically significant interior, a diverse collection and a rich and long history to be interpreted. Central to our design concept was the maximisation of display space whilst revealing more of the building interior. The display was designed to operate at many levels which will feel intuitive to the visitor. Interactivity, both high and low tech is provided throughout with a unique ‘interactive spine’ incorporated between display cases, providing a location for much of this - including many touchscreen activated listening posts. Behind the scenes the display is engineered to be as energy efficient as possible with fibre-optic and low-voltage lighting throughout - environmental systems controlling heating and cooling, daylight management and humidity are also integrated.
The National Library of Scotland commissioned Studio SP to design an Exhibition Space to narrate the story of the library and its collections. The promotion of the library’s material was achieved through the creation of a graphic wall titled ‘More than books’, and a book fountain, a unique audio visual feature. A glass case and a flexible hanging system allow the library to exhibit temporary exhibitions showcasing their finest collections. This has recently included the last letter Mary Queen of Scots wrote before her execution.
We designed the new displays for this museum in Elgin, Moray – the second oldest purpose-built museum in Scotland. An initial design study was carried out which formed part of the application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. Following the HLF award, Studio SP was commissioned to design all the displays, graphics, decoration scheme and lighting. We designed all the object layouts and display case details within the museum (working with the project curator). This included ‘peephole’ cases which contained highlighted key objects. Drawers below each display window contained interactives relating to the case content. A casing system on the upper floor was designed to fit within existing architectural recesses, and a purpose designed fibre-optic lighting system was incorporated. The upper level of the museum is used as open storage with frequently changing displays.
We produced a design scheme for the Golden Sand Museum in Chengdu, China, in association with Click Netherfield. The new museum complex spans six galleries totalling over 6000 sqm. The displays centre on the presentation of bronze age artifacts recently discovered on the site. Each gallery focuses on a different aspect of this extraordinary culture, gallery one on the natural environment with the visitor stepping into a life-size forest scene, gallery two on daily life with building archaeology and tools primarily on display, galleries three and four focus on the importance of sun worship and sacrifice whilst the final two galleries provide a background to the cultures from further afield at that time. The displays make use of multimedia technology, both at small scale in the provision of touch screen object information units, and at large scale with scenic lighting and sensory effects.
Tim Pethick and team designed the interior of a waterfront warehouse which included a bar and whisky tasting area set in a cave, and a main stage area for a one day event. On the quayside we used dramatic lighting to illuminate a dockside crane, and the walkway to the event entrance for the guests who arrived by boat. We also produced marketing and promotional design.
Record number of visitors flocked to Edinburgh’s Dean Gallery in the summer of 2003 to see the work of world famous photographer Mario Testino. In addition to the exhibition graphics, flyers, postcards and a full colour gallery guide, we coordinated graphics for promotional and marketing purposes, producing a 48 sheet ad campaign and bus side advertising.
This travelling exhibition provided an insight into the changing qualities of housing in Scotland over the past seventy years. The central component of the exhibition was interviews with residents of award winning schemes throughout the past seven decades. We also used carousels to display material given to us by architects, planners and clients, to demonstrate a sense of what their designs where hoping to achieve and whether the occupants felt that they stood the ‘test of time’. The exhibition was on display at venues such as the Edinburgh Art College, Scottish Government and The Lighthouse.
The interactive gallery for the Museum of Scotland celebrating Scottish sporting achievements, was the first new permanent gallery since the building’s opening. The exhibition displayed a wide range of iconic sporting objects from Steve Hislop’s Ducatii motorbike to Andy Murray’s tennis racket. ‘Sporting Scotland’ also incorporated the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame, a partnership project between NMS and Sportscotland. Interactive multimedia provided the focus for the display, combined with key objects, commemorating 70 of Scotland’s sporting heroes and their achievements.
Following a four-way competitive tender in China, Studio SP was appointed to design new displays for a museum on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Guangdong Chinese Medicine Museum is one of the largest medical museums in China devoted exclusively to the history of Chinese medicine with a collection of over 4,000 items. The new displays will cover a total floor area of over 7,000sqm, spanning four floors.
The museum for Barr’s Soft Drinks is situated at the company’s headquarters in Cumbernauld. The display tracks the developments of the Barr brand from early days as a cork cutting business right up to its current focus on soft drinks - highlighting its most famous brand Irn Bru. The museum contains over 100 objects drawn from Barr’s 174 years, a ‘vox pop’ interactive where the visitor can hear people ‘trying’ to describe Irn Bru with clips and props selected from the iconic advertising the company has produced over the years.
Bibleworld was an interactive exhibition for 12-16 year olds based on National Curriculum areas of study in Biblical History (RME). The opening ‘beach’ section of the display centred on an audio-visual presentation using surround sound, vibration and dynamic lighting to recreate a storm effect. Interactives throughout the four main sections of the experience used varying methods of high and low technology delivery.
Studio SP was commissioned to design and produce a unique outreach resource for the National Museums of Scotland, the Treasured Box. The box was planned in tandem with the temporary exhibition ‘Treasured’ showcasing some of the museum’s most important and interesting exhibits during the extensive refurbishment work at the Royal Museum site. Users of the resource can explore various real objects, and learn interesting facts about them.
Studio SP designed the 2009 summer exhibition for the National Library of Scotland. The exhibition was staged in support of the 2009 Year of Homecoming with its key theme of Scottish ancestry and aimed to examine the Scottish experience of emigration over the centuries. Using first-hand accounts from NLS collections, the exhibition echoed the emigrant’s journey. A combination of high impact graphics and audio visual material combined with exhibits and interactivity portrayed a dramatic rendering of real life stories.
‘Andy Warhol Self-Portraits’ was one of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s major exhibitions of 2005. This project was designed and installed by Studio SP at the OMNI Warner Village cinema complex in Edinburgh in collaboration with the National Galleries of Scotland. It illustrated a selection of works from the exhibition in a giant, high impact graphic display that captured the attention of thousands of passers-by in the heart of Edinburgh.
Early in 2009 Studio SP designed and installed a new bespoke showcase display for the Regiment to present their extensive collection of Regimental Silver. The display is lit entirely by LED sources, providing even and controllable lighting to the objects whilst ensuring maximum flexibility and ease of maintenance.
Studio SP, in association with CMC Associates, was appointed to produce a design proposal and interpretation plan for this unique heritage site on Hadrian’s Wall for client partners English Heritage and the National Trust. Working alongside Gareth Hoskins Architects we produced a unique scheme integrating an exciting visitor experience alongside presentation of artifacts from the site, in a combination of new and refurbished buildings. Interpretation of the site to create a vivid sense of place was critical to the success of the proposal. Site panels were kept to a minimum, as a GPS-triggered portable digital device was conceived to provide detailed interactive information to the visitor.
Arguably America’s greatest living photographer, Cindy Sherman was featured by the Scottish National Gallery in summer 2003. We designed the exhibition graphics, and promotional literature, also working on an associated project with Warners Cinema at the city’s Omni complex: for ‘Billboards’ we hung aluminium photographic prints as large-scale banners on the cinema’s spectacular glass frontage.
Studio SP was appointed to design and manage the installation of this promotional window display for the World Cross Country event held in Edinburgh. On the large glass frontage of the Omni building, we installed a 12 m high vinyl athlete breaking through the glass. This is a prime location in Edinburgh with an estimated 60 million cars passing each year.
Studio SP produced an innovative scheme for this museum design competition for St Andrews University. The displays were designed to be fully flexible mounted within modular tracks in the floor and ceiling. The design was intended to allow students at the Museum and Gallery Studies course at the University to explore varying conceptual approaches to museum design and interpretation, as well as to dramatically highlight some of the stunning objects contained within the University collections.
Treasured Places: 100 years of RCAHMS, exhibited at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh in 2008. The exhibition was part of The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland's centenary year and displayed over 200 pieces from their collection, highlighting the top 10 Treasured Places in Scotland as voted for by the public. Situated over 2 floors this exhibition combined drawings and photographs with several interactive units and a ‘Treasure Trail’ map for families. Studio SP designed the display furniture and interactivity as well as signage, supporting graphics and the exhibition publication.
In March 2009 the MicroMuseum was officially opened by Sir Kenneth Calman, Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. The new displays have proved extremely popular with students and visitors to the building. The MicroMuseum comprises a 3m wide showcase for the display of changing exhibits, and two multimedia touchscreens within a unique compact museum environment. The space is defined by white gloss painted metal wall panelling evoking clinical and medical aesthetics.
Studio SP was commissioned by the National Museums Scotland for this major Edinburgh International Festival exhibition. The fascinating history of the Etruscans was richly illustrated through ceramics, carvings, sculpture and jewellery. The displays incorporated over 500 loan objects from the Museum of Archeology, Florence and the British Museum, with whom we worked closely to create the object displays. The central feature of the exhibition was the ‘stone’ wall within which burial sarcophogi were displayed.
Following on from a successful exhibition on Ossian at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, this project asked art groups from across Scotland to illustrate how Ossian and the exhibition had inspired them. The results of this project were integrated into a ‘travelling book’ which, as it is opened, reveals each body of work in turn. There is a range of media used including audio, video, illuminated transparency, sculpture and photography.
This exhibition commemorates the work of the War Poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon who met at the former Hydropathic Hospital in Edinburgh while being treated for shell shock during the First World War. The three display areas present original hand written manuscripts by the poets in showcases with active humidity control and fibre-optic lighting. The university’s archive is also on display alongside a moving image picture wall with touch-screens containing interviews and video clips about the hospital, its patients and doctors, illustrating how soldiers were treated for shell shock during and after the war.
Studio SP was commissioned by the Manchester Art Gallery to design this permanent exhibition. On show were a selection of the gallery’s collection of over 100,000 buttons. Curved structures were created either side of the gallery to house the buttons within horizontal showcases, extruded display windows and acrylic dome covered recesses. These units were connected by a coloured ‘thread’ which wove through the display area. As well as displaying the collection the design incorporated activities for family visitors where they could play games, try on button clothes and even design their own button!
‘Choice’ was a special exhibition celebrating Sir Timothy Clifford’s 21 years as Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland. The exhibition brought together many of Sir Tim’s acquisitions including ‘The Three Graces’. Studio SP was responsible for these promotional graphics displayed on the windows of the new Weston Link building.
Studio SP’s design concept was shortlisted by the National Museum Scotland for their new permanent museum gallery ‘Modern Scotland’. Our concept centered on an approach of providing interpretation in thematic rather than chronological groups, and featured a running ‘Peoples Lives’ element where visitors could interact with recorded interviewee’s. The 3D display concept was based on a thread of DNA, from which visitors could engage with various low and high tech interactives to gain a sense of what makes Scotland unique.
‘Dinosaurs Alive!’ was a 500sqm interactive exhibition featuring large-scale animatronic dinosaurs in a recreation of their natural environments. Visitors entered through a visitor centre evocative of ‘Jurassic Park’, picking up explorer notebooks, before exiting onto a viewing platform from where they could view the moving, roaring, dinos. Smells, sounds and striking lighting added to the dramatic effect. Graphic panels provided further information, accessible to all visitors but geared specifically towards children.
Studio SP has designed and managed the creation of transformational new facilities including new signage for visitors at the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh. The project was undertaken to address the issues of the existing facilities within the Listed Building being largely inaccessible and unwelcoming to visitors. The entrance areas were significantly opened up through the removal of more recent partitioning and a new decorative and lighting scheme focussed attention on the architectural features of the space. New facilities including a retail area, cafe and computer and wifi access zone were added to the main function of visitor reception.
Studio SP has just completed the design and build for the travelling exhibition titled Creative Connections, this is the first part of a 3 stage project being produced by Studio SP for The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Among the venues for the travelling exhibition will be the Scottish Parliament.
Napier University in Edinburgh commissioned Studio SP to design and build an exhibition presenting a collection of bibles dating from the 16th century. The exhibition was staged as a part of the celebration of 500 Years of Printing in Scotland.
Historic Scotland commissioned Studio SP to design and produce an introduction and orientation display within the gatehouse to Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. Working within the constraints of a modest budget and programme we created a tactile relief model of the site, and a series of graphic panels mounted on a custom designed oak rail system. The system allows for insertion of further panels and interactive units in the future.
The concept of the display design was intended to maximise the sense of discovery of ‘jewels’ for the visitor, and to create a space that is not architecturally discordant with the historic interiors of Armoury House. To achieve this we have proposed a design scheme based on the concept of a timber panelled room from which the museum has grown. Panels are drawn out into the room to reveal showcases and graphic displays. In this way the mezzanine where the museum is to be situated, is reconnected to the building and the museum given weight and authority. The limited space provides intimacy and focuses the visitor's attention on the detail.
Following the completion of the new underground link between the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland at the Mound, Edinburgh, the National Galleries of Scotland found that visitors were confused by a mixture of sign styles and formats and that the complex lacked a clear mapping and guiding system. Studio SP were asked to provide ideas to redress this problem. We developed a sign strategy based around a new three dimensional plan of the site which was available as a free handout as well as featuring large scale at each of the galleries entry points. A hierarchy of sign types, both wall mounted and ceiling hung, were then provided throughout the galleries providing directional and event information in an updatable and modular format. The project was carried out within a fixed programme and to a modest budget.
Studio SP was appointed to design and manage the installation of this promotional window display for the Edinburgh International Festival at the Omni Centre. On the large glass frontage building, which faces one of Europe’s busiest roundabouts with an estimated 60 million cars passing each year, we installed 9 m high vinyl silhouettes of four iconic dance groups performing at the 2006 Festival.
This exhibition was the first major display of the work of artists and potters from the Scottish Potters Association in over 30 years. Aspects of nature provided the inspiration for the work which was staged at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh in August 2004 and has subsequently toured throughout Scotland.
In association with Law & Dunbar-Nasmith Architects, we designed graphic displays, structures and 3D display settings within this Grade A listed industrial ice house in Moray. The displays, in four vaulted chambers, tell the story of the salmon fishing industry for which the ice house was constructed, and describe the history, development and decline of ice houses in the north-east of Scotland.
The commission by the National Galleries of Scotland for Studio SP to design marketing and promotional material for this major temporary exhibition allowed our creative team to develop new methods of attracting attention to the show. These applications followed on from our creation of a strong visual identity, which was then implemented across large scale graphic displays dressing the entrance way to the main gallery entrances. The identity and promotional style was taken through posters, banners, bus-sides, taxi-sides, press ads and gallery invitations. This was the first major exhibition at the National Galleries to use the new Playfair Building as the main entrance. Our treatment of this entrance way has informed how NGS promote subsequent exhibitions at this location.
This temporary exhibition, which opened in Edinburgh in December 2004, celebrated the anniversary of the Entente Cordiale agreement through the display of objects from Scottish and French collections. These ranged from carved 16th century panelling from the house of Mary of Guise, to artifacts relating to Concorde provided by Air France and British Airways. Archive film footage of Concorde in action adds a dynamic dimension to the exhibition.
Deakin, a Vogue fashion photographer working in the 50s, was notorious for his association with Francis Bacon and the other artists and poets who frequented the bars of Soho. For this major exhibition, held in late 2002, we designed graphics and text panels for 4 galleries, in addition to signage, and publication material.