Event, the experience design agency, is reflecting this Burns Night week on its renovation project for the heritage site of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Robert Burns is one of the most renowned figures in Scottish history. The poet’s power to entertain and inspire continues over 200 years following his death, speaking to audiences across the world. The so-called ‘Brand Burns’ is said to be worth over £200m per year to the Scottish economy.
His origins go back to the village of Alloway near Ayr, home of the cottage where Burns was born. The many landscapes of his childhood are nearby including the Auld Kirk yard, the picturesque Brig O’ Doon arch bridge and the Burns Monument.
The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, a National Trust for Scotland property, opened at Alloway in 2009. The attraction was both conceived and designed by Event.
Writing a new verse
Following the success of the attraction’s first decade, and with Burns being known by global audiences, there is the potential to expand the project as it heads into the future, telling a wider story of Burns’ personality, his life and times.
During the middle of 2021, Event’s team were asked back by the operators to reimagine the site for the new decade, delivering a master plan to inform NTS’ planning and decision-making for any future developments. The latest vision is one that honours the poet’s personality and legacy, taking joy in creating a renewed sense of place. Event has created the idea of a revitalised visitor experience, inspired by Burns’ famous wit, sociability and sense of fun.
This would take the story outside the walls and bring the whole landscape to life, building a much bigger destination, for both tourists and the local community alike. While the museum currently focuses on Burns’ literary achievements, future projects could explore the place that made him.
A company representative says “This was an exciting challenge for us – it is not often we have the chance to look at one of our former projects with fresh eyes, and with the freedom to extend and amplify in order to reach a much broader audience.”
Event continues: “We do not ever regard projects as ‘finished’. Trends pass, society evolves and culture is continually in motion. More and more, museums transcend their physical walls and fixed opening hours, and with a subject such as literature and imagination the potential is vast.”
“The chance to critically re-evaluate a previous project with an ambitious client who nevertheless trusts us to bring fresh thinking is a challenge we really relish.”
Sharing experience
Event is the UK’s largest experience design agency, whose mission is to create great places for people to share and encounter extraordinary experiences that enrich lives. The firm works with cultural sites, museums and other attractions to envision, plan and deliver landmark projects in the UK and around the world.
The company spokesperson concludes: “Working again with the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum was a delight. Storytelling and sense of place are at the heart of what we do, and this project perfectly combines both. We are excited about bringing new magic and meaning to Burns’ life and work for a whole new generation of audiences.”
Last year, interim Museum Director of the David Livingstone Birthplace Museum, Grant Mackenzie, provided full access into the workings of the heritage attraction which is located in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
