Mather & Co, a leading visitor attraction and exhibition design consultancy, has announced that it has been chosen to create a new exhibition for Sealladh Hiort – St Kilda Viewpoint in North Uist, part of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.
For this project, Mather & Co will build on its 25+ years of experience in delivering successful exhibitions, museums and visitor attractions. Previous projects that the firm has worked on include Silverstone Museum, Downton Abbey: The Exhibition, Gretna Green Experience, Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, The R&A World Golf Museum and The Royal Mint Experience.
Exploring the story of St Kilda
Malissa Geersing, a senior 3D designer at Mather & Co, says:
“The St Kilda Viewpoint project is an incredible opportunity to interpret the spectacular landscape, wildlife, and community of this unique island. By bringing together engaging interpretative techniques that bridge the distance to the islands, for those unable to undertake the voyage and allow the story of its landscape and its community to unfold, visitors will be amazed by what they experience.”
St Kilda is home to almost a million seabirds, including the UK’s biggest colony of Atlantic puffins. It is also the nation’s only dual UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The planned St Kilda Viewpoint Centre, Sealladh Hiort, will give guests a chance to find out more about the story of the island and its neighbours in the Outer Hebrides. It is one of three proposed centres along the length of the Hebridean islands, known as Slighe Hiort, or the St Kilda Trail. Sealladh Hiort will feature an exhibition inspired by the dramatic landscape of St Kilda and the other islands nearby, such as their towering cliffs and underwater scenery.
The viewpoint centre will explore the natural history of the archipelago, as well as diving into its context in relation to other offshore Hebridean islands which had very similar socio-economic histories. Visitors will also be able to learn more about the role of St Kilda in the modern world. The exhibition covers a range of topics, such as the island’s formation and settlement, its adaptation throughout history, and its eventual evacuation.
An immersive design
Alasdair MacEachen, chair of Sealladh Hiort, says:
“We are delighted with the exhibition design that the team at Mather & Co have produced for us. The subject of St Kilda is a challenging one to interpret – especially in this particular context when the Viewpoint Centre is one of three Slighe Hiort projects located across the Outer Hebrides where each has to keep to a limited range of pre-agreed topics. Despite this, the Mather & Co design far exceeds our original expectations, and we are confident that when opened it will provide an exciting new facility for future island visitors.”
The Mather & Co team aims to create a sensory experience that will immerse visitors in the island’s history and its landscape, with audio-visual elements and a 360-degree view of the natural surroundings.
Last year, Mather & Co also delivered the new The Mill exhibition inside Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings’ restored Main Mill space.
