Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), a multidisciplinary firm specialising in the planning and design of museums, exhibits, educational environments and visitor attractions, worked on the five-star reviewed ‘The World of Stonehenge’ archaeological exhibition at The British Museum.
The new exhibition of bronze age artefacts has received rave reviews from national and international publishers since it opened in February 2022.
RAA’s design work has transformed the museum environment by taking visitors on a journey to Salisbury Plain, where they discover the iconic winter solstice and the stories behind The World of Stonehenge.
3D design for the exhibition was largely inspired by the objects themselves, replicating the environments in which they were originally used. Inspiration was drawn from bronze age designs and architecture including ornately carved stones, detailed metalwork and body adornments, to provide an authentic experience within the museum environment.
RAA London’s lead designer Caroline Sjöholm says: “Throughout the exhibition, RAA’s design captures a sense of the changing landscapes of the Stonehenge era. The interplay of materials, colour, graphics, audio-visual media and lighting draw on the cyclicality of nature and reflects the interconnection of people with their environment and their close ideological links to the cosmos above.”
Navigating the six zones
RAA worked with The British Museum engaged RAA to craft a powerful visitor experience, with the firm designing a journey that tells the expansive story of Stonehenge.
Visitors are introduced to the exhibition with a space housing four key objects that represent the sun in a unique way, providing a connection between people, nature and the heavens above.
These themes are carried throughout the exhibition which transpires over six distinct areas:
The first section, Working with Nature, immerses visitors in a forest-inspired open space that replicates that of a campfire. Here, the story of forest clearances and the growth of agriculture is shared. Presented against the largest wall graphic produced by either RAA or the British Museum itself, is a selection of stone axes from across the British Isles and Europe.
Visitors then progress down a central avenue to Sermon in Stones, in a way that signifies a pilgrimage through the British plains. Presented amongst contoured topographical layers are a variety of stone objects, reverberating the landscapes in which new art styles were developed.
The remarkably preserved, 4,000-year-old Seahenge is a timber circle found in North Norfolk, a centrepiece of the exhibition. On loan for the first time, the monolithic wooden stilts frame a ray of light to create dramatic shadows and a breathtaking view of the sun.
Whilst the monument’s central section could not be displayed in the exhibition, RAA designed an illuminated graphic to ensure visitors could interpret the marine Stonehenge equivalent in its entirety.
Multi-Millenia old artefacts
Marking the halfway point of the exhibition, the fourth section takes place under a canopy of stars, showcasing gold jewellery and spot-lit examples of early metalwork. These objects represent the sophisticated cosmological beliefs from which Stonehenge originates, with each one acknowledging the complex construct of the universe. The world’s oldest surviving map of the night, the 3,600-year-old- Nebra Sky Disk, is highlighted on its own with a backdrop of constellations.
Based on a sunset-lit landscape, Raising the Dead delivers an environment inspired by burial mounds, looking at the individual impact of the monument through to death. A number of object groupings each represent different sectors of society including the Upton Lovell shaman, a form of religious leader, to the Amesbury Archer.
The shoreline presents the final section, where shipwreck cargoes and weapons are highlighted against a powerful graphic of the ocean. To The Sea reveals the conflicts and transitions in migration and trade that culminated in the conclusion of the Stonehenge age.
The exhibition concludes with objects set against a sunset backdrop, including a gold sun pendant, held in high regard as one of the most important bronze age discoveries from the past century, dating back three millennia.
Curator for Early Europe (Neolithic & Bronze Age collections) Dr Neil Wilkin says: “From a curatorial perspective, we wanted our The World of Stonehenge exhibition to set the remarkable objects from the time of Stonehenge in a context that evoked both ancient landscapes and the sense of wonder that people felt, and that we still feel, in the face of the natural world and the cosmos.
“That brief would be challenging for any designers, but RAA somehow managed to capture the magic of Stonehenge while avoiding overly literal or obvious design elements.”
The project was managed by Fraser Randall, with lighting design provided by Beam. Graphics were provided by Display Way and the exhibition was built by Scena.
The World of Stonehenge is on display at The British Museum until 17 July 2022. Tickets are available from the museum’s website.
Last year, Ralph Appelbaum Associates announced it was designing a new permanent exhibition for Bletchley Park, exploring the role it played as an intelligence organisation in WWII.
Photos: Andrew Lee
