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Museums + Heritage Awards - a look at some innovative projects from the shortlist

The Annual Museums + Heritage Awards takes place in May, celebrating the best museum, gallery and heritage programs, exhibitions and innovations of the year. We’ve brought together a selection of standout projects from the shortlist

Published in Attractions Management 2017 issue 2

Natural History Museum - The Blue Whale Project

Shortlisted - Restoration/Conservation Award

Sir Michael Dixon
Sir Michael Dixon
Sir Michael Dixon,

Director,

Natural History Museum


In the museum’s Hintze Hall, the huge dinosaur skeleton that hung from the ceiling has been taken down, and when the space reopens this summer a gigantic blue whale skeleton will be in its place. The real 25-metre (82-foot) whale skeleton is being assembled by an expert team of scientists, conservators, designers and engineers.

“The natural world is changing fast and so are we. It’s in our grasp to shape a sustainable future - but our decisions have to be informed by understanding our past and present. The blue whale is a perfect symbol of this story of hope” - Sir Michael Dixon

The National Holocaust Centre - The Forever Project

Shortlisted - Innovation Award

Sarah Coward
Sarah Coward
Sarah Coward,

Deputy CEO,

National Holocaust Centre


The Forever Project is using advanced digital technologies to record Holocaust survivors telling their stories, so that future visitors will be able to engage with them by listening to them and even asking questions and hearing them giving their answers. Ten survivors’ testimonies were filmed in high-definition 3D in 2015/16 for this digital heritage project, and visitors will be able to “meet” them this summer.

"Every year we sadly lose Holocaust survivor speakers. They have such important testimonies, and can engage young people like nothing else. The Forever Project keeps this experience alive. It enables adults and children alike to connect with living history and to hear the lessons of the past from those that experienced it firsthand" - Sarah Coward, deputy CEO, National Holocaust Centre

Holocaust survivors were filmed telling their stories for the project
Holocaust survivors were filmed telling their stories for the project

Helsinki City Museum - The New Helsinki City Museum

Tiina Merisalo
Tiina Merisalo
Tiina Merisalo,

Museum Director,

Helsinki City Museum


The museum, which opened in May 2016, recreates past social and physical settings, incorporating interior exhibitions and outdoor courtyards to immerse visitors in the daily life of yesterday’s Helsinki.

“Building the new Helsinki City Museum has been a thorough transformation process. We wanted to challenge the traditional roles of a museum, and we are so happy that it proved to be a success – the museum attracted over 315 000 visitors in 2016, in only eight months, smashing all previous city museum records” - Tiina Merisalo, museum director, Helsinki City Museum

The museum lobby uses pieces of Helsinki history to challenge the museum archetype / PHOTOS: MAIJA ASTIKAINEN
The museum lobby uses pieces of Helsinki history to challenge the museum archetype/ PHOTOS: MAIJA ASTIKAINEN

Mary Rose Trust - Mary Rose Revealed

Shortlisted - Innovation Award
Permanent Exhibition Award

Helen Bonser-Wilton
Helen Bonser-Wilton
Helen Bonser-Wilton,

Chief Executive,

Mary Rose Trust


Mary Rose Revealed marks the unveiling of the Mary Rose warship some 471 years after its sinking. The ship has undergone millions of pounds worth of restoration and conservation treatment over the past 23 years, including cutting-edge innovations that have been keenly watched by the heritage sector.

“Mary Rose Revealed is described by our visitors as ‘a world class, spellbinding experience’ and ‘truly mind blowing’. Visitors love the panoramic views of the ship, the unique experience of breathing the same air as Henry VIII’s warship on Upper Deck and the poignant projections of the crew going about their work on board ship” - Helen Bonser-Wilton, chief executive, Mary Rose Trust

Heritage and preservation groups have watched the Mary Rose project closely
Heritage and preservation groups have watched the Mary Rose project closely

Museum of London - Restoration of Fire Engine

Shortlisted - Restoration/ Conservation Award

Meriel Jeater
Meriel Jeater
Meriel Jeater,

Fire! Fire! curator,

Museum of London


A 17th-century fire engine was restored as part of last year’s Great Fire of London exhibition, Fire! Fire!. Very little remained of the 1670s fire truck, but expert coachbuilders were able to rebuild it working from a 19th-century photograph of the artefact, taken when it was still intact.

“The reconstruction revealed incredible insight into how our fire engine would have worked. It would have been extremely difficult to manoeuvre and was only able to squirt out about six pints of water. It was hard for visitors to imagine this object as a working fire engine when it was just a barrel and pump” - Meriel Jeater, Fire! Fire! curator, Museum of London

Coachbuilders restored the fire truck for a recent exhibition about the Great Fire of London / PHOTO: MATT ALEXANDER
Coachbuilders restored the fire truck for a recent exhibition about the Great Fire of London/ PHOTO: MATT ALEXANDER

National Museums Scotland - Ten New Galleries

Shortlisted - Permanent Exhibition Award

Gordon Rintoul
Gordon Rintoul
Gordon Rintoul,

Director,

National Museums Scotland


Ten major new galleries, focusing on decorative art, design, fashion science and technology, have opened at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, following a £14.1 million redevelopment. Over 3,000 artefacts are housed in the galleries, which also feature more than 150 interactive exhibits and working machines.

“It is fitting that in this, our 150th anniversary year, we unveil the latest phase in the transformation of the National Museum of Scotland. These ten major new galleries aim to excite and engage our visitors both today and for generations to come. I hope visitors will be inspired by our exceptional collections and innovative displays” - Gordon Rintoul, director, National Museums Scotland

The Science and Technology gallery is part of the slew of new exhibition openings for 
National Museums Scotland / PHOTOS: ANDREW LEE / PETER DIBDIN
The Science and Technology gallery is part of the slew of new exhibition openings for National Museums Scotland/ PHOTOS: ANDREW LEE / PETER DIBDIN

Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust - Shakespeare’s New Place

Shortlisted - Permanent Exhibition Award

Nic Fulcher
Nic Fulcher
Nic Fulcher,

Project Manager,

Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust


Shakespeare’s New Place allows visitors to walk in the shoes of the Bard, learning about his homelife in Stratford-upon-Avon. A new bronze gateway, a sculpture garden and exhibition help narrate the story of the place where the playwright lived for almost 20 years.

“Shakespeare’s New Place as presented today provides visitors with an imaginative contemporary perspective of the life of William Shakespeare at the height of his success. Although long since demolished, the spot where New Place once stood is now a new kind of cultural destination; allowing visitors to discover more about the man while inspiring personal emotional connections with our greatest playwright” - Nic Fulcher, project manager, Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust

Shakespeare’s New Place / PHOTO: JAMES KERR
Shakespeare’s New Place/ PHOTO: JAMES KERR

Casson Mann/La Cité du Vin - La Cité du Vin Permanent Exhibition

Shortlisted - International Award

Roger Mann
Roger Mann
Roger Mann,

Creative Director,

Casson Mann


La Cité du Vin is a new cultural wine centre in Bordeaux, France, celebrating the history of winemaking. The building’s curving form was designed by architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazièresto, and the exhibition – with 22 large-scale displays and installations, blending audio-visual, sensory and digital technology – was designed by Casson Mann.

“Our vision was to create a richly textured experience in which visitors can be inspired by wine in all its wonderful complexity. This exhibition is completely audiovisual and multimedia, with sensory elements to surprise, delight, intrigue and educate visitors about the drama, art and craft that surrounds wine” - Roger Mann, creative director, Casson Mann

At a height of 35 metres, on the eighth floor of La Cité du Vin, is the Belvedere / PHOTOS: CITE DU VIN / ANAKA
At a height of 35 metres, on the eighth floor of La Cité du Vin, is the Belvedere/ PHOTOS: CITE DU VIN / ANAKA

Llechwedd Deep Mine Slate Caverns - The Deep Mine Tour

Michael Bewick
Michael Bewick
Michael Bewick,

Managing Director,

Llechwedd Deep Mine


The Llechwedd Deep Mine Tour, which launched in March 2016 near Blaenau Ffestiniog in Snowdonia, is a digital – and harshly realistic – re-telling of the Victorian slate industry that once thrived in North Wales. Deep underground, augmented reality, light and video projections, 3D audio and special effects are used to illustrate the daily lives of the mine’s workers.

“The ability to tell an age old story using modern techniques offered a real opportunity to share this wonderful place with a new generation” - Michael Bewick, managing director, Llechwedd Deep Mine

National Trust, Croome - Potter and Ponder

Shortlisted - Education Innitiative Award

Tate Greenhalgh
Tate Greenhalgh
Tate Greenhalgh,

National Interpretation Specialis,

National Trust


At the National Trust’s Croome property, Potter and Ponder is a sensory experience designed for children with disabilities and their parents. The project used sensory stimulus to bring to life in unconventional ways the landscape and story of Croome. The experience is steered by a specially commissioned sensory map.

“This moving project gets my heart thumping and tear ducts tingling. It demonstrates how creatively addressing the needs of a marginalised community can be inclusive to all. It teaches us how to make our places uniquely valuable and meaningful. Potter and Ponder provides rare access to inspiring leisure and learning experiences” - Tate Greenhalgh, national interpretation specialist, National Trust

Potter and Potter at Croome in Worcester encourages families with disabilities to explore the parkland
Potter and Potter at Croome in Worcester encourages families with disabilities to explore the parkland
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