CLIENT: Barker Langham
PROJECT: The Founder’s Memorial
LOCATION: Abu Dhabi Corniche
transformational cultural projects
introduction
Barker Langham is a leading cultural consultancy, specialising in the visioning, strategic planning and development of cultural heritage projects in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
We are Museum Association mentors as well as advisors to UNESCO and the Heritage Lottery Fund. We have also been working in the Middle East since 2005, developing a deep understanding of local history and culture in the region through our collaborations with local communities and stakeholders.
Wherever we are working, we aim to excite, inspire and engage visitors and our clients, who range from governments and academic institutions to commercial and charitable organisations.
Barker Langham developed the Visitor Experience for The Founder’s Memorial – a new permanent national monument in Abu Dhabi which commemorates and celebrates the life and legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The approach is to tell a personal story of Sheikh Zayed the man; the qualities that defined his character, his interests and pastimes; the causes he championed; and the beliefs he held dear. Barker Langham undertook an impressive content-identification and collation job and identified never-before-seen footage and images of Sheikh Zayed which gave insight into his character and personality.
The Founder’s Memorial officially opened to the public in April 2018.
Scope of Work
General ambient images of the full memorial itself, the artwork, the landscape, maybe some people enjoying the space including the Welcome Centre with two AV Shows.
Barker Langham created the informational signages in the park area, there are signs for particular plants, a sign introducing the sculpture, a sign describing all of the plants in the heritage garden, and cut through signs containing Sheikh Zayed quotes all around the elevated walkway.
The ceiling installation inside the Majlis which is not accessible to the public depicts the constellation of stars on the night Sheikh Zayed died, we also designed the general look and feel/furniture/colour palette etc of the room.
Inside the triangular shaped artwork pavilion that houses artworks designed for a visitor experience that travels both up and down the interior staircases. In the lobby area is a large poem on the wall written by Sheikh Zayed. As you move up the staircase there are sensory experiences and as you descend the staircase holds the hanging artwork, different shapes made out of various materials.
Challenges
- tight spaces inside the staircase art displays
- ongoing construction and cleaning progress
- medium sized venue with lots of different facets
- too many beautiful angles – Where to start first…?