Ten years ago, Event were selected to design the visitor experience and displays for The Box.

Our brief was to create a major new destination for the South-West, inspiring confidence and pride in visitors and building meaningful engagement with their heritage. This is a harder task than it might seem at first glance – connecting to history that’s beyond our lived experience involves a huge leap of imagination and empathy.

The team started by exploring the collections and meeting the curators, archivists and heritage volunteers who cared for them. On a trip to the fascinating Devonport Naval Heritage Centre, run by the Navy and dedicated volunteers, we saw many extraordinary objects, but the figurehead collection made a particular impact. Housed in an unassuming engine house in the Dockyard, they were startling and iconic, but also so evocative and poetic. The size, horizon-bound gaze and beauty of figureheads give them an uncanny, god-like quality that connects us what it is about the sea that I think most fascinates us: its scale, its power and its temperament.

We knew that if they were to be shown in The Box we would have to find a way to do them justice. Early ideas included showcasing a few of the smaller figureheads within the galleries. But we instinctively felt a more confident and bold gesture was called for.

Simultaneously we were working with the architects on their development of the building layout and functions. Their new main entrance provided a generous and open space with a large glazed façade which would bring social spaces to the forefront.

And so the initial idea was born. We decided to use the new triple height entrance space and glazed façade as a giant showcase out to the street. Here, the scale of the figureheads became a virtue.

As this was a critical operational space, our main challenge was to keep the floor free for entrance, visitor flow, café and retail functions. But, as is often the case, this challenge inspired our next idea. We imagined the figureheads sailing in from either side of the space – as if moving through the water of the harbour.  This would involve suspending the objects from the archive box space above the entrance – a challenge in itself!

We carried out detailed surveys of the figureheads at the Heritage Centre and undertook an initial assessment of mounting possibilities. 3D models were created and drawings developed to ensure the display worked from many viewpoints.

Collectively we came up with a pragmatic approach to suspension and mounting, and brought in a structural mounts consultant to provide some early advice.  

The client team commissioned a detailed conservation assessment, which involved scanning some of the objects using technology from container ports to assess their structural integrity.  They then commissioned an extensive tranche of conservation work to ensure each figurehead was stabilised, had the right internal and external supports, and could be fixed to mounts and suspension points in the right positions. At the same time, research on the original design and aesthetic guided the external work on the objects, ensuring they were brought back to their original glory.  

The journey from our initial kernel of a conceptual idea to installation was a long one. But all of that hard work and collective expertise resulted in an iconic and defining installation for The Box, which we are extremely proud to have been a part of.

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