Studio MB

Many thanks to Experience UK for the article on StudioMB's next chapter. With a new director on board and developing plans for a London office, you can expect to see our involvement in even more exciting global projects, including the Arni Magnusson Institute in Iceland and the National Bank of Kuwait.

Click the link below to find out more:

https://www.experienceuk.org/members-news/studio-mb-embarks-on-a-new-era-of-experience-design

FROM COAL TO CULTURE...

Fantastic article in the Financial Times featuring The Auckland Project, Faith Museum & Spanish Gallery included. Well worth a read if you have a spare moment.

From coal to culture: Bishop Auckland’s unlikely renaissance Bankrolled by a wealthy financier, the former mining town in County Durham is opening galleries, museums and smart new places to stay

AD GEFRIN WINS AWARD AT SDA2024

The Studio MB team are proud to have been awarded the Silver Award for Experiential Design at the Scottish Design Awards for creating Northumbria’s newest visitor experience, Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Whisky Distillery.

Our client provided us with an extraordinary opportunity to not only bring the rich history of Northumbrian kings and the Anglo-Saxon to life, but also to tell the story of Northumbria’s first whisky in 200 years.

We worked closely with the Ad Gefrin team to create a museum & visitor experience that is informative & educational using a variety of display & immersive techniques, from graphics, custom display cases to AV, sounds & scents. (You can read more about the museum, distillery, restaurant & retail elements in previous posts).

Our lead contact at Ad Gefrin, Dr Chris Ferguson, Director of Brand and Experience said -
“Working with Studio MB to create Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum and Whisky Distillery was an absolute joy from beginning to end.We are delighted that Studio MB scooped a silver award at the 2024 Scottish Design Awards for their brilliant work. As always innovative designers they worked closely with our team to realise a unique immersive experience that really brings to life Northumberland’s Anglo-Saxon ‘Golden Age’ and our wider showcase of the heritage, ancient hospitality and contemporary crafts, arts and produce of the region. Many congratulations to the whole Studio MB team.”

Creating an award-winning visitor experience such as Ad Gefrin is not something Studio MB deliver in isolation & we want to name check Freakworks, Pixel Stag, Click Netherfield, Leach Graphics, KDR Projects, Sysco, Mark Hewitt at Myriad Creative, Michael Grubb Studio, Finn McCallum Stone Carving & Astley Signs & thank them for their input & assistance. Finally thanks to the extraordinarily motivated client team for enabling us to ensure Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Whisky Distillery offers its visitors that something a little more unique & worthy of, we hope, many more awards.

ALL SET FOR SDA2024

David, Mhairi, Amy & Craig stepping out in style & on their way to the Scottish Design Awards in Glasgow for an evening highlighting the best design & architecture Scotland has to offer. Fingers crossed for the two projects our team delivered that are shortlisted in the Experiential category.

SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARDS 2024

It’s Award week! We’re proud to have two projects shortlisted in the Experiential category of the Scottish Design Awards - The Faith Museum & Ad Gefrin.

The Faith Museum is part of Auckland Castle, once home to the Prince Bishops of Durham; a place where the material & spiritual have combined since pre-Roman times.

Leading visitors on a journey through history, the Museum tells the story of faith in Britain across six millennia kindling curiosity, raising universal questions about our place in the world & relate to one another.

Four dynamic galleries explore key moments, people & ideas that have impacted Britain. Rarely seen objects, national treasures, personal mementoes & contemporary art commissions provoke enquiry & reflection. These objects have been chosen to show the nature & impact of something seemingly invisible & intangible: if faith is something we cannot perceive physically, can evidence of faith be found?

The Ad Gefrin Distillery & Visitor Experience, located in the heart of Wooler, Northumberland, is a brand-new whisky distillery, museum & impressive experience of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria.

More than 1,000 years ago, Northumbria was the most powerful kingdom in all England, ruled from Bamburgh Castle & the Royal residence of ‘Ad Gefrin’ in the nearby Glendale Valley. The museum experience introduces visitors to the rich history of Ad Gefrin, which had almost become lost until its rediscovery in the 1950’s. To tell this fascinating story visitors begin by being welcomed into an immersive recreation of the Great Hall, complete with replica weaponry & the royal thrones.

Moving to the museum you can explore the story in greater detail through a collection of carefully curated selection of artefacts from the area many of which are of national significance. These are set to a backdrop of illustrated scenes depicting key events the chronology of the site of Ad Gefrin - a story broken down into seven main themes, nature, language, creativity, worship, power, lost & found.

From the museum you embark on the distillery tour to find out what’s involved in creating Northumbria’s first whisky for 200 years. The guided tour includes the Cask Store where the process is brought to life from the first drops of rain to the bottling of the spirit through interactive digital AV & illustration. The tour climaxes within the Tasting Room, an immersive space where you can taste the various spirts being produced on site.

Good luck to all the nominees. Fingers crossed.

D-DAY

80 years ago today saw the beginning of Operation Overlord, allies using over 5,000 ships & landing craft to land over 150,000 troops on Normandy beaches as well as airborne forces parachuting into drop zones across Northern France - the largest naval, air & land operation in history.

We were proud to be able to create a place where personal accounts of people who were there are brought to life with our client D-Day Story Museum, including one of the landing craft (seen here). The D-Day Story museum is marking the anniversary with a series of poignant events honouring the memories of those who played their part in D-Day. You can find out more in the link below.

https://theddaystory.com/

hashtag hashtag hashtag

D-DAY STORY - MARKING YEARS
The D-Day Story features on BBC's Antique Road Show this evening, in a special programme commemorating the 80th Anniversary of D-Day.

IMCC COMES TO EDINBURGH

Studio MB are proud to sponsor of the International Museum Construction Congress, being held to our home town of Edinburgh this November.

This year's theme is ESG goals & the intersection between Environmental, Social, &/or Governance aspects of Museum Design & Construction. This is something that impacts our work directly so we look forward to sharing, discussing & learning from pioneering museum projects worldwide on this & other subjects, as well as catching up with friends from last year's Oman conference.

You can find out more on the IMCC website.

International Museum Construction Congress Call For Edinburgh Session Proposals - Closed Emerging Museum Professional Scholarship Agenda Edinburgh Registration IMCC+ Sponsorship About Planning Committee

SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARDS FINALIST - NOT ONCE BUT TWICE

We are proud to have not one but two entries shortlisted in this year's Scottish Design Awards Experiential Design Category - Ad Gefrin & The Faith Museum. Best of luck to all nominees & fingers crossed for 27th June when the winners are announced.

The Ad Gefrin Distillery & Visitor Experience located in Wooler, Northumberland is a brand-new whisky distillery, museum & impressive experience of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria.

https://vimeo.com/928022936?share=copy

The Faith Museum, part of the The Auckland Project tells the history of Faith in Britain, from prehistoric evidence of belief to how Faith manifests in modern society. It explores how Faith has shaped lives & communities & how belief has been a driving force throughout the history of Britain. The Museum draws together collections from across the UK including objects found a stone’s throw from the site alongside objects on loan from major institutions including the British Museum & the V&A as well as unique pieces of art. The Museum is housed within the old Scotland Wing of Auckland Palace, including a purpose-built new extension.

https://vimeo.com/928021020/7d8453ca69?share=copy

Ad Gefrin Distillery and Anglo-Saxon Museum This is "Ad Gefrin Distillery and Anglo-Saxon Museum" by Studio MB on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

NEXT IN Madrid

Our Founding Partners Craig & Charlie are on their way to Madrid to attend NEXT IN 24, the international conference 'exploring what comes next in museums, architecture, design, technology & sustainability' & to share Studio MB's approach to delivering relevant, innovative & engaging visitor experiences.

If you are attending & would like to say hello to Craig & Charlie get in touch.

NEXT IN Museums Innovation Impact Summit - Acciona cultura A summit to explore what comes next in museums, architecture, design, technology, and sustainability.

AD GEFRIN REVISITED

Almost one year since it opened its doors to Ad Gefrin Anglo Saxon Museum & whisky distillery has welcomed over 64,000 visitors, almost double expected numbers. The team are so proud to have worked with our client to create this unique visitor experience.

You can find out more about Ad Gefrin via their website https://adgefrin.co.uk/

(photos Fotohaus Ltd & Sally Anne Norman)

FAITH MUSEUM
Thank you to Experience UK for featuring one of our latest projects to open its doors, The Faith Museum. Read on to learn more about how we worked with our client The Auckland Project, curators and rare artefacts to tell the story of faith in Britain.

https://www.experienceuk.org/members-news/explore-the-fascinating-journey-of-faith-at-the-faith-museum-auckland-The Black Watch Castle & Museum

www.experienceuk.org

MEET OUR TEAM AT THE MUSEUM + HERITAGE SHOW

Come & meet us on stand C3 at this year's Museum + Heritage Show, 15-16th May at London's Olympia. Entry is free.

We would love to welcome you to our workshop on 15th May at 3.00pm: -
Bringing life to facts and artefacts - for 20 years.
How we create astonishing, engaging and emotive displays, using 20 selected museum and visitor experience projects.

For more information about the show and how to register visit

Museums + Heritage Show If you would like to receive updates about the Museums + Heritage Show, Awards and Advisor, please complete the form below. We promise not to bombard you and your data will not be shared with any other party. You can of course unsubscribe at any point.

SENIOR EXHIBITION DESIGNER WANTED

Become not just a great interpretive designer - but an astonishing storyteller.

We are looking for an ambitious Senior Exhibition Designer with vivid imagination & creative flair – a designer who wants to create inspiring, involving & informing environments for galleries & exhibitions within museums, brand homes, science centres & heritage attractions.

The role will be based in our studio & we are seeking an applicant with at least 5 years’ experience working in exhibition design or a related field (e.g. architecture, interior design, or interior architecture.

Details on how to apply via https://www.studiomb.co.uk/updates Deadline 5pm, Friday 19th April.

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Like the sound of working at Studio MB, but don’t quite fit this job description? If this sounds like you, please send over your CV, Portfolio & a covering letter telling us a little more about you & your level of experience. Whilst we are currently seeking to fill this specific Senior Exhibition Designer role in our team, we are always on the lookout for talented people with a proactive attitude, of all levels of experience.

OUR NEW CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Meet Tom Blackford, Studio MB’s new Creative Director. Tom joins us to steer creative direction, working closely with our 3D & 2D design teams & clients from project inception to completion, ensuring we continue to develop relevant & inspiring concepts & solutions that meet our clients’ needs. In addition he will be working with Studio MB founders to support strategic business growth.

Tom brings with him a vast range of experience from the museum, branded experiences & visitor attraction sector both in the UK & overseas, he has worked with clients including Singapore Government Bicentennial project, Shandong Science & Technology Museum, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, Hong Kong Science Museum (for LCSD, Hong Kong Government), General Electric, Huawei, Dell, Lamborghini & Audi. A welcome addition to our team Tom takes a pivotal role in creating astounding experiences.

OPENING FAITH

It's almost two weeks since the Faith Museum, part of the The Auckland Project, opened its doors to the public. The purpose built museum encourages visitors to explore faith through the ages, its meaning to different cultures in Britain & what it means in society today.

Reviews have been highly positive & we are so proud to have been able to work with the delivery team & create an experience focused on such extraordinary artefacts, art & very human stories.

Below are a selection of images taken by our team on the opening night.

More about the project can be found on the Faith Museum website, along with tickets, and information about how to visit it & the nearby Spanish Gallery.

https://aucklandproject.org/venues/faith-museum/

FAITH MUSEUM - ONE WEEK TO GO

The Faith Museum, the newest addition to the The Auckland Project which includes the Spanish Gallery, is due to open its doors on 7th October, exploring over 6,000 years of faith in Britain.

The meaning of faith is explored through a collection of unique artefacts including the Binchester Ring, & also art, including an immersive piece by Mat Collishaw & works by artists such as the Singh Twins & Khadija Saye, each reflecting on the concept of faith, each in some way leaving the visitor what faith means to them, to our society & reflecting what it meant to our ancestors.

The Studio MB team have been honoured to work on this unique project & create, with the wider design team including Focus & WorkHaus, what we hope visitors will find to be an astonishing & inspiring visitor experience.

You can read more in Mark Brown's article for The Guardian.

m/culture/2023/sep/21/new-museum-explores-6000-years-of-faith-in-britain

New museum explores 6,000 years of faith in Britain Exhibits in Bishop Auckland range from immersive work featuring burning iris, to Binchester ring and Bodleian bowl

STUDIO AWAY DAY

This year we mixed a stunning beach, cricket, swimming (for the very brave few) & whisky & Anglo-Saxon history & a bistro lunch at Ad Gefrin.

Cricket & Boule on Bamburgh Beach started the day off, followed by a visit to the Studio MB designed Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Distillery in Wooler.

It was the perfect day, on a perfect beach, under blue skies, to attempt to bowl out Sam Valentine. It took seven bowlers (each with a ball) & even then he survived five dropped catches.

We arrived at Ad Gefrin in time for a splendid lunch in the beautiful bistro, before taking to the exhibitions & distillery tour in our teams. It looked every bit as good as we hoped, & it was so good for the whole team to see the quality of this visitor experience we helped to create. It is looking simply stunning!

It was especially marvellous to see Eileen & Chris, our fantastic clients there to greet us. Thank you.

Studio MB are proud to have designed the museum visitor experience, interiors & signage for this innovative & exciting visitor attraction, working alongside Richard Elphick Architects on this incredible building. Our special thanks to the Ferguson family & all the client team for their vision & leadership. This project will create an incredible attraction & legacy for this area of North Northumberland.

Thank you to Experience UK for featuring one of our latest global projects, the Árni Magnússon Institute. You can read the full article via the link.

https://www.experienceuk.org/blog/uk-leading-design-agency-wins-major-project-on-captivating-iceland-exhibition

WE ARE 20 - BTS

Working on site when artefacts, graphics, AV, lighting & casing are installed by a team of specialists is one of the most exciting moments in the life of a project for our clients & our team - a key moment when everything comes together to create an astonishing visitor experience.

The latest project at this stage is The Auckland Project's Faith Museum. Opening its doors in October the Faith Museum will allow visitors to discover stories of faith in Britain spanning 6,000 years. It includes rare artefacts & loans from across the UK.

Our Design Director Mhairi was on site last week & took some progress photographs. We can only share a few images with you (as some of those artefacts have to be kept under wraps until the doors open) we hope you like what you see. You can find out more about the Faith Museum here https://aucklandproject.org/venues/faith-museum/

FINAL CALL OUT - CONTENT MANAGER

Deadline today at 5pm!

DEADLINE APPROACHING - CONTENT MANAGER

We are looking for a motivated and organised Content Manager to join our design studio in Edinburgh. Working with our designers and under the guidance of our Directors you will provide content coordination and admin support for a variety of projects going through the studio.

For full details, please go to: https://www.studiomb.co.uk/update/join-our-team1

Application deadline: Friday 25th August 2023, by 5pm

DEADLINE APPROACHING - CONTENT MANAGER

We are looking for a motivated and organised Content Manager to join our design studio in Edinburgh. Working with our designers and under the guidance of our Directors you will provide content coordination and admin support for a variety of projects going through the studio.

For full details, please go to: https://www.studiomb.co.uk/update/join-our-team1

Application deadline: Friday 25th August 2023, by 5pm

WE ARE HIRING - CONTENT MANAGER

We are a studio of storytellers. When it comes to creating narrative environments for museums, brand homes, science centres and heritage attractions, it is our ability to tell imaginative and emotive stories that defines our approach and makes our visitor experiences so special - experiences that inspire, involve, and inform. The story is at the heart of every project we create and for that to be successful, content is key.

We are looking for a motivated and organised Content Manager to join our design studio in Edinburgh.

For full details, please go to: https://www.studiomb.co.uk/update/join-our-team1

Application deadline is Friday 25th August 2023, by 5pm

APPLICATION DEADLINE APPROACHING!

We are looking for ambitious Exhibition Designers with vivid imaginations and creative flair - designers who want to create inspiring, involving and informing environments for galleries and exhibitions within museums, brand homes, science centres and heritage attractions.

A range of roles are available, depending on your level of experience:

- Senior Exhibition Designer
- Exhibition Designer
- Graduate/Junior Exhibition Designer

For full details, go to: https://www.studiomb.co.uk/update/join-our-team

Application deadline is Friday 11th August 2023 at 5pm

WE ARE HIRING - EDINBURGH BASED CONTENT MANAGER

We are a studio of storytellers. When it comes to creating narrative environments for museums, brand homes, science centres & heritage attractions, it is our ability to tell imaginative & emotive stories that defines our approach & makes our visitor experiences so special - experiences that inspire, involve, & inform. The story is at the heart of every project we create & for that to be successful, content is key.

We are looking for a motivated & organised Content Manager to join our growing design studio in Edinburgh. Working with our designers & under the guidance of our Directors you will provide content coordination & admin support for a variety of projects going through the studio.

For more information about the Edinburgh based role & how to apply please visit our website. Closing date is 25th August.

Join Our Team - Content Manager - Studio MB WE ARE HIRING! Content Manager Contract:              Permanent Salary:           

NEW PROJECTS HIT THE PRESS

Thank you to Insider for spreading the news about our latest projects in Kuwait & Iceland, you can read more about them via the link.

Studio MB wins design projects in Kuwait and Iceland Edinburgh firm works on National Bank of Kuwait Museum and display of world’s oldest Icelandic manuscripts

WE ARE 20 - FUTURE WORLDS

Creating projects for our corporate & private clients takes the team into some fascinating worlds, from innovative technology & green energy research at Aramco to automotive heritage & progress at JCB & Triumph. Each visitor experience we create for our corporate clients weaves in the stories of those who create, design, imagine, innovate & build. Our latest corporate project is no different & allows us to delve into international banking.

Set to open in 2025 in the heart of Kuwait City, the brand-new ‘NBK Museum, The Story of Our National Bank’ will tell a fascinating tale of transformation & economic success. Since the early 1950s & from modest origins, the National Bank of Kuwait & the country as a whole have evolved side by side to become the modern global players & partners that we see today.

Craig, Studio MB Founding Director, said “The NBK Museum will be a celebration of the bank’s founders, directors & employees who have built this great financial institution, their story past, present & future. It’s a story of perseverance & determination, partnership, & collaboration. This prestigious project win is an excellent way to start our 20th year in business.”

Whilst Founding Director Charlie said of the project "This new Museum will be an inspiring, informing & involving experience for all visitors, & not just a corporate advert. A national narrative, told through the conduct, values & achievements of its national bank & its founders. It will be an accessible story. The themes being presented will be human & universal, engaging for all society. It’s a story every person can appreciate & relate to.”

We will keep you updated on the progress as we move from concept & technical design stages to fit-out & completion telling the story of people, economy & growth.

Images include the Foster + Partners building that will house the Museum, the first National Bank of Kuwait that opened in 1952 & two concept images designed by the Studio MB team.

DEADLINES APPROACHING - WE ARE HIRING.

The deadline for applications for a Middle Weight Graphic Designer based at our Edinburgh studio is this coming Monday, 24th July.

We are also looking for ambitious Exhibition Designers with vivid imaginations & creative flair - designers who want to create inspiring, involving & informing environments for galleries & exhibitions within museums, brand homes, science centres & heritage attractions.

A range of roles are available, depending on your level of experience:

- Senior Exhibition Designer (at least 5 years' experience)
- Exhibition Designer (2 to 5 years' experience)
- Graduate/Junior Exhibition Designer (Graduates or designers with up to 2 years' experience)

The above 3 posts have a deadline of 11th August.

For information on on how to apply visit our website via the link below.

Join Our Team - Studio MB WE ARE HIRING!   Graphic Designer

AWARD WIN FOR FLEET AIR ARM MUSEUM

We were proud to be awarded the Silver Award for Experiential Design at the recent Scottish Design Awards (collected on the evening by Design Director Ally & Graphic Design Director David, leads on the project).

Fleet Air Arm Museum is Europe's largest naval aviation museum & within it the Aircraft Experience allows visitors to delve into the evolution of Aircraft Carriers from the dawn of naval air warfare to the ever changing modern world, including the new Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.

Through a range of interactive & immersive technologies, extraordinary artefacts & engaging storytelling visitors can explore the dangers of aircraft taking off & landing on a moving runway at sea, how crews overcome these challenges & how the highly skilled men & women of an aircraft carrier operate a city at sea.

The award is testament not only to our in-house team but also all those involved from the fit-out to lighting to specialist AV & film teams, & most importantly to our client, The National Museum of the Royal Navy, with whom we were able to work closely to bring their vision, experience & stories to life.

Details on how to visit the award-winning visitor experience, which has 4 exhibition halls, over ninety aircraft, more than 2 million records & 30 thousand artefacts can be found via the link below.

https://lnkd.in/evJmHAzU