Cairngorms Dark Skies
Telling the story of one of Europe’s darkest skies
The Tomintoul and Glenlivet area of the Cairngorms National Park is home to one of the darkest skies in Europe, recognised as an International Dark Sky Park. Keen to celebrate this unique natural asset and encourage visitors to look up, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust commissioned us to create a permanent exhibition within the Discovery Centre. Our task was to design a space that could capture the wonder of the night sky and make astronomy accessible to families, school groups, and international visitors alike.
Working with local partners, rangers and educators, we gathered stories about the region’s skies – from traditional folklore and navigation to contemporary astrophysics. These insights shaped an exhibition brief that asked us to balance accurate scientific interpretation with playful storytelling.
We approached the exhibition as a journey through the cosmos. The design transformed a former shop space into an immersive environment using bold graphics, interactive displays and atmospheric lighting. A central concept was to connect the global and the local – placing the planets of the solar system alongside the stars and constellations visible from the Cairngorms.
The exhibition was structured around layered experiences: tactile models of planets for younger audiences, richly illustrated panels for those seeking knowledge and interactive digital media for visitors keen to explore deeper. We incorporated the northern lights, meteor showers and seasonal changes into the design, ensuring the space could change to highlight different phenomena across the year.
The completed installation combines science, technology and imagination. Visitors are greeted with a sweeping visualisation of the solar system and can explore stories of each planet. A virtual reality headset transports audiences to the International Space Station, offering a perspective of Earth from orbit.
To root the cosmic story in its local setting, we included narratives of how communities in the Cairngorms have long engaged with the night sky – from farmers guided by the stars to modern astrophotographers capturing aurora over the mountains. The exhibition creates a sense of awe while remaining welcoming and playful, encouraging everyone to step outside at night and experience the extraordinary spectacle of the dark skies above Tomintoul and Glenlivet.
