Empire is not just a thing of the past; its legacies are all around us and there are multiple perspectives. Re-collecting Empire is an exhibition that tackles these legacies head on.
It explores colonialism from a variety of perspectives through the University’s historic collections, foregrounding voices and perspectives that have often been excluded, showcasing creative responses and considering how museums and society can work for a more equitable future.
Lateral North designed an exhibition in collaboration with St Andrews University which encouraged visitors to question the collections of museums including how they got there and what the stories were behind them. Our design and branding concept focussed on the exhibition as an ongoing conversation with graffiti style text overlaid on regular text to pick out key points and interpret object in new ways.
A series of interactive panels also encouraged visitors to add notes about how they would interpret certain objects and what Empire meant to them today. Alongside the wall graphics and panels Lateral North designed the exhibition posters, tote bags, invitations, flyers and captured the opening night in film and photography.