Glenmore Visitor Centre
A gateway to the Cairngorms
At the foot of the Cairngorms, Glenmore is a landscape shaped by water, forest, and time, a place where people and nature have always been deeply intertwined. Commissioned by the Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust, who have recently taken community ownership of the visitor centre, this project was about helping the community reimagine how Glenmore’s story could be told.
Through research and site visits, we gathered narratives that connect the physical landscape, its geology, ecology, and climate, with the cultural and social heritage of the people who live, work, and visit here. The exhibition marks the first step in a wider regeneration and future expansion of the Glenmore Visitor Centre, positioning it as a gateway to the Cairngorms.
Working with the themes of Geology, Water, Forest, and People, we developed an exhibition that celebrates Glenmore’s living systems. The design took inspiration from the textures and tones of the forest; pine, stone, and water, blending contemporary interpretation with a strong sense of place.
We produced all interpretation panels, wall illustrations, bilingual exhibition copy, and visual direction, drawing on archival material, oral histories, and field notes. Each thematic section invites visitors to reflect on how Glenmore’s natural forces have shaped not only the land, but also the culture, identity, and imagination of those connected to it.
At the heart of the exhibition sits a short film, an abstract blend of drone and archive footage, animation, and illustration, that flows between the four exhibition themes, echoing the rhythms of Glenmore itself. The film and exhibition together immerse visitors in the physical and emotional landscape of the Cairngorms, encouraging them to see the forest, water, and people as part of a continuous, evolving story.
As the Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust look toward the future development of the centre, this exhibition stands as a foundation for what’s to come, a new chapter in community-led storytelling and regeneration in one of Scotland’s most iconic landscapes.
