Bristol Dockyards Museum

SS Great Britain was launched in 1843 and served for 41 years as the largest migration ship in the world. Its innovative hybrid steam / sailing power technology made it the first ship of its kind and set a blueprint for all ocean liners thereafter. The newly refurbished museum explores the ship’s role in connecting Britain and Australia, New York, San Francisco, Crimea and India. It features a plethora of historic artefacts, from the extensive Brunel’s archive, including original drawings, letters and artefacts, as well as playful interactives showcasing the community-led research that uncovers voices and stories from this extraordinary ship. 

Working alongside Principal Designers RAA, we created a fresh, up to date lighting scheme to support the bright new graphic scheme and innovative 3D layout. Lighting accents, such as cobble-stone gobos and back-lit ceiling tiles to suggest an outdoor street scene in Liverpool, or warm period style gas feature lighting in New York, help to set the scene. Warm brushstrokes of sepia coloured light were used to treat the contextual graphics to suggest old-fashioned photographs. A new lighting scheme was designed for the showcases, which featured single or clusters of objects on a backdrop of bright colours with sumptuous fabrics. The huge original rudder, the recreation propeller and the ship’s mast form the central feature of the display, present in every vista as you walk around the space. Each had a tailored lighting treatment, using multiple angles to highlight their magnificent form.