Contagious worked for four months on a unique artists residency project funded by the Creative Education Arts Team (Dumfries & Galloway Council) and the Scottish Arts Council.
Dumfries born Lisa Gallacher worked alongside Rome based visual artist Pietro Fortuna and Italian film-maker Alessandra Populin, working with children and staff from Lincluden Primary school and Maxwelltown High School to achieve the aims and focus of Italy. Scotland, a creative project considering cultures in a community.
Contagious were asked to design and produce an exhibition and support material to display a selection of the childrens’ art alongside the work of the artists. The exhibition was then the opening event in the newly refurbished Midsteeple Building in the centre of Dumfries. The work to be displayed was vibrant and eclectic and covered a wide range of scales and disciplines - from video and textile to sculpture and collage. Our approach was to create a space which was bold enough to enhance the variety of work on display, to contrast with the sterile surroundings and to avoid the use of the unsympathetic fluorescent lighting.
Our decision to create the entire exhibition using wooden palettes, scaffolding poles and fashion display equipment helped us create a series of dynamic and powerful spaces. Spaces flexible enough to display 2 and 3 dimensional objects whilst remaining simple and economic to construct.
Anne Campbell from CREATE said "Contagious were set a series of challenges when designing
The D&G Collection, including not utilising the walls of the newly refurbished building and engaging
a very diverse audience that is, in the majority, unfamiliar with contemporary visual art practice.
The design team met these challenges wholeheartedly, with humour and professionalism, to produce
an exhibition design that is receiving extremely positive responses from everybody who visits.
On entering the spaces you are immediately struck by the quality of presentation and ease of navigation, showing the works off to the very best advantage. The value we all placed on young people's work will have the most profound impact on their self esteem - a key outcome of the whole process."
Contagious redesigned the visitor centre for Bowmore, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.
The key opportunity identified early on in the design process was to encapsulate the stunning view
over Loch Indaal to bring the outside in. Islay is renowned for its changeable weather conditions, and although all of the main distilleries on Islay are located on the coast, very few make the most
of the stunning views from their shores. Visitors now have the chance to savour their favourite Bowmore on the balcony in the summer, or in a cosy armchair in the winter.
Contagious commissioned local suppliers to work on the project and the Islay Woollen Mill were tasked to make a Bowmore Tweed which was used for the curtains and to upholster the furniture. There is the history wall displaying archive material of the people involved at Bowmore and a historic timeline of events. All malt whisky lovers are made to feel welcome and are encouraged
to spend time within the lounge relaxing and enjoying the original (1779) Islay malt in a beautiful environment overlooking the sea.
Contagious, working with Cubit 3d, created a brand home for Johnstons within their new £1.5 million Heritage Centre and Shop. The visitor environment details the history of the 212 year old independent business and its worldwide design and product development. The design is focused around a tactile environment where visitors are encouraged to touch the materials on show and interact with the brand through touch screens. Before joining the mill tour, visitors can now enjoy an education in fabric, colour, the history of cashmere and estate tweeds. Johnstons are the only UK mill still processing from raw material through to finished product and source their raw product globally from the most extreme locations for the most superior quality.
Contagious was approached by Morrison Bowmore Distillers in November 2007 to create a new visitor experience at their Auchentoshan distillery on the outskirts of Glasgow. This represents the second major work that Contagious have undertaken for MBD, following the construction of the landmark Bowmore brand home on Islay in 2006.
Auchentoshan was developing as a brand, becoming more contemporary and urban and moving away from its traditional image.
Our first steps were to consider the shape, pace and design of the distillery tour and entire visitor experience. We felt it was essential to demolish and relocate underused storage and corporate spaces and create a dedicated welcome area on the ground floor. Guests could utilise a 30 seat cinema and browse the Morrison Bowmore shop - with an entire wall dedicated to the Auchentoshan range - whilst waiting for their tours to begin.
We wanted to end the Auchentoshan journey with an experience that encouraged guests to have some fun whilst learning about Auchentoshan within a dynamic and relaxing environment.
Guests enter the lounge via a dramatic corridor featuring a display of huge rear lit images telling the story of the Auchentoshan spirit, making its way from cask to bottle. The entire focus of the lounge space is the oval bar at its centre - a celebration of the welcome dram at the end of the tour. Beyond the bar, guests can learn about the characteristics of Auchentoshan’s flavours while they sample their favourite expression or mix themselves a malt whisky cocktail in the exhibition area. When the tour is over, guests are invited to relax with another dram at the bar or retire to the lounge area and sink into the high backed sofas next to the fire and enjoy the unique mural
of Glasgow landmarks covering the lounge wall.
At Auchentoshan we have used a palette of materials and colours which reflect a more contemporary Auchentoshan brand and emphasise its position as The Glasgow Malt. Sandstone walls and the exposed rivets of the distillery’s columns evoke images of Glasgow’s architecture and industrial past, whilst black glass, rear lit acrylic and metalic laminate reflect the contemporary city. The oval bar and curved reception desk are constructed in limed oak which reflect the smooth delicate characteristics of the Auchentoshan dram.
© Contagious UK Ltd 2012