Sharjah Institute for Heritage
Untold Chronicles
Opportunity
When the “Heart of Sharjah” in conjunction with the “Sharjah Institute for Heritage” sought to list eight historic sites across the Emirate of Sharjah for UNESCO World Heritage status under the nomination of SGTS – Sharjah: The Gateway to the Trucial States; Ochre was commissioned to create an accompanying Interpretation Centre.
Solution
Its intent; to assist in communicating the complex interconnections between the eight sites’ (separated by both time and distance) historic and modern day contribution to the development of the region and wider Middle East. Barker Langham; assisting on both the UNESCO submission and in the creation of the subsequent interpretative briefs for the centre worked alongside Ochre in identifying, refining and supplying the content that ultimately enabled us to translate the information into a multi-sensory experience.
Through varying means, some active, some passive, always unexpected, visitors are encouraged to uncover a complex historical narrative as they pass through the spaces. This narrative is woven through layers of information and experience that spark into and out of existence like the past fragments of the memories, people and landscapes that inspired the creative that drives the experience. As such Sharjah’s glorious, historic and influential past is revealed in an entirely new light, that once understood, enables us to appreciate its echoes that still effect our lives today in ways we would, otherwise could never have imagined. The Interpretation Centre is a beautiful and unexpected manifestation of hundreds of years of history that appeal to a wide range of ages and interests.
Animated narrative of a ‘Diverse and connected landscape’ brought to life through projection mapping on a topographic landscape of the Emirate. Below are examples of these animations in action along with a general overview of what we created and implemented throughout the whole space.
