At Large in the Amazon

At Large has been appointed to design The British Museum’s flagship autumn exhibition, Unknown Amazon: Nature and Culture in Ancient Brazil, following a four-way creative pitch.

The exhibition, which runs from 26 October to 1 April 2002, is designed to question Western stereotypes of Amazonian civilisation by “reappraising archeological evidence” and revealing its highly sophisticated culture. It is an attempt to draw new levels of meaning from the objects on display,which include items of pottery not seen before in the UK, says At Large partner Bob Baxter.

The use of audio visual elements will help to present the Amazonian belief in the supernatural. “Geometric designs on artefacts discovered in Brazil actually reveal greater meaning. We plan to use projections and moving images to explain this concept to visitors,” Baxter adds.

The exhibition will be held in the museum’s Joseph Hotung Gallery, in the new Foster and Partners-designed Great Court.

The first externally designed exhibition is the forthcoming Cleopatra show, designed by Pentagram Design (DW 1 December 2000), which starts on 12 April.