Hemisphere builds front in north for War Museum

The Imperial War Museum North has appointed Manchester design and marketing consultancy Hemisphere to create its upcoming War in the North exhibition. The group won a two-way, unpaid creative pitch for the work.

Opening in Easter next year, War in the North will be IWMN’s largest exhibition to date and the first to explore the experience of civilians across the north of England during the two World Wars. It will also relate experiences of more recent conflicts such as the IRA’s bombing of Manchester in 1996.

‘[The project] is still at the start of the curatorial process and we are deciding which elements [of the proposals] to use,’ says Hemisphere marketing director Sue Strange.

One design that is likely to be adopted is a 7m-high zigzagging wall that will cut through the museum’s Daniel Libeskind-designed exhibition space.

‘The wall will allow us to create spaces that have different moods for different areas,’ according to Strange.

War in the North is based on five themes – celebration, threat, change, industry and loss – each exploring the impact of conflict on the lives of ordinary people. The museum’s curators are currently garnering personal accounts from northern communities and these stories will feature prominently in the exhibition.

Hemisphere’s appointment follows its design and build for The Greater Game: Sport, War and Peace exhibition which opened at the IWMN in June.

It is also creating a marketing campaign for War in the North, which will run from February to December next year.