Electrosonic Europe

The National Trust for Scotland recently completed its largest ever construction project, a new £9 million visitor centre at the Culloden Battlefield. The centre is based on the latest scholarship and includes an exhibition that follows the progress of the Jacobite Army. The exhibition makes imaginative use of AV techniques to animate the story. Electrosonic was the AV Systems Integrator for the project.

The exciting new Culloden Battlefield visitor centre and exhibition officially opened its doors to the public on 16 April 2008, the anniversary of the battle. The previous facilities had struggled to cope with visitor numbers at peak times and its site is being restored as part of the battlefield. The new centre and exhibition allows the whole Culloden story to be told in an innovative and interactive way which appeals to all the family.

The interactive exhibition follows the progress of the Jacobite army on their campaign, and offers a unique insight into what life was like in Scotland at the time of the Battle.  Visitors are taken to the very heart of the conflict in a 360° immersion film, and shadow real-life characters through the years of the Jacobite rebellion and find out what happened to them in the often brutal aftermath of the Battle.

The new National Trust for Scotland visitor centre at Culloden.

The new exhibition aims to offer a new level of understanding of what happened on 16 April 1746. It emphasizes the international dimension of the conflict, and shows that it was not a battle between England and Scotland – Scots fought on both sides of the battle, often against their will. Gaelic text and music play a big part in the exhibition, reflecting the large number of Gaelic speakers who fought on both sides of the battle.

NTS appointed a creative team that included Gareth Hoskins as architect, Ralph Appelbaum Associates as exhibition designer and CMC Associates as content researcher. Electrosonic joined the team as AV systems integrator; the engineering for the project was carried out by Electrosonic’s main UK facility in Dartford, and continuing service is provided by Electrosonic’s office in Edinburgh (Electrosonic AVC).

The exhibit’s innovative AV systems can be found at the following stations:

The Character Station

The “Character Station” presentation here is imaginative and subtle. There are 14 “Character Stations” in all, spread throughout the exhibition; each one consists of a 46 inch LCD monitor installed behind a diffusing panel to give a “ghostly” effect, compounded by the video sequences themselves being “shadows”. Visitors select the character by means of a touch screen, and hear the character speaking over directional loudspeakers mounted overhead.

Four of the Character Stations and their associated touch screens.

Campaign Tables

There are two “Campaign Table” exhibits. Each is a table surface on which images are projected from above. Two projectors are used on each table in order to give an image of sufficient size and resolution. The images are animated maps which show the movements of the participants in the overall campaign – especially in connection with the arrival of Prince Charles and others from abroad, and in respect of the Jacobite campaign in England. Visitors can choose whose movements to follow by touching icons on the map. The icons are projected onto the table surface, and underneath the projected icon images there are capacitive sensors.

Battle Immersion

In this area visitors see a reconstruction of the battle. The intense experience lasts around 12 minutes, and is presented on four screens surrounding the audience. Two projectors, serve each screen with image edge blending, to achieve a widescreen image of high resolution. The show is accompanied by a powerful multi-channel sound track. After the exertions of the Battle Immersion, visitors move to a finale area, which features a live demonstration area, and showcases containing important contemporary artifacts including the weapons of the time.

In the Battle Immersion area visitors see a reconstruction of the battle.

The Battle Table

The Battle Table is one of the finest exhibits in the Culloden Exhibition. It is a graphic representation of the battlefield, and the course of the whole battle is shown with accompanying explanatory commentary. What may have been confusion in the battle immersion becomes clear when analysed in this way. Visitors look downward at a 4m × 3m table on which dynamic graphic images are projected by three SXGA+ projectors. Not only does the exhibit make clear what has gone before, it also prepares visitors for their tour of the battlefield itself.

At the Battle Table a graphic representation of the battlefield is shown with accompanying explanatory commentary.