A man stands in front of a large screen displaying a grid of black-and-white historical mugshots. He observes with hands clasped behind him, setting a reflective tone.

The National Archive

The Great Escapes

Field with Peter L. Dixon Design
Heritage
XR
Brand
Exhibition
Visitor satisfaction
94%
Visitor dwell time
57 minutes

Growing audiences for National Exhibitions

‘Great Escapes: Remarkable Second World War Captives’ is not just an exhibition; it’s an exploration of resilience and creativity in the darkest of times. Unveiling real stories of escape and escapism during wartime, this major new work from The National Archives reveals the power of human spirit.

Field, in collaboration with Peter L. Dixon executed a comprehensive exhibition design, incorporating spatial, graphic, and AV elements. "Field expertly maximised our relatively small gallery space with a modern and minimal exhibition." Juliette Johnstone, Exhibitions Manager, The National Archives.

The journey through capture, life within captivity, and eventual liberation was carefully navigated through an ambitious and sequential experience. The aim was to engage visitors emotionally while delivering a visually striking and informative experience, shedding light on the experiences of Prisoners of War (POWs) and Civilian Internees.

A woman stands thoughtfully in a dimly lit museum, facing an exhibit. The environment is dark, with blue lights creating a contemplative mood.
Illuminated museum exhibit with text panels on British civilian internment during WWII. Keywords like "British" and "Isle of Man" are highlighted.
A dimly lit museum exhibit with visitors observing a wall of historical black-and-white portraits. Blue lighting adds a reflective and somber atmosphere.

Field came onto the Great Escapes exhibition with a fantastic initial design proposal and very quickly got immersed in the sensitive exhibition topic. Field successfully created and delivered a coherent and successful vision across all elements of the design for Great Escapes, that is sleek, streamlined, polished and expertly maximises a relatively small space. They have told the lesser-known stories (involving millions of people) who were held in captivity during the Second World War and in doing so created a wonderful space to draw visitors in. Visitor satisfaction has been very high at 94%

Juliette Johnstone, Exhibitions Manager at The National Archives