July 24 2023

Visitor experience agency StudioMB is placing Scottish creativity on the international stage with two recent commissions in Kuwait and Iceland.

The Edinburgh-based agency is venturing into the heat of the Middle East to create a new museum documenting the history of Kuwait's first National Bank within its Norman Foster-designed headquarters.

On the other side of the planet, the agency will cool off at the Árni Magnússon Institute in Rejkyavic by creating a permanent exhibition for Icelandic manuscripts, a UNESCO World Heritage attraction documenting Norse mythology and law.

Set within a purpose-built hall the Icelandic commission provides a permanent home for a priceless archive repatriated from Denmark in the 1970s and referred to as the 'pyramids of Iceland'. Emphasising accessibility for scholars and the wider public the project will present the manuscripts in a new light.

Mhairi Naismith, design director at Studio MB, said: “The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies is regarded as the single most important collection of early Scandinavian manuscripts in existence. It contains not only the unique narrative genre of the Icelandic Sagas, jewels of world literature but also books that serve as the primary source of almost everything we know about Norse Mythology. Amongst many other things, the books also offer fascinating reflections of a Worldview held by people of the time, which is relatable yet wholly different to our modern way of looking at our world.”

Commenting on the Kuwaiti project Charlie Barr, founding director at Studio MB, added: “This new Museum will be an inspiring, informing and involving experience for all visitors, and not just a corporate advert."

The specialist designer of visitor attractions combines audio-visual displays and interactive exhibits to bring local artefacts, archives and history to life, combining entertainment and education to enthral visitors.

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