Engineering exhibition role for Focus Consultants at V&A Museum
East Midlands-based Focus Consultants has played a key role in the opening of a Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) exhibition dedicated to the most influential engineer of the 20th Century.
Revealing the untold design stories behind some of the world’s most famous buildings, such as the Sydney Opera House and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, to recent projects such as Crossrail, the exhibition is the first ever major retrospective on Ove Arup (1895-1988).
Engineering the World: Ove Arup and the Philosophy of Total Design is part of the V&A Engineering Season and is one of the most ambitious exhibitions that Focus has completed at the V&A, incorporating a bespoke mezzanine and stairlift structure, said Focus partner Eleanor Clarke.
It is the fourth exhibition that the Nottingham-based company has worked on at the V&A in London this year alone, and follows Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear, which charted the history of underwear from the 18th century to today, Paul Strand: Photography and Film for the 20th Century and Botticelli Reimagined.
It opened just before the V&A was named the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016, recognising the outstanding innovation, imagination and achievements of the museum throughout the preceding year.
Focus was project manager, quantity surveyor and contract administrator for the Ove Arup exhibition, which runs until 6 November.
“Focus has been proud to have worked with the V&A on a range of exciting and informative exhibitions since 2014, reflecting our expertise in this sector,” said Eleanor. “This latest exhibition, dedicated to the work of the influential engineer Ove Arup, has been particularly ambitious and we hope visitors will enjoy the experience.
“We’re absolutely delighted to hear that the V&A Museum has recently been named as the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016, and are so proud to have played a role in helping to provide such a rich visitor experience at this wonderful museum.”
The design and build of the Ove Arup exhibition has been project managed by the London office of East Midlands-based Focus, which opened five years ago in response to demand for its services, particularly in the museum, arts and heritage sector.
Focus has its headquarters at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, as well as offices in London, Leicester, and Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire.
