The David Livingstone Trust, is a museum that was entrusted in 1929 with the birthplace of David Livingstone as well as a collection of 4000 artefacts. A central feature of this museum are the 8 tableaux created by prominent 20th Century sculptor Charles d’Orville Pilkington Jackson, which depict various scenes of Livingstone’s life, including his travels in Africa. In 2019 these tableaux were part of a £6.1million conservation project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Government and Historic Environment Scotland, which we were thrilled to be a part of.
As part of the mission to transform The David Livingstone Trust into a ‘hub of learning and cross-cultural importance’ we were commissioned to create a series of 8 videos based on each tableaux. Our in house photographer visited the tableaux before they were unveiled to the public and captured a series of photographs. These were used by our animator to create realistic and accurate 3D models. Key characters in each tableaux where then brought to life by animating each of their limbs and giving the impression of a living and breathing artwork. This presented an interesting challenge as the unique design meant that the characters are neither 2D nor 3D. It was important to us to stay true to the original artwork whilst making the character movements look as natural as possible.
At the heart of the David Livingstone Trust is their commitment to authenticity, progressiveness and the championing of silenced voices in history. We wanted to honour this approach in this project, and so took care to source African voice-over artists living in Scotland. In addition to this, we had many meetings and consultations with experts whilst producing the illustrations and storyboards in order to ensure historical accuracy.
Since the reopening at the beginning of 2020, many positive reviews have been left pointing to the museum’s newfound interactivity and inclusivity, bringing the story of David Livingstone to life. The animations can be seen on display at the David Livingstone Birthplace in Blantyre. Tickets are £7.50 for adults and £3 for children.
Client David Livingstone Birthplace
Date April 2023
File under History & Culture
