In December 2017, after two years of refurbishment, the British Museum reopened The Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia. At 115 metres in length, this magnificent space is the longest gallery in the British Museum. Its new narrative brings the stories of China and South Asia right up to the present with new acquisitions of contemporary works. The existing artefacts are back on display in the listed mahogany cases as before, but these are now interspersed with new cased exhibits offering a chronological journey through rich collections that range from Neolithic pottery to Ravi Shankar’s sitar. This transformation means the Museum can include and rotate different types of objects such as paintings, prints and textiles which need regulated conditions for display. The gallery introduces new research that will enable visitors to engage with these extraordinarily important parts of the world. The project was made possible by a generous donation from The Sir Joseph Hotung Charitable Settlement.
A view of The Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia, showing some of ClickNetherfield’s showcases including the large scroll case. (Photography courtesy of The British Museum© The Trustees of the British Museum)
Our commission was to design, manufacture and install 14 bespoke cases of differing types and sizes. These were all mounted upon plinths clad in in Corian®, which gives a robust and easy maintainable finish and has fast become a favourite amongst many of our clients. One of the showcases we built was nearly 4 metres in height and was designed to accommodate a large painted scroll.
A view of The Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia, showing one of ClickNetherfield’s showcases. (Photography courtesy of The British Museum© The Trustees of the British Museum)
Each case was installed with humidity controls for flexibility and to ensure the conservation and protection of some of the new and more delicate artefacts such as paintings, prints and textiles.
A general view of The Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia, showing a number of ClickNetherfield’s showcases. (Photography courtesy of The British Museum© The Trustees of the British Museum)
In an attempt to ensure as little disruption to the visiting public as possible, the client only allowed our installation teams access to the gallery after visiting hours. This proved slightly more time consuming but our experienced team are proficient in managing such constraints.
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