Pointe-à-Callière received the crates of artifacts from the Belgian collection “as is”. Our job was to conceive of strategies for presenting the artifacts in ways that would link a number of disparate collections and rooms and engage visitors of all ages. We wanted to make visitors feel as though they were immersed in ancient Peru – and so we built a world around the artifacts, filled with lifesize reproductions, large-scale images, projections, sound, video, tactile materials, and interactive activities.

Pointe-à-Callière received the crates of artifacts from the Belgian collection “as is”. Our job was to conceive of strategies for presenting the artifacts in ways that would link a number of disparate collections and rooms and engage visitors of all ages. We wanted to make visitors feel as though they were immersed in ancient Peru – and so we built a world around the artifacts, filled with lifesize reproductions, large-scale images, projections, sound, video, tactile materials, and interactive activities.

As the project’s exhibit designer, Entro teamed with fabricator Expozone, lighting designer Light Factory, and digital interactive consultant Gagarin to produce this turnkey project. Entro oversaw the design direction for spatial planning, case layout, lighting, AV, and exhibit and graphic design.We worked collaboratively with the museum on the selection and placement of artifacts and video content.

Textiles and feather ornaments were more valuable than gold in the Inca world, weaving together social, economic, artistic, and religious life. We chose that as our design theme: threads literally run through the exhibit tying different scenes together both physical and graphic. The threads lead patrons from area to area, guiding them on a journey through time from pre-Inca civilizations to the Inca art and cultural influences that survive in the modern day. The textile theme is also the basis for interactive activities such as yarn crafts for children and a spectacular interactive finale that invites children and adults to select their own ancient patterns and weave a digital tapestry.

This 8,000 square foot, 2-storey exhibit features over 300 artifacts including jewelry, textiles, ceramics, ritual objects, metallurgy, sculpture, agricultural artifacts and architectural elements, and examines the history of Peruvian culture through the lens of textiles.

Through the exhibit, visitors learn how the civilizations of the Peruvian Andes developed their artistic, economic, political, and social knowledge, with highlights of the unique beauty of Andean plants and wildlife and of its costa, sierra, and selva regions. The first part of the exhibit focuses on the legacy of six pre-Columbian civilizations and their influences on the Inca Empire, including funerary sites, geoglyphs, and textiles. Part two of the exhibit displays a majestic world of feathers, with feather art and taxidermied birds evoking the world of the gods. Visitors then embark on a processional path into the Inca Empire, where they encounter the Sapa Inca, who wielded absolute power over the Inca people.

“An exhibition worthy of kings: Inca treasures in Montréal [...] A not-to-be-missed opportunity for visitors from around the world to learn more about the history of Spanish-speaking countries on the American continent”, free translation of a quote from Montréal Hispano.