National Galleries of Scotland

What if Scotland’s art could talk… What would it say?

Challenged by perceptions of being “stuffy” and “elitist”, the National Galleries of Scotland undertook insight research with a wide range of audiences to fully understand what they thought. Their fears of being “unapproachable” and “only for the educated” were confirmed. This highlighted a need to create a more welcoming and accessible brand which appeals to a wider range of people to truly reflect their new brand ethos ‘Making art work for everyone’.

In tandem, some disused offices at the National Gallery were being repurposed to hold the nation’s Scottish collection, showcasing varied artworks from Scottish artists. Bright Signals were briefed to create a launch campaign for that space. Inspired by the need to reframe perceptions and portray an approachable, friendly place, we developed our ‘Talking Paintings’ campaign. Where the art literally comes to life and showcases the unique personality of Scotland – chatty, down to earth, welcoming - all with a twinkle in the eye. The antithesis to what the public expect from an arts organisation.

Central to the campaign was our experiential gallery which appeared at the newly developed St James Quarter which attracts a wide range of leisure-time visitors and shoppers from across the Central Belt (our local catchment area). We brought 5 paintings to life using cutting edge facial recognition tech and our in-house animator’s skill. Up-and-coming Scottish comedian Rachel Jackson voiced the paintings from within our purpose-built, disruptive exhibition space. As she interacted with passing shoppers, her facial expressions were mirrored on the faces of the paintings. We rigged up cameras and mics to allow natural conversations to happen between ‘the painting’ and the viewer. Even resulting in the odd selfie. All interactions encouraged the viewer to visit the new space at the National Gallery, with the paintings giving easy directions of how to get there.

To increase the longevity of the experience late into the night, we used motion sensors to surprise passers-by with a set of tongue in cheek pre-recorded messages that brought the paintings to life and further challenged perceptions.

Supporting this work was a city-wide outdoor advertising campaign with quirky messaging to further engage audiences and raise awareness that the new space was theirs to discover.

This creative broke down barriers – creating engagement with new audiences, talkability and encouraged visitors to the newly refreshed space at the Gallery.