Camouflage

Imperial War Museum, London, March 2007

Our brief was to communicate the way that art and the military influenced each other in the development of camouflage, from Cubism inspiring a new approach to military design, to artists conceiving the idea of dazzle paintings on ships, to camouflage taking a part in pop art and modern street culture. Camouflage is essentially the art of disguise within the context of a landscape. For this exhibition we created an abstracted ‘landscape’ – through cutting & folding the walls & floor and the use of pattern & colour. This clearly defines the nine subject areas and creates a suggested context within which these objects, ironically designed not to be seen, can be seen – allowing their power, and surprising beauty, to be fully appreciated. This unifying landscape pulls together a collection that ranges from military objects to fine art, haute couture and photographs, and allows glimpses through the exhibition so that the visitor can make their own connections between the many faces of camouflage. The exhibition was open from 23rd March 2007 until 18th November 2007

Client: Imperial War Museum
Size: 415 square metres
Casson Mann’s role: Exhibition Designer, Lead Consultant
Team: Imperial War Museum Exhibitions (Graphics), Luminance Lighting (Lighting Design), Kaija Vogel (Film)