Inverness Castle plans take a step closer to opening after tender issued for exhibition designer
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High Life Highland has issued a tender for an exhibition and content design partner for an exhibition at Inverness Castle.
The tender invites bids to provide its theme of 'Spirit of the Highlands' in "imaginative and unexpected ways".
The exhibition aims to encourage people to visit other locations around the Highlands.
The transformation of Inverness Castle is supported by £15 million Scottish Government and £3 million UK Government investment through the Inverness and Highland city region deal.
It will create a gateway for Highland tourism, contributing to reinvigoration of tourism across the area and providing much needed investment for the industry to aid the recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project will support economic growth throughout the Highland area, creating a sustainable, viable and “must-see” attraction that will celebrate the spirit of the Highlands.
A spokeswoman for High Life Highland, who are managing the project on behalf of Highland Council said: "Celebrating and interpreting the ‘Spirit of the Highlands’ in 100 Stories will be the core theme of the visitor experience. The tender invites the successful company to develop and explore this theme in imaginative and unexpected ways, encouraging people to visit other locations around the Highlands. Key elements of the tender invite companies to consider:
"A strong emphasis on the areas of music, language and the environment, while using methods such as projection mapping, holography, virtual reality and augmented reality to enhance the visitor experience."
The interpretation extends to the footprint of Inverness Castle and its grounds, including in the retail and catering spaces, gardens, corridors and toilet areas.
Designers have the opportunity to provide a showstopping feature in the main courtroom in the South Tower of the Castle as well as the potential for a digital or in person seannachie (storyteller) - to guide visitors through the castle.
The tender states that anyone bidding to take on the contact will ensure that the Inverness Castle visitor experience provides a fully inclusive and flexible experience for all visitors.
It continues: "The potential for provision of a wide variety of multi-sensory experiences, including interactive, immersive and audio-visual content, audio and digital interpretation and programmed events and activities.
"The potential for the North Tower to be let to a third party (visitor attraction) tenant, recognising that Covid–19 has impacted on the potential for tenants to invest significantly at this time. The potential to incorporate a ‘Great Tapestry of the Highlands’, a project being developed with the team behind the hugely successful Great Tapestry of Scotland."
The full notice for the tender is available on the Public Contracts Scotland website at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ .
For more on Inverness Castle, click here.
