The Ulster American Folk Park sought to reframe the history of the Great Famine for younger visitors by integrating elements from the educational novel Under the Hawthorn Tree. The goal was to translate complex historical themes—dietary reliance, forced migration choices, and traditional folk medicine—into engaging, tactile gallery installations that could withstand high-volume museum traffic.

We fabricated and engineered a suite of durable, highly interactive exhibit elements designed to encourage hands-on discovery:

"Lift the Flap" Dietary Graphic Panels: Produced 4 custom wall-mounted, hinged A5 panels that visually reveal the stark contrast between daily pre-Famine potato consumption and post-Famine scarcity across different age groups.

"What Would You Take?" Migration Interactive: Built a joinery plinth featuring a custom-patterned, gel-coated fibreglass "blanket" top with 6 recessed niches. Crafted 5 sets of direct-printed 3mm ABS object cards featuring illustrations and historical context, complete with built-in storage trays for seamless replenishment.

Cures & Remedies Scent Display: Designed an angled joinery unit with top-hinged A5 graphic flaps paired with integrated scent diffusers to offer a multi-sensory exploration of traditional Irish folk remedies.

Rustic Scenic Set Dressing: Produced timber replica barrel sections with custom scenic distressing to complement the gallery's immersive historical backdrop.

As part of the “What Would You Take?” exhibit, a standard blanket was coated in Jesmonite, with Polyfilla used to create realistic folds and texture. A scenic paint finish was then applied to resemble the original artefact as closely as possible, based on a photograph provided by the client.

The programme was manageable and effectively coordinated throughout the project. The works were delivered within the agreed budget, with all exhibits successfully completed and delivered in line with the client’s specified deadline.

Photo credit to Ulster American Folk Park