The oasis of Dunhuang was once a bustling town on the famous Silk Road connecting China and the Mediterranean as well as an important pilgrimage site where ideas, technologies and art flowed freely. Hara Clark and studio HB designed this exhibition for the British Library to highlight the personal stories of those who lived, travelled through, worked, and worshipped there more than 1,000 years ago. The exhibition looked at the objects that open windows to the intimate worlds of artists and scribes, merchants and fortune-tellers, diplomats, Buddhists and nuns.

This exhibition provided a rare glimpse into the ordinary lives of people long ago through the remarkable contents of the Library Cave, part of the Buddhist cave complex of Mogao. Detailing life in and around Dunhuang  the documents include personal letters and wills encompassing multiple languages, faiths and cultures including Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism and Christianity; and span topics as diverse as literature, astronomy, medicine, politics and art.

Hara Clark clad the space in flowing red fabric, with overlaid gauzes to replicate mountains and skies. Graphic paper banners hung from the ceiling with illustrated block abstract figures using intricate cave painting patterns, bringing colour and texture to the space. 

Working  closely with AV designers, Clay we aligned our cartographic maps with their animated projected map so the graphic language was seamless for both the printed items and the moving  map.