The Royal British Legion
Tribute Ink touring exhibition
The Royal British Legion
Tribute Ink touring exhibition
Featured project
Titled ‘Tribute Ink’, our brief was to shape these personal narratives into a compelling exhibition, presenting tattoos as enduring emblems of service and identity.
Collaborating with interpretation and design specialists to bring forward one of the most personal and visually powerful expressions of military culture. Together, we developed an exhibition that explored tattooing within the Armed Forces as a language of identity, loyalty and remembrance.
The striking image of the tattooed crossed arms of a serving Navy diver was used as an unofficial emblem and repeated in the promotional materials, visually unifying the narrative. We commissioned an artist to draw some of the tattoo designs onto sculptural figures that hinted at heroic Greek statues.
From the outset, the stories behind the tattoos guided our approach. Each design represented bonds of comradeship and acts of commemoration, demanding sensitivity and respect. Our role was to shape these stories into a coherent and engaging environment, ensuring the deeply personal testimony was thoughtfully interpreted and accessible to visitors.
The exhibition reveals how tattoos function as enduring markers of belonging and memory. Through carefully composed displays and the inclusion of sculptural forms, we focused on the emotional resonance of tattoo art. The exhibition was designed as a fully modular, freestanding installation and was engineered to travel to 14 locations throughout the UK.
The exhibition opening event. Many of the people featured attended the exhibition to see how we displayed their stories and tattoos.
The exhibition included a timeline with large vertical panels, several aluminium modular display units with interpretation graphics, large hanging banners and five human figures that showcased selected tattoos designs.
- Christopher Ansell, Interpretation and Exhibitions Officer, NMA
