The Guinness Storehouse gives visitors the chance to experience the history, heart, and soul of Ireland’s most iconic beer, accommodating over 1.5m visitors a year, it’s a must-visit when in Dublin, enjoyed by both international and domestic tourists.
“A porter brewer buys none but the best as none else will answer”
The space needed to be a canvas to tell this story of Guinness as brewers and innovators, committed to sustainability and preserving the natural resources, on which we all depend. They are currently 264 years into a 9,000-year lease at St James’s Gate and will never settle in pursuit of a better, more sustainable future for all. Each ingredient is nurtured, selected and treated with care and creativity to get Guinness right every time, and the space needs to tell the stories of the people who care for the ingredients, from the Barley farmers to the Brewers and Scientists.
The experience tells the story of the four natural ingredients – Barley, Water, Hops and Yeast – used to create Guinness, all sourced with care and appreciation for the environment. A series of magical installations brought together through spirit and ambition by dedicated makers, creators, designers, florists, and engineers striving to bring this magical story to life, with craft, creativity and ingenuity.
This sensitive approach engages visitors and caters to both fans of Guinness and those new to the brand, enabling key stories to be understood intuitively through engaging with the interactive experiences.
Each artistic installation dials up the unique character and story of one of the four ingredients through bold visual language, bespoke scents, and unique soundtracks.
The journey begins with a sensory reset through a handcrafted brass tunnel, into a wrap-around 16m curved LED screen, the dynamic content transports the visitor into the world of the four ingredients, whilst above projection and mirror wrap the inside of an original vat with moving image of the sky and a murmuration of birds, the result is a jaw-dropping blend of human craftsmanship and digital impact.
A hand-sculpted highly textured ’mud wall’ engages visitors with Guinness’s regenerative agriculture pilot scheme. Projections onto the mud wall of growing animated roots, sit alongside the first large-scale portrait people screen, telling the story of the farmer taking part in the trial.
A field with 1,000 sqm of real Barley, harvested by one of Guinness’s 3rd generation Barley Farmers in Co. Laois, transports visitors into rural Ireland, with its dramatic changeable weather. A large circular screen suspended above is synced with lights on stems nestled within the barley to reflect the ever-changing skies of Ireland.
Mirrors wrap the Barley field, creating an infinity effect, and conceal screens which allow the story to appear and disappear as if by magic suspended on the mirror. A bespoke earthy scent and the soundtrack help conjure up the feeling of the outdoors and nature. This is a must-have selfie moment for visitors.
A 14-metre water curtain wraps the next space, and imagery of the Wicklow Mountains is projected as a backdrop, with key facts ’printed’ using water. The chill and sound of flowing water evoke its power and soothing nature, accompanied by the fresh scent of the water running over moss and rocks.
Next, a cathedral-like space celebrates hops with visitors feeling surrounded by endless growth, and basking in natural sunlight, with tall screens, transparent fabrics layered with dried hops and projection creating shadows and texture.
Lastly, there is Yeast, a bright space flooded with light and mist that represents Yeast’s unique storage in liquid nitrogen, with expert stories revealing the mysteries of yeast, sparking curiosity and insight.
Throughout the journey, large format portrait ’People’ screens tell the stories of the people who care for the ingredients, from the Barley farmers to the Brewers and Scientists. Featuring 12 Guinness employees, on large format screens, including Angela Larkin who heads up Guinness’ taste panel, and brewer Kate Curran – 4 generations of her family have worked behind the famous black gates at the Guinness Storehouse.
Each story is unique and told in the first person, giving a more personal perspective and behind-the-scenes insight for the visitor to take away.
The challenge was how to share the huge amount of information and stories behind each ingredient with the visitors, in a digestible way, and one that catered for different levels of engagement and wouldn’t disrupt the flow of visitors through the space.
The solution we reached was a clear hierarchy of messages for each Ingredient, with ‘Pub facts’ as memorable take-home messages and QR codes with deeper dives into each story for visitors who wanted more. The engagement in the QR codes has been excellent with 36,000 scans in the first month of opening.
Partners
- Dalziel & Pow – Concept Ideation and Design
- Cod Steaks – Fabrication and Design of Mud wall & Yeast models
- Grandirosa – Florists for the Barley and Hops installation
- Fountains and Features – Water Feature Design and Installation
- Michael Grubb Studio – Lighting Design
- Aroma co – Scent design
- Echoic Audio – Sound design
- Rockbrook – Audio Visual
- PMV Woodcraft – Main Contractor
- Iconic – Signage Contractor
- FESP – Project Managers