01 Apr 2019
New Lanzarote museum tells story of island's heritage
BY Luke Cloherty
A new archaeological museum has opened in Lanzarote – part of Spain's Canary Islands – telling the story of its heritage via the civilisations that have settled there.
Working through the Roman, Ancient Greek, Phoenician, Ottoman and modern-day Spanish heritage of Lanzarote, Museo Arqueológico de Lanzarote consists of two halls – one with a permanent exhibition about the culture of the Majos (aboriginal people from Lanzarote) and another for temporary exhibitions.
Room A, where the Majos exhibition is on display has a number of archaeological artefacts telling the story of those aboriginal people, while Room B houses the first temporary exhibition at the museum, which is dedicated to the heritage site of the city of Arrecife and its history.
There is also a room with an audio-visual screening on Lanzarote archaeology, which uses virtual reality to make visitors feel like they are part of an archaeological excavation.
Around the museum, meanwhile, there are a number of artefacts that have been recovered from underwater archaeological exploration.
The museum commissioned Barcelona-based design, concept and branding practice Folch Studio for the project’s branding.
Folch Studio came up with a brand colour palette that is designed to represent the Canary Islands as a whole. Branded materials from the museum work on an archaeological grid system principle that reflects the way scientists mark out digs in the field.
“The challenge was to brand such a long name and/or a contraction of a difficult pronunciation and verbalisation,” said Albert Folch, creative director and founder of Folch Studio.
“The otherwise stripped identity needed an interesting pairing in terms of colour. The black text treatment is paired with the secondary colour – a warm coral to reflect the temperate soil, alongside a wide earthy palette based on the pigments of the building, its archaeological elements, and the surrounding environment.”
The museum is operated by The Municipal Council of Lanzarote’s Centres for Art, Culture and Tourism, a devolved Spanish governmental unit under Lanzarote’s main council.
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