HKD was delighted to be appointed by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) to work with the Equiano Society on a major exhibition to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery.

The Heritage Lottery Funded project set out to be “the first ever exhibition of this size centred on a black historical figure, and this fact combined with the momentous story of slavery and abolition – and the contemporary resonances of this history today -make The Equiano Project the most significant and ambitious project connected to the 2007 Bicentennial.”

The exhibition drew on loans of works from the Tate Britain, V&A, National Maritime Museum, British Library, Museum of London, National Portrait Gallery, BMAG and many others.

We created a powerful contemporary exhibition by placing community projects at the centre of the experience using the artifacts to build a picture of this great man. In addition, we delivered two touring exhibitions and an educational pack.

The exhibition was visited by over 10,000 people per month, exceeding the expected visitor numbers.