Nelson Mandela | The Official Exhibition

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Elbow were commissioned to produce over 20 audio visuals and soundscapes for this groundbreaking touring exhibition which first opened in February 2019 in the vaulted tunnels underneath Waterloo station. The exhibition walks visitors through Mandela’s life and struggle; setting the scene of apartheid in South Africa, Mandela’s time on Robben Island through to his presidency and legacy. 

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Elbow were engaged on the exhibition for three principle reasons: our wealth of knowledge in dealing with vast quantities of archive footage, our sensitivity and skill in drawing out great testimonies from interview subjects and our ability to bring the emotional impact of our subject matter to the fore. 

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In addition to the wealth of visual material on offer, we also created a bespoke soundtrack for the opening and closing films; working with the London African Gospel Choir to record and weave in traditional South African music to the audio design. 

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