The Coming of Age explores experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to later life, and asks how society can adapt to help us all age better. Bringing together perspectives from art, science and popular culture, the exhibition challenges assumptions about different stages of life and reflects on what longer lives might mean for us all.
The exhibition’s visual identity takes inspiration from neuroscientist Daniel Levitin’s research, which suggests that people reach their peak happiness at the age of 82. Rather than framing ageing as decline, the design celebrates it as a process of accumulation, of knowledge, experience and wisdom.

A naturally muted palette, tactile materials and elegant typography create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages reflection. Throughout the exhibition, overlapping panels evoke the richness that develops over a lifetime, where experiences build upon one another to create depth and character.

At the heart of the identity is a series of Suminagashi prints, the oldest form of marbling, originating in Japan. Created by gently moving ink across water using breath, and other gentle interventions, each print emerged as a unique composition of concentric layers. Their forms echo the exhibition’s central theme: that no two lives follow the same path, yet each is shaped by the gradual accumulation of experiences over time.

Like the timber used throughout the exhibition design, the prints reveal beauty through age, texture and imperfection. Together, they create a visual language that invites visitors to reconsider ageing not as a loss, but as a continual process of growth and becoming.

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★★★★
"An exhibition that gives you hope about getting old."
The Times

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3D Design: Studio MUTT
2D Design: lombaert studio
Lighting Design: Beam Lighting Design
Photography: FRENCH+TYE