Exhibition: Peru
A Journey in Time
The British museum
Completed 2021
Peru is a temporary exhibition at The British Museum celebrating 200 years of Peruvian independence. It showcases the history, culture, and resilience of Peru’s civilizations through artefacts like pottery, textiles, and ritual objects, alongside stunning visuals of iconic sites. Greenway Associates served as Quantity Surveyors for this installation.
Photographic image of Peruvian landscape on display © The British Museum
OUR ROLE
Liam McFaul served as the lead Cost Consultant on the Peru installation.
Greenway Associates are proud to have collaborated with the British Museum for over 15 years, contributing to many fascinating exhibitions, including this memorable project.
Miniature llama figurine, wrought in hammered gold, probably deposited as an offering © The British Museum
Gold earrings depicting feline features © The British Museum
THE INSTALLATION
The Peru: A Journey in Time exhibition at the British Museum offers a fascinating exploration of the rich and complex history of Peru’s ancient civilizations. Spanning over 3,000 years, it highlights how communities in the central Andes adapted to and thrived in one of the world’s most challenging environments—ranging from arid deserts to high-altitude terrains. Through their innovative approaches to agriculture, power, and societal organization, these cultures left enduring legacies that continue to inspire today.
Textile fragment with embroidered hummingbirds © The British Museum
Vessel in the shape of a kneeling Moche Warrior holding a club and shield © The British Museum
Vessel depicting a human figure on a reed boat © The British Museum
This landmark exhibition traces the rise and fall of six distinct societies, showcasing their cultural achievements and unique worldviews. Artefacts include intricate pottery, precious metals, textiles, and ceremonial items from the British Museum’s collection, alongside rare loans from Peru, some of which had never been displayed in the UK before. Among the highlights are a 2,500-year-old gold headdress, a ceremonial drum depicting ritual combat, and a contorted human-shaped vessel dating back to 1200 BC.
Figure of a bound prisoner © The British Museum
Chancay-Inca painted tunic © The British Museum
Immersive photography and video installations provide a vivid sense of place, transporting visitors to iconic Peruvian sites like the Nasca geoglyphs and Machu Picchu. These visual elements, combined with the artefacts, offer a deeper understanding of the Andean region's artistic and architectural achievements. As the British Museum’s first major exhibition on Peru, this event is both a celebration of cultural heritage and a challenge to Western perspectives on ancient societies.
Greenway Associates are proud to have contributed as Quantity Surveyors to this remarkable temporary installation, which highlighted the enduring significance of Peru’s rich history and the remarkable ingenuity of its people in navigating complex environmental and societal challenges.
“Breathtaking”
“Gripping”
PROJECT DETAILS
Client: The British Museum
Cost Consultants: Greenways Associates
Completed: November 2021
For more information on this exhibition, or to talk about any other cultural project, please contact our Cultural Projects Expert, Jared Mensah.