HERO LBE CASE STUDY · BRITISH LIBRARY LICENSED
How ARTiSTORY turned a celebrated literary journey and one of the world's great collections into an immersive voyage through invention, culture and global exchange.
THE CASE IN ONE MINUTE
Around the World in 80 Days is a British Library licensed touring LBE inspired by Jules Verne's novel and grounded in collection stories spanning maps, manuscripts, prints, technology, currency and everyday life.
Premiering at Shanghai Library East before touring to Wuhan MixC and Changchun MixC, the experience follows Phileas Fogg's race around the globe while revealing the transformations that shaped the nineteenth century.
ON-SITE COMPILATION · 50 SEC
See families move through the exhibition's transport, architecture, collection displays, tactile activities and destination-scale photo moments.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS · BRITISH LIBRARY LICENSED · CHINA TOUR
THE CREATIVE CHALLENGE
The novel supplies pace, jeopardy and a recognisable route. The British Library supplies a far larger world: records of industrial change, transport, finance, science, literature and cultural exchange across thousands of years.
ARTiSTORY's task was to connect those two assets in a format that families could understand immediately, explore at their own pace and experience as entertainment rather than a conventional display.
View the touring introductionTHE EXPERIENCE
Fogg's itinerary creates the forward motion. At every stop, collection-led side stories reveal the inventions, beliefs and exchanges that were changing the world around him.
LONDON · THE WAGERThe Reform Club, a passport-like mission and period news establish Fogg's wager. Visitors become fellow travellers, tracking the route through a world transformed by steam, rail, telegraphy and mass communication.
Parisian fashion, perfume, world's fairs and Impressionism lead into Turin's opera and alchemical manuscripts, then onward through the Suez Canal—where engineering remade global trade.
India, Singapore, Shanghai and Yokohama become vivid environments for exploring belief, education, shipping, trade, migration and cultural exchange.
Gold Rush San Francisco and electrified New York build toward the final return to London, where time zones and the International Date Line turn apparent defeat into victory.
AROUND THE WORLD
Scroll through distinctive scenes from London, Paris, Calcutta, Singapore, Shanghai, Yokohama and New York—each designed as a new chapter in the journey.
FROM COLLECTION TO TOUR
The project aligned global collection authority, ARTiSTORY's experience strategy, specialist production and high-footfall cultural and retail venues.
Licensed the experience and provided the cultural foundation: collection stories spanning literature, maps, manuscripts, prints, technology, money and global exchange.
Developed the creative proposition, curatorial architecture, dual-storyline visitor journey, destination structure and commercial touring narrative.
Translated the concept into detailed exhibition design, fabrication, installation and audience-facing operation across the China tour.
Shanghai Library East, Wuhan MixC and Changchun MixC connected the experience with local audiences, city programming and destination-scale promotion.
The result is a repeatable format that can be adapted to different footprints and markets while preserving the British Library collection framework and the urgency of Fogg's journey.
BUILT TO MOVE · DESIGNED TO LOCALISE
From a major public library to high-footfall mixed-use destinations, the format demonstrates how literary IP and collection authority can support a broad, visually rewarding family attraction.
A globally known title gives marketing teams an immediate story while the experience reveals much more than the novel alone.
Every destination changes the palette, soundscape, object mix and photo opportunity, sustaining dwell time across the route.
Collection material is embedded inside missions, environments and tactile encounters rather than separated from the entertainment.
Host-city stories, local collections and market-specific cultural connections can be added within the established route.
FOR VENUE PARTNERS
Around the World in 80 Days is suited to libraries, museums, cultural centres, shopping destinations and mixed-use venues seeking a proven, family-facing ticketed exhibition with international recognition.
Explore ARTiSTORY's cultural experience practice and more examples from our international work.