A historic ceiling mural that dates back to 1581 has been reimagined by students as part of a new exhibition at Edinburgh Napier’s 2025 Degree Show.
As Above, So Below is a new exhibition by students from the University’s MA Heritage and Exhibition Design, MFA Design for Interactive Art & Experiences and MA Design for Interactive Experience programmes and will run within Merchiston Tower from 30 May to 6 June 2025.
The exhibition explores the mysterious and grotesque humour presented within the Prestongrange ceiling mural which is currently housed within the tower at Edinburgh Napier’s Merchiston campus.
The original Prestongrange painted timber ceiling dates back to 1581 and is believed to be one of the earliest example of a Renaissance painted ceiling in Scotland.
The exhibition features modernised interpretations of some of the characters depicted on the ceiling and employs them in a variety of contexts that reimagine how these characters could exist in modern pop culture.
Sections of the ceiling that haven’t been available to the public before have been digitally archived and reassembled so that the mural can be viewed for the first time since its initial reconstruction.
Visitors can look forward to interactive projections, animated displays, and merchandise and models inspired by the creatures on the ceiling.
As Above, So Below features the work for the following students:
- Shannon Lake
- Angelika Biala
- Joe Black
- Olivia ter Wisscha
- Neda Faiz
- Eilidh Johnson
A companion exhibition will also be held at Merchiston for those requiring additional mobility access.
Eilidh Johnson from the As Above, So Below team, said: “This semester has been both a challenge and a great opportunity to work with an amazing team of creatives towards the Degree Show. We are excited to introduce visitors to a brilliant piece of Scotland's artistic history, and we hope that visitors enjoy the modernisations we've produced.”
As Above, So Below, part of Edinburgh Napier’s Degree Show, is open from 30 May – 6 June at the University’s Merchiston campus.
More information on the show itself can be found here. You can follow As Above, So Below on Instagram here.