The Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 killed more than 225,000 people in 11 countries bordering the Indian Ocean, devastating communities, livelihoods and infrastructure in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and elsewhere. The disaster sparked an unprecedented public response, £400 million being raised in the UK alone by the Disasters Emergency Committee over the next six months. How well had the relief organisations responded? How was the money being spent?

Christian Aid is one of the largest UK charities with an annual income in excess of £90m, working with 600 overseas partners in 47 countries. On the first anniversary of the tsunami, Christian Aid commissioned Applied Information Group to create an exhibition telling the story of what happened in the wake of the disaster.

Sculptures by Emma Summers, photographs by Tim Hetherington and a moving collection of pictures of the missing collected by Jonathan Perugia were brought together at the Old Truman Brewery in London’s Brick Lane, reminding visitors of the human stories, the tragedies and fears that lay behind the numbers. An audiovisual presentation, by AIG creative director Malcolm Garrett and Timon Botez, with 3D soundscape by Martyn Ware of Illustrious, put the individual stories and the facts in context, explaining the work that had been, and was still being done by Christian Aid and its local partners to help people put their lives and livelihoods back together again. AIG created an interactive 'video comment book' which collected the thoughts and responses of visitors to the event. An interactive companion to the exhibit was also posted on the Christian Aid website. The physical exhibit toured cities in the UK and Ireland over the following year.