Effects and idyllic methods

Youngsters are usually engaged by unsual stuff. The task of every exhibition designer is to provide the audience with a creative and interactive window so that youngsters could connect the exhibited material with their outside world. It is not the actual space that has to be as the outside world but the use of technology and methods. The ways of translating the information has to be enjoyable and entertaining. There are a few elements which has to allure the senses of the visitor in order to be engaged.

First and foremost, there should be the use of new media. There has to be something particular about the exhibition. This something has to stick in the minds of the visitors as soon as they enter the door so when they leave they carry a package of feelings and knowledge. In fact there is no knowledge without entertainment. For example if I am at an English lesson and we are given a dialogue book to read I might get bored. But if the teacher asks the students to act out the dialogue in front of the class, I would start getting interesting and students would pay attention for sure.

The senses are very important in an exhibition: the use of sounds and lighting effects would change the atmosphere of the exhibition and the use of mixed media such as technologies would be a good way to interact with the audience. The use of projections is becoming very popular especially by large organizations such as the Grande Exhibition which operates all over the world. Colours are also a way to stimulate a particular mood within a space.

Between knowledge and experience, only these features would contribute for the achievement of an exhibition. All these elements come together paving the way in putting the subject into context. In the end, these methods are applied in order to generate a dynamic space for exhibitions in order to engage mostly the younger generations.

Light fixtures from the book In Detail Exhibition and Displays

Reference:

Dejong, KD, 2010. Engaging Spaces. 1st ed. Amsterdam: Frame Publishers 

Schittich, C.S, 2009. In Detail: Exhibitions and Displays. 1st ed. Stuttgart: Birkhäuser Architecture

Language of Space

Exhibition design has changed a lot by the time and designers had to start focusing on how to capture the viewers’ attention in order to stimulate an enjoyable yet educational experience. The young age groups are those which are targeted most since they are usually the least bothered and less interested audience. An exhibition setting can prove and distinguish one experience from another.

In order to create an intriguing setting, one has to analyse and study those elements. In fact, those elements have to create all the fun when learning something different since the subject would usually be out of the audience’s league.

From the book Engaging Spaces by Kossmann Dejong, there was a chapter dedicated to the structure and whole story of this. The first one would be the arch of tension at first glance. This means that the viewer has to stay engaged and focused all the time without finding a loophole and getting bored. In an exhibition space, there should be no corners or spaces where there is nothing interesting or else those who care less end up there, texting or ‘waiting’ until it’s all over. The second one would be abstraction. It is very important that some features are not too obvious within an exhibition display. 

For example if I had to exhibit fish, I would not just place fish tanks all over the space and label each tank according to the type of fish in it. I would think of something less obvious where the visitor can interpret this exhibition to his own liking. Leaving room for personal reflections would contribute for the visitor to continue watching and wondering around the exhibits.

Science exhibition in the City Musem of the Hague 

There is also immersion which in my opinion is the most powerful sense in exhibition design. The audience have to feel that they are entering a new world, a space which divides them from their ordinary world, a layout which is not usually experienced. There are various tools and kinds of media in order to evoke an immersive exhibition design. This is also practised in theatre design where the audience is immersed in the play; the challenge for every set designer of how to break the forth wall. The forth wall is that imaginary wall which separates the actors from the audience.

Reference:

Dejong, KD, 2010. Engaging Spaces. 1st ed. Amsterdam: Frame Publishers  

'Wonerland' Project in Dotterdam by Dejong

This project by Dejong happened in the National Library of Rotterdam. It was ultimately based on the books the children use in that library. The library itself was the space available for this exhibition so they had to turn it into a magical world were fairy tales come to life and what is usually read, now it is felt and seen.

Basically this library consisted of twelve pavilions, each pavilion unfolding a particular topic. Spooky, Once upon a time, Comics and Animals were some of these topics. These cubical blocks were covered were made in different sizes. Giant book posters surrounded the walls to create a visual impact for children making them look smaller and giving the chance to be immersed in this fantasy world. There were also display cases which were built into the walls which showed some of the historical children’s books in chronological order. Each pavilion comprised sounds and lighting effects so the literature could become alive and be integrated with the block itself.

 Twlve Pavilions entailing different themes of literature

In fact this project offered the children the opportunity to feel like they are meeting their heroes as when they are young they would dream about becoming a super hero. In each and every block the sounds of the corresponding theme were on-going for example if one enters in the spooky block, one could hear the thrilling sounds which makes the audience immerse them into the story. The blocks were all covered in pictures and text with large font size. If a stall conveyed bed time stories, there were cushions on the floor. The ceiling of the block is covered with frames and stars so children would lie down and feel like they are travelling in another world.

Nowadays, children are growing at a fast pace. If they do not grow dreaming and ambitious, they would not be able to appreciate other things in life. These kinds of exhibitions will help them not on only from an educational level but also morally and how they look at literature and value its potential.

The Animal Pavilion showing children on cushions

Reference:

Dejong, KD, 2010. Engaging Spaces. 1st ed. Amsterdam: Frame Publishers  

The Adventures of Alice – A Magical Wonderland Experience

This exhibition by Grande Exhibition was based on the tale Alison Wonderland. The aim was to revamp the story in a manner that everyone could enjoy and dedicate time to throw himself back in childhood memories but with a twist. The Sensory System was used to enhance the visual appearance and stimulate those feelings which were buried over the period of time. Apart from seeing the audience could interact with the lighting effects in the space and the symphonic sounds in the background with conveyed the feelings Alison was feeling during the narration of the story.

It is a very immersive example and not only the projections improved the visualizations but there are other elements which contributed to the message of the story. The space is surrounded with rotten haunted trees, massive boulders pieces on the ground and last but not least the glowing mushroom trees which clearly help the audience feeling part of the story. These elements put the subject into context not because they are there but they are in tune with the projections meaning that if Alison is lost in the black forest the projections move towards the trees or if she walls on the ground, the camera is tilted towards the boulders so there is a sense of integration.

A Magical Wonderland Experience with use of Sensory systems

The children are all fascinated by the Alison Wonderland story so this would be a perfect occasion for them to read again the story and approaching the topic with a new sense of imagery. Not only children would improve their communication skills but also it would leave a trail back in their minds so when they grow, they could still appreciate their childhood memories and treasure the tale. They would be able to narrate it to their children with passion and taking flash backs from the exhibition rather than from the images of books. It is essential to kids these days to learn how to interact with books and become familiar so I believe these exhibitions are more than educational. They could constitute to the child’s development and value its childhood experience as nowadays youngsters want to grow up and be adults. Clearly they have no idea what they will be getting into.

Reference:

Grande Exhibitions, 2016. The Adventures of Alice – A Magical Wonderland Experience. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://grandeexhibitions.com/alice-sensory4-experience/.> [Accessed 01 June 2016].

Planet Shark- Predator or Prey

This exhibition is a particular one based on ocean life and focuses on the importance of a mammal which is commonly feared by all the younger generations and often even adults. This exhibition’s aim was to raise awareness among society which is biased with certain beliefs and judgements consequently bringing the mammal close to extinction day by day.

The corporates targeted mostly the younger generation as they are still growing in this biased society forming their beliefs. The exhibition was split into two main zones. The first zone reflected physical evidence such as scaled models of the Great white shark, rare fossils dating 3070 million years ago, cages and marine equipment. All of the information displayed at the exhibition was proven by experts in sharks and marine biology. It is a unique and immersive gallery offering a 45-minute cinematic walk through experience. There are also stories on shark encounters by sailors, wind surfers and swimmers.

Scale Model made out of real animals

In the second zone, the corporates used Sensor technology to make the audience dive under ocean and immerse themselves into the world of sharks. With the use of ocean graphic cinematography and this could all become real and the audience can interact as well as observe the ocean world of sharks being able to appreciate the beauty of this mammal.

Unfortunately, years of fishing pressure from swimmers, fatal accidents caused by sharks and media misinterpretation has put this mammal in a loophole where it is not accepted and no good can emerge out of it. Through the projections the audience can dedicate time to study the size, biology and hunting strategies of sharks. There are also interactive stands for youngsters to experience hands-on entertainment. Educational displays also offer them the opportunity to know more about sharks and acknowledge what they did not know.

Interactive Display for youngsters

With the combination of interactive technology and unfamiliar information displays, the corporates manage to induce new ideas to the audience and making them look at this mammal from another perspective meaning a positive attitude and a more proper justification.

Reference:

Grande Exhibitions, 2016. Grande Exhibitions - Planet Shark: Predator or Prey. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://grandeexhibitions.com/traveling-exhibitions/planet-shark/.> [Accessed 01 June 2016].

Van Gogh Alive- The Experience

Looking into various exhibitions, made me understand better the design philosophy the corporates apply when dealing with space available, the topic, content and the audience. One particular exhibition theme which left unforgettable memories all over the world was the one of the Van Gogh Experience by the Grande Exhibitions Sensory Company.

The aim of the corporates was to engage the audience in a way that they could stay fascinated and concentrated on the exhibition. As we all know, Van Gogh is a remarkable Dutch artist best known for his self-portraits. Art works are interpreted differently and convey a mixture of feelings to every individual audience based on his personal beliefs and experiences. This company used an unusual setting and approach in order to turn the dynamics of this exhibition. They studied the space available and used modern technology in order to create a visual impact on the audience. With the use of projections, the audience was able to travel in time back in the 1880’s being able to understand the techniques and profile of the artist. The artist’s profile was projected all over the space being the floor, the ceiling, walls and columns.

Van Gogh Alive in Torino, Italy

Light, colours and sound were combined together creating a vibrant symphony and making the audience wonder about Van Gogh’s works and his profession. Hundreds of students visited Van Gogh’s exhibitions from all over the world mentioning Columbia, Beijing, Berlin and Torino in Italy. In secondary schools, students have the opportunity to experience subjects such as Art and get to know some artists which made a huge impact in the history of arts. This exhibition would clearly immerse them into the subject and with strategic methods of exhibiting; they could enjoyably interact with the information as well as acknowledge what they did not know. This type of exhibition offers a chance to students to reflect on their potentials and making them aware of what they need to discover, yet being curious enough to want to know more about the subject.

Reference:

Grande Exhibitions, 2016. Van Gogh Alive traveling exhibition. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://grandeexhibitions.com/traveling-exhibitions/van-gogh-alive/.> [Accessed 01 June 2016].