Barbour Exhibition Proposal

Then & Now

Exhibition Proposal Elizabeth Champ

Contents

1 - Concept Proposal 3 - Concept Imagery 5 - Exhibition Elements 7 - Logistics 9 - Graphics and Promotion 11 - Event Layout 12 - Event Floorplan 13 - Aesthetic Proposal

Then & Now

The exhibition ‘Barbour: Then & Now’ will take place at The Baltic, Newcastle Upon Tyne in the summer. The aim of the installation is to demonstrate another side to the brand that people do not often think of when hearing the word ‘Barbour’. The exhibition is for all ages and both sexes due to both the brand’s wide market and the interactive elements included in the presentation. However, loyal customers of the brand will find the exhibition most interesting as they can relate most to the content.

Barbour: Then & Now’ is made up of seven different elements, set over two contrasting rooms. The first room will imitate an old country house; very much the stereotypical view of a Barbour lifestyle. Wooden floorboards, vintage wallpaper, mounted deer’s heads, leather couches and antique bookcases to create a very homely and realistic habitable environment.

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Attention to detail in this room iscrucial; the visitors must be forget they are in an art gallery in the city centre, and be transported to the countryside.

The first feature to discover in this room will be the family tree, with the Barbour’s family members portraits displayed in mismatching vintage frames.

Opposite this wall there will be a large wooden plinth, to blend in with the room, with a detailed timeline of events in the company’s history. Continuing into the room, the guests will find themselves in a snug at the end of the room. Leather sofas and armchairs surround a large antique television, showing a film in black and white. The film documents the history of the waxed jacket, with mannequins positioned nearby showcasing some of the archive jackets.

After watching the film and helping themselves to a Barbour cupcake, guests will find themselves in the interactive artifact library. Alike other libraries there will be shelves and books and reading lamps, but this library is much more engaging.

Books can be taken down and opened to reveal fabric swatches, artifacts and photographs from Barbour’s archives.

The visitors will then move on to the second room. Representing Barbour’s city image and more modern aesthetic, the room has light open spaces and a more contemporary feel. Exposed brickwork and a large city skyline compliment the white wash walls, whilst clean cut glass lighting hangs from the ceiling.

The Panasonic Digital Wall is a hugely interactive touch screen computer.

This will incorporate modern aspects of the brand, such as celebrity customers, articles and most recent collections. Opposite the Digital Wall there will be a collection of real vintage motocross bikes and mannequins, wearing Barbour’s ‘International’ range. The most up to date laptops will be displayed on tables with benches; if the visitors want to do some social networking about the exhibition, they will be able to do so here. To finish the installation, visitors will be encouraged to try on a Barbour jacket, and have their photograph taken. A unique photo-card will be created from this, and can be taken away as a souvenir.

The installation will be educational and interactive, with a variety of elements creating the substance of the exhibition. There is no set path or time limit, so guests may take as much or as little time as they need. The event will also be free to increase the number of visitors.

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Then...

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Now...

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Exhibition Elements...

Family Tree

The first element to the exhibition is the family history. Portraits of the family members will be arranged on the wall to create a family tree, but blending in with the aesthetic and surroundings of the country manor. Information will be presented about each family member under his or her portraits.

Interactive Library

The library will consist of antique bookcases filled with books, complete with seating area and tables as if in a real library. The books can be removed from the shelves and opened, revealing inside a concealed artifact e.g an old Barbour catalogue, a vintage scrap of material, an advert from a paper decades old. There will also be lookbooks of all the collections in the shelves which visitors are welcome to take down, take a seat and look through as their own pace

Waxed Jacket Film

At the back of the country manor there will be a snug complete with sofas and lamps to watch the waxed jacket film. The film will take the visitors through the history of the jacket, its development through time and its manufacturing process. Visitors are welcome to sit down, help themselves to a Barbour cupcake and watch the film.

Digital Wall

To represent the brands connection to modern society and technology, the digital wall will be the first thing visitors see upon entering the modern room. The wall is touchscreen and will link together images and stories of Barbour in the 21st century; celebrities that wear the brand, their modern collections, their connection to the city rather than countryside and so forth.

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International Collection

This range will be presented at the exhibition to show the Barbour have a versatile market and do not just create clothes for country living. The pieces will be presented on mannequins, with information panels at the foot of each. As the International range was created for and inspired by motorcycling, real motorcycles will be lined up and parked in the exhibition next to the mannequins.

Photo-Studio

As a memento of their visit, each visitor is invited to have a photograph taken for a photograph card to take away with them.

They will be welcome to try on a jacket from the most recent Barbour collection, and have their photograph taken and then printed onto a card as a souvenir. Visitors may have their photograph with friends or family, and the photographs can be purchased as full sized prints or canvas prints in the gift shop.

Smartphone Application

The final element is an application, which can be downloaded onto iPhones, Blackberry’s and android smartphones.. Upon entering the Baltic, visitors will be reminded to download the free application which will act as a personal audio guide round the exhibition, providing extra information and hints regarding the interactive library. Once the application has been downloaded, the user can listen to the audio guide multiple times and any time they wish to.

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Logistics...

The exhibition will be held at the Baltic Gallery for Contemporary Arts in NewcastleUpon-Tyne. This venue plans their events years ahead, thus the location needs to be booked approximately two years in advance. The purchasing of the furniture must start early, as it will take some time to collate enough to fill the ‘country manor’. The large vintage television also needs to be created in plenty of time, so the set designers will be employed a year prior to the event. The exhibition will take approximately two weeks to install and create, and two weeks to disassemble.

24 months prior 22 months prior 18 months prior 12 months prior 10 months prior

9 months prior 6 months prior 4 months prior 3 months prior 2 months prior 6 weeks prior 3 weeks prior Lasting 1 month 2 weeks after

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Finalize concept

Book location

Design layout and features

Employ set designers and book builders

Start purchasing antiques and furniture

Design graphics

Create press pack and design website

Website launched

Press pack issued

Invites for launch party issued

Gift shop products printed

Installation begins

Exhibition takes place

Exhibition is disassembled

Logistics...

Modern Inventory List

Heritage Inventory List · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

3 x leather sofas 2 x tub chairs 4 x armchairs 6 x dining chairs 1 cabinet 2 x low coffee tables 1 x fireplace 4 x bookshelves 1 x rug 2 x benches 8 x photo frames 2 x mounted deer heads 1 x grandfather clock

Item

Furniture

· · · · · · · · · ·

2 x low benches 2 x tables 4 x tables benches 1 x city skyline wall sticker 1 x photo studio 2 x clothes rails 1 x desk 1 x printer 2 x laptops 3 x vintage motocross bikes

Cost

£16,000

Flooring

£8,000 (approx.)

Lighting

£4,000

Wallpaper Photo Studio

£5,000 (approx.) £6,200

Digital Wall

£40,000 (approx.)

Laptops

£3,200

Motorcycles Catering

£6,000 £5,000

Promotional materials

£5,000 (approx.)

Total budget

£98,900 (Location cost, commission and labour TBC)

Mannequins Venue hire

£500 TBC

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Graphics and Promotion...

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Graphics and Promotion...

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Event Layout...

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Floorplan...

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Aesthetic Proposal...

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Aesthetic Proposal...

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Then & Now Elizabeth Champ w10000566 Fashion Interpretation DE0925