exhibit now
Where does exhibition design fit in the modern world?
Figure 1. Design concept for Cabinet of Abstraction Exhibit. Reprinted from http://socks-studio.com/2015/08/29/el-lissitzkys-cabinet-ofabstraction/, by El Lissitzky, 1927, Retrieved from http://socks-studio.com/2015/08/29/el-lissitzkys-cabinet-of-abstraction/
Charlotte Menzies-King
table of contents
preface
4 About the Author 4 Introduction
section one 5 Introduction
8 Case Studies 9 10 11 12 13
El Lissitzky Shohei Shigematsu Yinka Ilori Sir David Adjaye Seb Chan
section two
25 Theories 28 Analysis
29 Reflection
29 Conclusion
section three 31 Introduction 33 Fiona Hall 35 Ideation
37 Development
39 Technology 42 Conclusion
43 Bibliography
16 Introduction
17 Argument Framework
20 Case Studies
21 Grant Museum of Zoology London and QRator 2011 22 Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Museum of Design and Local Projects: The Pen 2015
Figure 2. Models by Benjamin Hubert for 2015 Design of the Year Exhibit. Reprinted from Dezeen, by Winston, A, 2015, Retrieved from https:// www.dezeen.com/2015/04/01/benjamin-hubert-exhibition-designs-of-the-year-2015-design-museum-london/
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23 Observations by ACMI’s CXO Seb Chan 2
preface about the author
image of my work?
Charlotte Menzies-King is an Industrial Design Student at RMIT. Her interests in design and art spans many years, beginning to design clothes at age 7. Her style within industrial design is usually very user centre focused however, she is not following a specific niche within the course yet. Menzies-King’s interest in exhibition design stems from an enjoyment of visiting galleries and exhibitions from a young age, enjoying works both close to home at NVG and far from it like the MusÊe D’Orangerie. An interest in the construction of these exhibitions also stemmed from having studied psychology in high school, making exhibition design a seemingly perfect pathway to explore.
introduction
Exhibition design is a concept not explored in detail in many university courses, with many exhibition designers coming across the job out of luck or as a side project for a career in other design disciplines. However, the design of exhibitions is greatly important to the way in which we consume and learn about a variety of topics including art, design, science and history. Not only this but there are many elements to the discipline including the layouts of the works, the cabinetry and other physical structures involved. However, information on the subject is not in abundance. This booklet aims to enlighten readers on what has been achieved already within exhibition design,
Figure 3. Charlotte Menzies-King working on designs for booklet. Credit: Author
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section one introduction
Exhibition design is a niche area of design that, as someone who wanted to be an art curator or historian for a long time, has always interested me. The field not only surrounds the physical making of cabinets and pedestals but also the psychology behind the structure of an exhibit. In order to explore the elements of exhibition design, I had to investigate all elements of the field and relevant disciplines to discover ultimately what makes up exhibition design and the people behind the process.
key words Exhibition design, psychology, social issues, art, museums, participatory design, research skills, architecture, furniture design
Figure 4. Colourful and patterned hallways of Somerset House for the exhibition, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com
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case studies El Lissitzky Shohei Shigematsu Yinka Ilori Sir David Adjaye Seb Chan
Figure 5. Dior Exhibition by Shohei Shigematsu in Dallas, Texas, Reprinted from Dezeen, by McKnight, J, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com
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el lissitzky
Figure 6. Self-Portrait. Reprinted from El Lissitzky, MoMA, N/D, Retrieved from https://www.moma.org/
Figure 7. Concept for Proun Room by El Lissitsky at the 1927 Great Berlin Art Exhibition. Reprinted from Monoskop, n.d., Retrieved from https://monoskop.org/El_Lissitzky
Born in Russia in 1890 to a middle class Jewish family, Lissitzky grew up fascinated by art (taking painting lessons from a young age) and after rejection from the St Petersburg School of Art travelled to Germany to study architectural engineering. However, the outbreak of the first world war in 1914 forced he was forced to return to Russia. During this time Lissitzky became heavily involved in a Russian national movement to revive the Yiddish Jewish culture in Russia. This ultimately began his exhibition design work, beginning with exhibition designs for exhibitions of Jewish art in Moscow. During the 1920s, Lissitzky was involved in a project to establish connections between Germans and Soviets employed in Germany by the Soviet Union. Lissitzky soon became a sort after designer of soviet propaganda exhibitions, notably his All-Union Printing Trades Exhibition in 1927. He structured exhibits in a way to create juxtapositions in the artwork,
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Figure 8. Record. Reprinted from El Lissitzky, MoMA, N/D, Retrieved from https://www.moma.org/
some simple such as placing regular and negative photographs together to highlight the similarities and differences in both as seen in figures 6 (E Lissitzky, 1926) and 8 (E Lissitzky, 1924). This is particularly important in propaganda work, as it targets those who are unsure of which side to take; relating the images gives audiences means to better relate to the subject of such art and subsequently be more inclined to it. Lissitzky’s work is not only interesting because of his use of juxtaposition. Other exhibition designs by Lissitzky feature irregular frame heights and upside down works to encapsulate viewers into his exhibits, sometimes creating the appearance of the audience floating. This consideration of user interaction with works well precedes its time, with more exhibitions of the time focusing more heavily on a separate relationship between audience and art rather than emersive experience.
shohei shigematsu
Figure 9. The Infinity Catwalk, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com
Figure 10. The 6 Creative Directors of Dior, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www. dezeen.com
Figure 11. Toiles on a Verticle Wall, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.
Shohei Shigematsu was born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1973 and was interested in architecture from an early age. This interest was enhanced when his family moved to Boston for a year when he was 10. Shigematsu applied for and began working as an architect for OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) in 1998, becoming the head of the company’s New York office in 2006 and a partner of the company in 2008. Although the majority of his works are architecture projects, Shigematsu has also worked on several exhibition design projects including the La Feria Concreta exhibit at the 2014 Venice Biennale and The Metropolitan Museum, NYC’s Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology exhibit in 2016. Shigematsu’s most recent exhibition project at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) in 2019 “Dior: From Paris to the World” has been received mixed reviews. The layout of the exhibition includes the use of mirrors to create the illusion of audiences on a catwalk surrounded by the Fall 1999 Couture collection from Dior’s show at L’Orangerie, see figure 9 (Dezeen, 2019). This illusion attempts to immerse audiences within the exhibition without the use of technology. Shigematsu’s architecture background lead to the layout being altered from its shows in other cities such as Denver in order to better compliment the architecture of the building, see figure 10 (Dezeen, 2019). This however lead to criticism from audiences, as pieces being placed high up, see figure 11 (Dezeen, 2019), and far away makes the details and intricacies that are a staple of Dior gowns difficult to observe. In an interview with Arch Daily, Shigematsu claims he used to believe that “to become an architect you had to gave a strong personal agenda or a manifesto” (Shigematsu, 2019). However, it is later evident the architect highly values skills of observation, analysis and teamwork in order to achieve his method of process oriented design. 10
yinka ilori
Figure 12. Room in Somerset House designed by Yinka Ilori, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com
Yinka Ilori was born in East London in 1987 to Nigerian parents. After studying Furniture and Product Design at London Metropolitan Museum, Ilori developed a distaste for the amount of waste produced especially surrounding the furniture industry. This lead to the creation of his design studio which upcycles vintage furniture, using bright colours and patterns influenced by his Nigerian heritage. Although his work mostly remains in furniture, Ilori has also produced several architecture focused projects such as “The Colour Palace” surrounding Dulwich Picture Gallery in London in 2019. Ilori was commissioned in 2019 to design the “Get Up, Stand Up Now” exhibit at Somerset House in London. The exhibition focuses on art, photography, fashion, film and design by black artists and creative. Ilori’s design uses bright colours and patterns, see
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Figure 13. Room in Somerset House designed by Yinka Ilori, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com
figure 12 (Dezeen, 2019), to convert the more classical Somerset House into a positive modern space to highlight the achievements of these artists of the last half century. Ilori has also created cabinets in matching colours to create continuity throughout the exhibit. These bold colours and patterns not only reflect the positive contributions these artists have and continue to have to the creative world, but also display Ilori’s trademark links to his Nigerian heritage, see figure 13 (Dezeen, 2019). Ilori’s work is rooted in story telling. His main attribute that connects all his works is his ability to tell a story through design. This trait is further complimented by Ilori’s ability to take inspiration from a range of mediums such as music.
sir david adjaye Sir David Adjaye was born in Tanzania in 1966. Adjaye lived in different countries in Africa and the Middle East before his family settled in Britain when he was 13 years old. He studied architecture at the Royal College of Art in London in 1993, starting his own design firm Adjaye and Russell with fellow designer William Russell in 1994. Adjaye would go on to found his own design firm Adjaye Associates in 2000. His notable works include the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo in 2005 and the Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC in 2016. In 2019 Adjaye was commissioned to design “Ghana Freedom”, the Ghana pavilion exhibition for the 58th Venice Art Biennale. The pavilion features the works of 6 artists from the country, the narrative taking inspiration from the 1957 song Ghana Freedom that anticipated the country’s independence from the United Kingdom. This celebration of old and new Ghana are complimented by Adjaye whose exhibition design reflects the rounded nature of Gurunsi Earth houses, see figure 14 (Dezeen, 2019), featuring wooden rooves. This contrast of tradition against the art of newer artitsts both celebrates Ghana’s traditions and past, whilst embracing its future potential, see figure 15 (Dezeen, 2019) and figure 16 (Dezeen, 2019). Adjaye highlights the importance of experimentation, reflection and the ability to connect the two when designing for exhibition. His discussions of what make up his design process always come back to the ability to test and experiment, rather than becoming fixated on the one idea.
Figure 14. Entrance to the pavilion, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com
Figure 15. Installation by Ibrahim Mahama in the Ghana Freedom Exhibition, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com
Figure 16. ‘Ghana Freedom’ 58th Venice Biennale. Reprinted from David Adjaye creates earth-house pavillion for Ghana at Venice Art Biennale, by L Crook, 2019, retrieved from Dezeen: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/05/13/ david-adjaye-ghana-pavilion-venice-art-biennale/
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seb chan Born to a Chinese born New Zealander father and a mother of both Scottish and Portuguese heritage, Seb Chan migrated to Australia in his youth. After studying IT and management, Chan’s career began as a technical consultant for UNSW in the late 90’s. From here however Chan has been amerced in the world of museums and galleries with job titles including a stint as a guest curator for the National Museum of Australia, the Head of Digital, Social and Emerging Technologies at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Director of Digital and Emerging Media at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City, a professor for the School of Media and Communications: RMIT University and finally as Chief Experience Officer at ACMI in Melbourne. (Chan, 2019) Earlier this year Chan gave a presentation at the Victoria’s Creative State Summit. During this speech Chan discussed thoroughly the way in which the digital age affects the way museum designers and directors must design and operate to adjust to the changes that come with technology. Chan states, “One might
think of networked digital technologies better as fire. Fire, one of the original technologies harnessed by our distant human ancestors, brought cooking, heating, warmth, but also when uncontrolled, it brought wildfires, and some humans, it turned out, enjoy lighting fires as firebugs. It was not until we collectively figured out how to control fire that it really became useful.” (S Chan, 2016, paragraph 17) suggesting, similarly to the 2005 thesis from G Taxén, that technology is still something that galleries and museums are discovering how to harness. Although technology brings convenience such as online databases of artworks, this presents many more problems such as increased operation costs (such as technology upkeep) and the presence of new audiences that must be catered to.
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Chan’s biggest strength within the industry is his ability to observe the changing world like this, and the ability to persist to adapt in such an ephemeral time.
Figure 17. Design for the Renovation of ACMI, Reprinted from ACMI, n.d., Retrieved from https://www.acmi.net.au/
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Museum and exhibition design has grown with the technological revolution of the twenty-first century rather than be defeated by it
section two introduction
Over the last three decades the world has undergone unforeseen changes that have rocked the faces of many industries. Many predicted that such a technological revolution would see galleries and museums alike disappear as their works and collections were presented online. However, the changing social and cultural structures of this modern age has seen the opposite. Sir Nicholas Serota (2015), director of the Tate Galleries, presents this phenomenon as “[museums and galleries are] as much a forum as a treasure box [‌] They provide a stimulating public space in which people can come together and be inspiredâ€? thus highlighting the importance of such institutions in the modern world.
Figure 18. 2017 Kaws Exhibition in Shanghai. Reprinted from Dezeen, by Morby, A, 2017, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2017/06/23/ arandalasch-exhibition-creates-exhibition-design-kaws-retrospective-shanghai-china/
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argument framework Following investigation into a series of exhibition designers in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries it was apparent that the most prominent discourse within exhibition design is that surrounding technology. Discussions surrounding the use of technology in exhibition curation and how it has affected the way in which exhibits are designed were the subject of discussion among many resources. These discourses are important to the field as they will ultimately shape what and how it develops over the next decades. The most important of these discourses surround the positives of technology, the negatives and where it is headed in the future.
Figure 19. Mind Map of Technology in Design. Credit: Author
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case studies Grant Museum of Zoology London and Qrator 2011 Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Museum of Design and Local Projects: The Pen 2015 Observations by ACMI’s CXO Seb Chan
Figure 20. Inside the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Reprinted from Gluckman Tang, n.d., Retrieved from https://www. gluckmantang.com/projects/cooper-hewitt-smithsonian-design-museum/#2
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grant museum of zoology london and qrator 2011 The QRator began in 2011 as a collaboration between the Grant Museum and University College London’s Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis and Centre for Digital Humanities as an initiative to connect visitors with the museum staff. The iPad systems stationed at various points in the exhibition allow visitors to ask questions and leave feedback (Ridge, M, 2012, figure 21). Although a very simple use of technology, the iPads opened up a new dialogue between the museum staff and visitors giving them new insight into which of the displays were most enjoyed by viewers and least, as well as allowing visitors to ask questions that may be difficult to find accurate answers from otherwise. (Museums for the Modern Age, 2015)
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Figure 21. iPad at Grant Museum. Reprinted from “QRator at the Grant Museum of Zoology”, by Ridge, M, 2012, Journal of Digital Humanities, 1(2).
cooper-hewitt smithsonian museum of design and local projects: the pen 2015
Figure 23. The Pen collecting an object. Reprinted from Cooper Hewitt, n.d., retrieved from https://www.cooperhewitt.org/new-experience/designing-pen/
Figure 24. The Pen collecting using an interactive pad. Reprinted from SEGD, n.d., retrieved from https://segd. org/redesigning-museum-experience-cooper-hewitt
The Pen, see figure 23, is an interactive system introduced to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in 2014 following their $91m renovation that “reimagined the space for 21st century audiences” (Museums for the modern age, 2015). The Pen, designed by Local Projects, allows visitors to touch object information cards to collect them, which they can find stored later for them using a link on their ticket. The initiative also allows for users to view and design objects in interactive rooms where these designs can be projected onto the walls. The project has seen 20% of users visit the museum’s website to view their collections as well as 99% of users accepting a pen upon arrival. (Dale, 2016)
Figure 22. iPad at Grant Museum. Reprinted from UCL, n.d., Retrieved from https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ impact/case-studies/2014/dec/qrator-digital-dialogue-museum-collections
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observations by acmi’s cxo seb chan Whilst speaking at the 2019 Victorian Creative State Summit, Seb Chan introduces both the positive and negative affects the digital ages has had on institutions and explores the need for a new approach to exhibit design and operation in the digital age. Chan questions the value of technology, as well as explaining the surprising facts on the digitalisation of art and artefact collections in terms of the affects on visitors (online collections have seen visitations increase, not decrease as first anticipated), as well as businesses with the increase of operation costs. The talk integrates discussion surrounding all areas of exhibit function, not only design but also operation and societal values creating a well rounded opinion of the changes going on within the industry. (Chan, 2019)
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Figure 25. Inside ACMI prior to renevations. Reprinted from ACMI, n.d., Retrieved from https://2015.acmi.net.au/about-us/about-acmi/
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theories
Leading on from the results shown in the three case studies, it is evident that technology has assisted museums and galleries to grow their audience, and strengthen that connection with such an audience. This can most clearly be seen in the statistics regarding the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Museum of Design Pen which saw one in five visitors revisit the works they had collected using the device after their visit, see figure 4. This idea is further supported by the positive feedback surrounding the Pen; the principal of Local Projects, Jake Barton, told the Observer in 2015, “I’ve had dozens of people thank us for creating a system where they can collect what they needed without having to take pictures with their cell phones” highlighting the multiple ways in which the technology resonated with visitors. Similarly, the QRator at the Grant Museum of Zoology saw positive results in its first year of operations. The museum’s manager Jack Ashbey is quoted by the Digital Learning Network in 2012, a year after the introduction of the new technology, as saying “There’s been a great response from our visitors - they have left thousands of answers to the questions” further supporting the positive affects of such technologies. These discoveries and theories would suggest a deeper look into both the field of UX Design, and potentially conducting primary research into the relationship between technology, psychology and exhibition design. These results have also opened up a curiosity surrounding the furniture and cabinetry designed for exhibitions and how technology has affected their construction. In the example of the Grant Museum of Zoology, the introduction of iPads suggests adjustments to cabinetry to accommodate for such objects. Furthermore, the introduction of interactive experiences such as that seen at The Cooper Hewitt Museum create a need for layout to be designed with such technology in mind to create a more immersive and logical experience for visitors. Figure 26. 2015 Design of the Year Exhibit. Reprinted from Dezeen, by Winston, A, 2015, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2015/04/01/ benjamin-hubert-exhibition-designs-of-the-year-2015-design-museum-london/
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analysis
Researching this topic was an increasingly difficult task due to the lack of quantitative data circulating. This ultimately has lead to most information and conclusions drawn from both qualitative data and observations within the case studies. Additionally, although the data presented thus far suggests technology’s positive impact on galleries, museums and like institutions, there is still a long way to go before its potential can be fully realised. This is summarised well in an analogy from Seb Chan (2019) to “think of networked digital technologies better as fire. Fire, one of the original technologies harnessed by our distant human ancestors, brought cooking, heating, warmth, but also when uncontrolled, it brought wildfires, and some humans, it turned out, enjoy lighting fires as firebugs. It was not until we collectively figured out how to control fire that it really became useful.� which underlines how far there is still to go. The research also lacked in discussion of how the new demographic generated by these new technologies affects the design and layout of the exhibitions, leaving much to the imagination regarding the affects on raw exhibition design. However, this leaves potential for further primary research to be conducted. Not only could this be resolved through designer interviews and such primary research, but opens up the possibility to survey others in regards to how they tackle exhibitions with introduced technology versus without. Although this would be a more scientific approach to further research it could allow for more certain quantitative results that benefit exhibition design and technology in future. Therefore, although the ideas surrounding positive technological impact on exhibitions have been supported by evidence up to today, the uncertain world of technological advance is still yet to be fully taken advantage of. However, up to this point the world of technology still reflects glowingly within exhibiting institutions. Figure 27. 2017 Kaws Exhibition in Shanghai. Reprinted from Dezeen, by Morby, A, 2017, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2017/06/23/ arandalasch-exhibition-creates-exhibition-design-kaws-retrospective-shanghai-china/
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reflection
This research process was more stressful than the last as it didn’t go to plan. Originally I had planned to interview a designer or curator but both those I had planned to talk to fell through very last minute, leaving a lack of primary research which frustrated me. I resolved this by slightly changing my topic and looking into a different, more literal interpretation of the relationship between technology and design which was ultimately interesting to research. It brought me more knowledge about the more corporate and marketing side of galleries that I had not previously been as interested in. For task three, however, I aim to bring the research back to the actual design of exhibitions. What interests me is the psychology behind the affects of technology in exhibitions for visitors, and how it changes the way in which they tackle an exhibition. What definitely interests me is following this up with a 3D model of an exhibition based on such findings. This would give me further answers on the motivations and processes behind exhibition design in the modern day, as well as allowing me to apply this new knowledge in a physical sense to put it into practice. This would allow me to gain a better understanding of whether or not this is the path I wish to follow after completing this course.
conclusion
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Ultimately, the changing world of the last thirty years has changed the way in which exhibitions interact with technology and audiences for the better. New interactive systems not only increase the accessibility to exhibits but also has changed the way in which museums and galleries are viewed; once seen as one sided they are now spaces of socialisation, discussion and personal creativity. The discovery of the benefits of such technologies as well as concerns surrounding their use in future has opened up new discourses surrounding the potential for further research to be done into the way visitors interact with exhibits, and how exhibition designers must adapt to accommodate for these changes. This will ultimately help create more clarity in the debate of how technology can be harnessed completely in the future.
Figure 28. The Cabinet of Abstraction Exhibit in 1927. Reprinted from Socks: http://socks-studio.com/2015/08/29/el-lissitzkys-cabinet-ofabstraction/, by Fabrizi, M, 2015, Retrieved from http://socks-studio.com/2015/08/29/el-lissitzkys-cabinet-of-abstraction/
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section three introduction
Following the discoveries of task two I was feeling rather lost with exhibition design. I struggled to come up with a vision of where I could take my knowledge from here. So I did some more research and discovered some exhibitions that particularly resonated with me, particularly the exhibition design for the Design of the Year exhibition in 2015 by Benjamin Hubert for its unique cabinetry and displays, and Hubert’s cofounded design firm Arand\Lash’s spacious design of the KAWS exhibition in at the Yuz Museum in Shanghai in 2017. For the third task I wanted to combine these designs with my newfound knowledge of the affects of technology on exhibition design to create a cabinet to display the work of one of my favourite Australian artists, Fiona Hall. In particular, I want to design a cabinet for her 2012 work ‘Fools Gold’ as I believe, like most of her work, this piece holds a lot of meaning that could better be conveyed to a larger audience using technology and design. Figure 29. 2015 Design of the Year Exhibit. Reprinted from Dezeen, by Winston, A, 2015, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2015/04/01/ benjamin-hubert-exhibition-designs-of-the-year-2015-design-museum-london/
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exploration of fiona hall Fiona Hall’s work stuck out to me for several reasons. Firstly, she is an Australian artist, and I am very interested in the artistic talents that come out of Australia. But more than that, her work is striking and conveys powerful messages that cross a range of themes using a variety of materials. Her use of textures and organic forms I find particularly striking. But ultimately I chose to design cabinetry for her work because of the powerful messages they convey, which appeals to a wide audience with interests in areas such as the struggle between the environment and our economy, globalisation, colonisation and gender. This combined with the more diverse audience coming to galleries as the result of online artwork databases creates a need for the messages of Hall’s work to be able to be communicated to a larger audience. The Kermadec Trench is a channel to the north-east of New Zealand that stretches towards Tonga. The trench is a migratory path for a diverse, and important range of marine life, however because
Figure 30. Fools Gold. Reprinted from Art Gallery of NSW, by Hall, F, 2012, Retrieved from artgallery. nsw.gov.au/collection/works/20.2014.1/
of the minerals found within the trench is vulnerable to the changing of the earth climate. The piece ‘Fools Gold’ was created by Hall, inspired by the trench and aiming to raise awareness sounding its susceptibility. Hall used traditional Tongan methods and natural materials to create the barkcloth piece, printed on using natural dyes and ochres. Portrayed on the cloth is a reef shark that has been caught in a net, the surrounding buoys and anchors contain the skulls of endangered marine species demonstrating the vulnerability of this marine life to mining industries and commercial fishing. (Art Gallery of NSW, n.d.) Figure 31. Collage of works by Fiona Hall. Credit: Author
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ideation
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development
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I then decided to introduce the artwork and a person (6’) into the drawing to further allow me to guage perspective. This is especially important considering how large the artwork is.
I decided to go with this concept as I believe it best highlighted the artwork. The geometric frame contrasts with the organic nature of this particular artwork, the juxtaposition highlights the natural shapes, colours and textures which are all important to the themes presented in the piece. To further the design I came up with dimentions that would safely house the 3100x3900mm size of the art. By drawing the design in proportion I was better able to realise the design.
The glass pannel allows this piece to be seen from the front and the back, allowing viewers to appreciate the construction of the piece, as this is a part of understanding its message and importance.
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Select exhibition Exhibition Name 1 Exhibition Name 2 Exhibition Name 3 Exhibition Name 4 Exhibition Name 5
Select Exhibition Exhibition 1 Exhibition 2 Exhibition 3 Exhibition 4 Exhibition 5 Artwork 1
Artwork 2
Help/Information
Browse Works
Artwork Name A-Z
Exhibition Map
Plaque
Exhibition Map
To compliment the display of the artwork I wanted to develop an app instead of the Welcome information plaques. The Select idea exhibition behind the app is you can browse the Exhibitionat Name exhibitions the1 gallery, each exhibition will have a map and you either Exhibition Namecan 2 tap the artwork on the map OR scroll through photos Exhibition Name 3 of each artwork. The app will then come up with the Exhibition Name 4 and for plaque information, specific pieces a further information Exhibitionsection, Name 5 using a camera one can hover over areas of the piece to inquire for further explanation. This will allow users easy to access information that they can trust regarding pieces.
Browse Works
Welcome
Home Page
potential introduction of technology
Artwork Name 1 Artist Name 1 Exhibition Name 1
Sort by Artwork A-Z
Artwork Name 2 Artist Name 2 Exhibition Name 2
Artwork Name 3 Artist Name 3 Exhibition Name 3
Artwork Name 4 Artist Name 4 Exhibition Name 4
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
Information Search
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conclusion All the tasks involved in the making of this booklet taught me a lot about exhibition design. The path from where I started to where I ultimately ended up covered several topics and discourses, and allowed me to explore the idea of technology in exhibition design that I didn’t realise was such an important discussion. Although these discourses shaped my project in a way that I would never have thought it would go, I do with there was more information out there on the psychology of exhibition design. Technology is an important discussion within exhibition design as it is changing the audience of galleries and museums, as well as the way we take in information from them and learn about the objects and works. The introduction of technology is also changing the amount of relationship between visitors and the items they’re seeing, introducing more interaction between the two. I tried to introduce this interaction in my introduction of an app with minimal upkeep costs to galleries, which seems to be an area of growing concern. Ultimately, although the introduction of technology within design is changing exhibit dynamics, it brings more opportunities to a wider audience. This is absolutely a positive as it allows more people to have access to knowledge they might not otherwise have. And the more education available, the more opportunities for the world to grow.
Figure 31. Lissitzky’s deigns for The Cabinet of Abstraction Exhibit in 1927. Reprinted from Socks: http://socks-studio.com/2015/08/29/ellissitzkys-cabinet-of-abstraction/, by Fabrizi, M, 2015, Retrieved from http://socks-studio.com/2015/08/29/el-lissitzkys-cabinet-of-abstraction/
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bibliography ACMI. (n.d.). ACMI is closed for redevelopment. Retrieved from https://www.acmi.net.au/ ACMI. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved from https://2015.acmi.net.au/about-us/about-acmi/ Adjaye and Associates. (N/D). About us Practice Profile. Retrieved from Adjaye and Associates: https://www.adjaye.com/about/ profile/ Adjaye and Associates. (N/D). Approach. Retrieved from Adjaye and Associates: https:// www.adjaye.com/about/approach/ Art Gallery of New South Wales. (n.d.). Works by Fiona Hall. Retrieved from Art Gallery NSW: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/ works/?artist_id=hall-fiona&page=2 Chan, Seb. (2016). Creating experiences. Incite, 37(11/12), 16-17. Chan, S. (2019, June 14). Is there still a digital opportunity for cultural institutions?. Retrieved from ArtsHub: https://www.artshub. com.au/news-article/opinions-and-analysis/ public-policy/seb-chan/is-there-still-a-digitalopportunity-for-cultural-institutions-258186 Chan, S. (2019). Sebastian Chan. Retrieved from Linked In: https://au.linkedin.com/in/ sebastianchan Chan, S., & Cope, A. (2015). Strategies against architecture: interactive media and transformative technology at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Curator: The Museum Journal, 58(3), 352-368. Cooper Hewitt. (2015, March 11). Introducing the Pen at Cooper Hewitt [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ejIvvwmtX8M Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. (n.d.). Designing the Pen. Retrieved from https://www.cooperhewitt.org/new-experience/ designing-pen/
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Ridge, M. (2012). QRator at the Grant Museum of Zoology. Journal of Digital Humanities, 1(2). Retrieved from http://journalofdigitalhumanities. org/1-2/qrator-at-the-grant-museum-of-zoology-bymia-ridge/ Ross, C., Hudson-Smith, A., Terras, M., Warwick, C., & Carnall, M. (2011). Enhancing Museum Narratives: Tales of Things and UCL’s Grant Museum. In DH (pp. 360-361). SEGD. (n.d.). Redesigning the Museum Experience at Cooper Hewitt. Retrieved from https://segd.org/ redesigning-museum-experience-cooper-hewitt Shigematsu, S. (N/D). Bio. Retrieved from Shohei Shigematsu: http://www.shoheishigematsu.com/ index.php?/projects/enbio/ Shigematsu, S. (2019, March 18). “My Journey is Starting Now”: Shohei Shigematsu of OMA New York. (V. Belogolovsky, Interviewer) Arch Daily. Taxén, G. (2005). Participatory Design in Museums: Visitor-Oriented Perspectives on Exhibition Design. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Computer Science and Communication. Stockholm: KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Tech Times T-Lounge. (2015, January 3). Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in NYC Reopens with High Tech Makeover [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5V6AlRZ9Gbs TEDx Talks. (2010, December 10). TEDxEast – Shohei Shingematsu – Super specific [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=MusbY0yUDPU Tupitsyn, M. (1999). El Lissitzky: Beyond the Abstract Cabinet : Photography, Design, Collaboration. New Haven: Yale University Press. UCL. (n.d.) QRator: A digital dialogue on museum collections. Retrieved from https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ impact/case-studies/2014/dec/qrator-digitaldialogue-museum-collections Vimeo. (2019, June 14). Seb Chan – From Place to Platform [Video File]. Retrieved from https://vimeo. com/ Winston, A. (2015). Benjamin Hubert creates exhibition design for Designs of the Year 2015. Retrieved from Dezeen: https://www.dezeen. com/2015/04/01/benjamin-hubert-exhibition-designsof-the-year-2015-design-museum-london/ Figure 32. Somerset House for the exhibition with exhibition design by Yinka Ilori, Reprinted from Dezeen, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com
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