PENGUIN GREAT IDEAS INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION
“AN EXHIBIT IS A ROOM WITH A PLOT.” - ABBOTT MILLER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Research
08
Goals
26
Facts
30
Concepts
38
Final Design
54
PENGUIN BOOKS:
GREAT IDEAS EXHIBITION
FEATURING: Five Exhibitions: (1 exhibit for each series of books (20 books in a series) Each exhibit showcases 5 books at a time The 5 books will switch out periodically ) Cafe/ Restaurant Book reading/ Event Space Retail Shop OfďŹ ces LOCATION: Penguin Publishing House 80 Strand, London UK (1st Floor)
MAIN FEATURE
FIVE EXHIBITS
Interactive Exhibits Exhibit content = Penguin Great Ideas Books Paid Admission
THE BOOKS WILL BE REPRESENTED THROUGH: Environmental graphics Data analysis Info-graphics Digital interactive elements Physical artifacts Photography THE INTENTION OF THE EXHIBIT: Engagement and interaction with information Promote Penguin publishing brand Inform viewers about the book contents and ideals Create a memorable experience
5 SERIES
FIRST 5 BOOKS, IN EACH SERIES, SHOWN IN EXHIBIT CURRENTLY
All BOOKS WILL BE EXHIBITED, 5 AT A TIME PERIODICALLY
20 BOOKS PER SERIES
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100 BOOKS TOTAL IN GREAT IDEAS COLLECTION
SECONDARY SPACES
RESTAURANT & i EXPRESS CAFE
RETAIL SHOP
EVENT SPACE
Sit down Restaurant Variety of seating options - Express Cafe for fast service
Penguin Brand Books Apparel
Multi-use/ flexible space Casual area Formal area Storage Divider Option
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Research
08
WHAT ARE INTERACTIVE EXHIBITIONS? - Hands on exhibits - Create a new concept of learning - Users actively engage with the material, instead of only viewing it - Allows users to learn directly from the experience - Stimulates a connection to the material - Visitors can enjoy doing something, rather than observing - Create an immersive experience Interactive exhibits provide a complementary resource for both formal and informal learning. They create an experience of learning and engagement that encourages a new level of understanding and connection.
INTERACTIVE
NON-INTERACTIVE
Exciting, enjoyable Interesting way to demonstrate ideas Colorful Touch, feel, hold, handle Get involved, participate
Boring Keep off “Look but don’t touch Nothing to do
Explore and play Experiment Use all Senses
Passive Labels Too much reading
Appreciate, think, understand Get an insight More educational, easier to learn Learn more and in different ways
Cannot absorb as much Get in get out
10 - Information gathered from “Exhibition Design” by Philip Hughes
ENGAGING THE VISITOR Engagement - profound experience that changes and deepens the understanding of the content within the viewer. Researching the audience’s interests and motivations Understanding the target audience Link the subject to something the visitor already has knowledge of
DIVERSE AUDIENCES DESCRIPTION
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
- Specialist, person who knows the information well and wants to father their research
- Include a research facility, a place to sit and stay for an extended period of time
- Familiar with the information, but still has a lot to discover, motivated by general curiosity of the subject
- Include an abundance of information, explanatory text, and have additional materials available to inform the visitor
- A person who does not know the information, but picks up on information quickly
- Include very legible signage and labeling, design information to be highly organized, with a clear message
- A person who does not know the information or where to go and may not be very interested in the subject, wonderer
- Include clear labels and interactive elements to spark interest
EXPERT
FREQUENT TRAVELER
?
SCOUT
ORIENTER
- Information gathered from “Exhibition Design” by Philip Hughes
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LEARNING STYLES Visual Learner: Learn by seeing information and retaining it Auditory Learner: Learn by hearing information Kinesthetic Learn: Learn by engaging with information and doing something
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VISITOR NEEDS 1. Comfort: Meet the basic needs of the visitor 2. Orientation: Make it easy for the visitor to navigate the exhibit 3. Welcome/Belonging: Make the visitor feel welcome and comfortable 4. Enjoyment: Have engaging experience that helps the visitor to have fun 5. Socializing: Exhibits are often a place that is attended with friends and family 6. Respect: Be mindful of the diversity of visitors and their beliefs/ experiences 7. Communication: Help the visitor understand that information and form an idea 8. Learning: Every exhibit should teach the viewer something 9. Choice and control: Allow the visitor to have control of their experience 10. Challenge: Challenge the visitor’s mind-set and push them out of their comfort zone 11. Revitalization: When the visitor leaves, they should be inspired and refreshed
- Information gathered from “Exhibition Design” by Philip Hughes
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DEVISING A PATH
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SINGLE PATH - Ensures that all visitors have the same experience - Allows exhibitor to plan their approach in detail - Visitors will encounter the exhibition in a very particular succession
MULTIPLE PATH
- Fewer traffic problems - Visitors feel more in control of their experience - Visitors can select alternative areas of the exhibit when one display is busy
- Information gathered from “Exhibition Design� by Philip Hughes
15
STAR PATH
- Arranged around outstanding objects that draw users eye before anything else - Highlights the most dramatic and exciting examples of the collection first, and then allows for farther investigations
AREAS OF AFFINITY PATH
- Allows for exploration and grouping of similar items - Visitor is very much in control of their experience
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- Information gathered from “Exhibition Design� by Philip Hughes
FAN PATTERN PATH - Allows visitor to immediately grasp everything in the exhibit all of once - Usually used when there is not a lot of information
MAP ORIENTATION PATH
- Interactive map that is the hub of the exhibit - Visitors can easily navigate - Allows visitors to feel very much in control
- Information gathered from “Exhibition Design� by Philip Hughes
17
CASE STUDY: The Grammy Museum Designer: Gallagher & Associates - 20 ft. long touch sensitive genre table - 3-D theater - Allows visitors to become fully immersed in the experience of American Music - Combination of multiple different path types - Allows for a generous amount of circulation - Repetitive kiosk, displaying different information
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CASE STUDY: The National World War ll Museum Designer: Gallagher & Associates - Use of static and moving graphics in combination with sound creates an immersive experience - Brings the environment of the content to life - Incorporates small areas with animations or movies for a more intimate experience of the content
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CASE STUDY: “Exhibitionism - The Rolling Stones� Designer: Pentagram Sq. Ft. = 17,000 Arranged by theme, rather than time-line - The exhibit incorporates artwork, Rolling Stone items, fashion gallery, and interactive and digital experiences - Use of huge graphics - Takes advantage of all surfaces (ceiling, floor, etc.)
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PENGUIN BOOKS Penguin Books is a British Publishing house that was founded in 1935. Penguin has always had a significant impact on public debate in Britain, through its books on British culture, politics, the arts, and science. Penguin books is now called Penguin Random House. It is one of the largest English-language publishers.
GREAT IDEAS SERIES Launched in 2004 2.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD 5,000 OF THEM ARE STILL SELLING EACH WEEK TOPICS INCLUDED: philosophy, politics, science, and war Penguin Great Ideas series offers ground-breaking works by some of history’s most prodigious thinkers. Acclaimed for their striking look, each elegant volume is beautifully packaged with a unyoke type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker’s art. “Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.” - Penguin Books “Nobody is saying that these are the hundred Great Ideas – just a hundred, with plenty of shameful omissions, insulting inclusions and unthinking biases trailing in a vast cloud behind them. The very simple idea was to republish books mostly already available through Penguin Classics in a form close to that recognized by the book’s original author – to strip away the accretion of prefaces, introductions and notes which were so important to studying an author in favour of just presenting the text itself, so that once more the reader can open The Social Contract and simply read ‘Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains’.” - Simon Winder (Publishing Director)
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COVER DESIGNER: DAVID PEARSON EACH SERIES IS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLOR ON THE SPINE
#1-20
#21-40
#41-60
#61-80
#81-100
“A key aspect of the series has been their look. Messing around with different period typefaces and with a similar stripped-down atmosphere to the content (two colours, mostly just lettering – with the occasional loopy exception), the jackets transformed the books’ fortunes. I remember standing in Foyles watching as wave on wave of morbid, sexually confused students came capering up to a ziggurat-like display of Great Ideas, snatching them up like penny candy” - Simon Winder (Publishing Director) “I had this idea that our modern covers should reflect the period of the writing within,” he explains. “Looking at books from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, I was taken with the styles they used, the engravings and decorations.”- David Pearson With philosophical ideas that shaped the modern world as the subject matter, the Great Ideas series had a lot to live up to in terms of design. Putting faith in a young team and allowing them the freedom to apply a big idea proved to be an award-winning strategy.
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GREAT IDEAS SERIES SERIES ONE (Red Spine) 01. On the Shortness of Life - Seneca 02. Meditations - Marcus Aurelius 03. Confessions - Augustine 04. The Inner Life - Thomas à Kempis 05. The Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli 06. On Friendship - Michel de Montaigne 07. A Tale of a Tub - Jonathan Swift 08. The Social Contract - Jean-Jacques Rousseau 09. The Christians and the Fall of Rome - Edward Gibbon 10. Common Sense - Thomas Paine 11. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - Mary Wollstonecraft 12. On the Pleasure of Hating - William Hazlitt 13. The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels 14. On the Suffering of the World - Arthur Schopenhauer 15. On Art and Life - John Ruskin 16. On Natural Selection - Charles Darwin 17. Why I Am So Wise - Friedrich Nietzsche 18. A Room of One’s Own - Virginia Woolf 19. Civilization and Its Discontents - Sigmund Freud 20. Why I Write - George Orwell SERIES TWO (Cyan Spine) 21. The First Ten Books - Confucius 22. The Art of War - Sun Tzu 23. The Symposium - Plato 24. Sensation and Sex - Lucretius 25. An Attack on the Enemy of Freedom - Cicero 26. The Revelation of St John the Divine and The Book of Job 27. Travels in the Land of Kubliai Khan - Marco Polo 28. The City of Ladies - Christine de Pizan 29. How to Achieve True Greatness - Baldesar Castiglione 30. Of Empire - Francis Bacon 31. Of Man - Thomas Hobbes 32. Urne-Burial - Sir Thomas Browne 33. Miracles and Idolatry - Voltaire 34. On Suicide - David Hume 35. On the Nature of War - Carl von Clausewitz 36. Fear and Trembling - Søren Kierkegaard 37. Where I Lived, and What I Lived For - Henry David Thoreau 38. Conspicuous Consumption - Thorstein Veblen 39. The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus 40. Eichmann and the Holocaust - Hannah Arendt SERIES THREE (Green Spine) 41. In Consolation to his Wife - Plutarch 42. Some Anatomies of Melancholy - Robert Burton 43. Human Happiness - Blaise Pascal 44. The Invisible Hand - Adam Smith
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45. The Evils of Revolution - Edmund Burke 46. Nature - Ralph Waldo Emerson 47. The Sickness Unto Death - Søren Kierkegaard 48. The Lamp of Memory - John Ruskin 49. Man Alone with Himself - Friedrich Nietzsche 50. A Confession - Leo Tolstoy 51. Useful Work versus Useless Toil - William Morris 52. The Significance of the Frontier in American History - Frederick Jackson Turner 53. Days of Reading - Marcel Proust 54. An Appeal to the Toiling, Oppressed and Exhausted Peoples of Europe - Leon Trotsky 55. The Future of an Illusion - Sigmund Freud 56. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction - Walter Benjamin 57. Books v. Cigarettes - George Orwell 58. The Fastidious Assassins - Albert Camus 59. Concerning Violence - Frantz Fanon 60. The Spectacle of the Scaffold - Michel Foucault SERIES FOUR (Purple Spine) 61. Tao Te Ching - Lao-Tzu 62. Writings from the Zen Masters - Various 63. Utopia - Thomas More 64. On Solitude - Michel de Montaigne 65. On Power - William Shakespeare 66. Of the Abuse of Words - John Locke 67. Consolation in the Face of Death - Samuel Johnson 68. An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment? - Immanuel Kant 69. The Executioner - Joseph de Maistre 70. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater - Thomas de Quincey 71. The Horrors and Absurdities of Religion - Arthur Schopenhauer 72. The Gettysburg Address - Abraham Lincoln 73. Revolution and War - Karl Marx 74. The Grand Inquisitor - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 75. On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings - William James 76. An Apology for Idlers - Robert Louis Stevenson 77. Of the Dawn of Freedom - W. E. B. Du Bois 78. Thoughts of Peace in an Air Raid - Virginia Woolf 79. Decline of the English Murder - George Orwell 80. Why Look at Animals? - John Berger SERIES FIVE (Orange Spine) 81. The Tao of Nature - Chuang Tzu 82. Of Human Freedom - Epictetus 83. On Conspiracies - Niccolò Machiavelli 84. Meditations - René Descartes 85. Dialogue Between Fashion and Death - Giacomo Leopardi 86. On Liberty - John Stuart Mill 87. Hosts of Living Forms - Charles Darwin 88. Night Walks - Charles Dickens 89. Some Extraordinary Popular Delusions - Charles Mackay 90. The State as a Work of Art - Jacob Burckhardt 91. Silly Novels by Lady Novelists - George Eliot 92. The Painter of Modern Life - Charles Baudelaire 93. The ‘Wolfman’ - Sigmund Freud 94. The Jewish State - Theodor Herzl 95. Nationalism - Rabindranath Tagore 96. Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism - Vladimir Ilyich Lenin 97. We Will All Go Down Fighting to the End - Winston Churchill 98. The Perpetual Race of Achilles and the Tortoise - Jorge Luis Borges 99. Some Thoughts on the Common Toad - George Orwell 100. An Image of Africa - Chinua Achebe
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Goals
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PROJECT GOALS DESIGN AN EXHIBITION THAT SHOWCASES THE PENGUIN BOOKS GREAT IDEAS SERIES
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- The Exhibit will display five books from each series at one time - These five books will be switched out periodically every 6 months - The books will be represented through: Environmental graphics Data analysis Timelines Infographics Digital interactive elements Physical artifacts Photography - The intention of the exhibit: Spark curiosity Promote engagement and interaction Educate viewers Promote Penguin publishing brand Inform viewers about the book contents and ideals Create a memorable experience
Design interactive elements in the exhibit that aid understanding of the context Inspirer viewers to seek farther education and purchase the series in the retail department Promote event space, cafe, and book reading areas
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Facts
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LOCATION
SHELL MEX HOUSE 80 STRAND STREET LONDON UK Penguin Publishing Headquarters
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SCOTLAND
NORTHERN IRELAND IRELAND
WALES
LONDON
UNITED KINGDOM
CAMDEN
ISLINGTON WESTMINSTER CITY TOWER HAMLETS KENSINGTON
SOUTHWARK LAMBETH WANDSWORTH LEWISHAM
BOROUGHS OF LONDON
33
NEIGHBORHOOD
BLOCK 34
SHELL MEX HOUSE
FLOOR PLAN FLOOR PLAN - AROUND 65,000 SQ FT PER FLOOR
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37
Concepts
38
AREAS
EXHIBIT
REST ROOMS
RESTAURANT
EVENT SPACE STORAGE RETAIL
40
EXHIBIT EXHIBIT
REST ROOMS
CAFE
BOOK READING STORAGE RETAIL
SERIES 2 SERIES 1
SERIES 3 SERIES 4
SERIES 5
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SERIES SERIES 3 SERIES 2 SERIES 5 SERIES 4 SERIES 1
BOOK 1
BOOK 3 BOOK 2
BOOK 4 BOOK 5
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*All Series will contain 5 books at a time. (Out of 20 - To be switched out periodically.
EXHIBIT
REST ROOMS
CAFE
BOOK READING STORAGE RETAIL
EVENT SPACE - Casual area (for book readings, etc.) - Formal area - Storage (Furniture can be switched out depending on event)
RESTAURANT/ CAFE - Different seating options (Private, individual, casual) - Cafe (Express area) - serves coffee, desserts, finger food, etc.
RETAIL - Books - Apparel - Penguin Brand
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STORAGE
ADJACENCIES OPTION 1
CAFE/BOOK READING AREA EXHIBIT
REST ROOMS
RETAIL ENTRANCE/ INFORMATION
ADJACENCIES OPTION 2 STORAGE
EXHIBIT
CAFE/BOOK READING AREA
REST ROOMS
RETAIL
44
ENTRANCE/ INFORMATION
EXHIBIT PATH CIRCULATION
1 SERIES 5 SERIES 4 SERIES 3
SERIES 1
SERIES 2
2 SERIES 2
SERIES 1
3
SERIES 3
SERIES 4
SERIES 5
SERIES SERIES SERIES SERIES 5 4 3 2
SERIES 1
45
OPTION 1 SPACE:
SQ. FT.
ENTRANCE RETAIL INFORMATION EXHIBIT CAFE BOOK READING RESTROOMS OFFICES STORAGE MAINTENANCE KITCHEN
500 1800 1500 5100 2800 300 2000 750 700 400
TOTAL:
15850
ENTRANCE
FLOOR ONE
STORAGE
SERIES 3
KITCHEN
SERIES 4
CAFE/BOOK READING AREA
REST ROOMS
SERIES 5
OFFICES/ ADMINISTRATION
RETAIL
MAINTENANCE INFORMATION
SERIES 1
SERIES 2
VESTIBULE
ENTRANCE
46
ATRIUM
OPTION 2
ENTRANCE
SPACE:
SQ. FT.
ENTRANCE RETAIL INFORMATION EXHIBIT CAFE/BOOK READ OUTDOOR CAFE RESTROOMS OFFICES STORAGE MAINTENANCE KITCHEN
400 1800 2700 4500 3000 2500 180 1000 200 400 850
TOTAL:
17530
FLOOR ONE
SERIES 1
SERIES 2
SERIES 3
SERIES 4
SERIES 5
STORAGE
INFORMATION OUTDOOR CAFE SPACE
REST ROOMS
RETAIL
VESTIBULE MAINTENANCE
CAFE/BOOK READING AREA
KITCHEN
OFFICES/ ADMINISTRATION
ENTRANCE
47
OPTION 3 FLOOR ONE
SERIES 5
STORAGE
SERIES 4
SERIES 3
KITCHEN
ENTRANCE
CAFE SPACE:
SQ. FT.
ENTRANCE RETAIL INFORMATION EXHIBIT CAFE BOOK READING RESTROOMS OFFICES STORAGE MAINTENANCE KITCHEN STAIRS
800 2500 1500 7500 3500 2500 300 4000 750 400 1200 500
TOTAL:
25,450
SERIES 2
KITCHEN SERIES 1 REST ROOMS
INFORMATION MAINTENANCE
RETAIL
STAIRS VESTIBULE
ENTRANCE
ATRIUM
FLOOR TWO
ATRIUM OPEN TO BELOW OFFICES/ ADMINISTRATION
BOOK READING AREA/EVENT SPACE STAIRS
OPTION 4 FLOOR ONE STORAGE SERIES 2
SERIES 1
SERIES 3 ENTRANCE SERIES 4
INFORMATION STAIRS
SERIES 5 REST ROOMS RETAIL
MAINTENANCE
VESTIBULE
ENTRANCE
ATRIUM
FLOOR TWO OFFICES/ ADMINISTRATION
ATRIUM OPEN TO BELOW
BOOK READING AREA/EVENT SPACE
STAIRS REST ROOMS CAFE KITCHEN
SPACE:
SQ. FT.
ENTRANCE RETAIL INFORMATION EXHIBIT CAFE BOOK READING RESTROOMS OFFICES STORAGE MAINTENANCE KITCHEN STAIRS
700 3500 2800 10000 3500 2500 750 3500 600 550 850 400
TOTAL:
29,650
OPTION 5
ENTRANCE
FLOOR ONE
SERIES 1
SERIES 2
REST ROOMS
SERIES 3
STORAGE
SERIES 4 INFO
SERIES 5
REST ROOMS
KITCHEN STAIRS CAFE/ RESTAURANT
RETAIL INFO
ENTRANCE
50
ATRIUM
FLOOR TWO
ATRIUM OPEN TO BELOW
OFFICES/ ADMINISTRATION
REST ROOMS
STAIRS EVENT SPACE
51
OPTION 5 MATRIX
SPACE:
SQ. FT. ADJACENCIES
ENTRANCE 350 Info., Retail, Restaurant INFORMATION 2,400 Entrance, Retail, Exhibitions EXHIBIT ENTRANCE AREA 4,000 Info., Exhibits RETAIL 1,500 Entrance EXHIBIT 1 1,100 Exhibit 2, , Exhibit Entrance EXHIBIT 2 1,100 Exhibit 1 & 3, Exhibit Entrance EXHIBIT 3 1,100 Exhibit 3 & 4, Exhibit Entrance EXHIBIT 4 1,100 Exhibit 4 & 5, Exhibit Entrance EXHIBIT 5 1,100 Exhibit 4, Exhibit Entrance RESTAURANT/CAFE 3,300 Entrance, Kitchen READING/EVENT SPACE 3,200 Stairs OFFICES 3,000 Stairs REST ROOMS 1,300 Centrally located STORAGE 1,100 Centrally located MAINTENANCE 600 - KITCHEN 900 Restaurant
TOTAL: 27,150
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DAYLIGHT PLUMBING NOTES
Yes No Yes No Orientation for space Yes No Open, small cafe area, stairs, in Atrium, Info Yes No Some No 5 books showcased at a time Some No 5 books showcased at a time Some No 5 books showcased at a time Some No 5 books showcased at a time Some No 5 books showcased at a time Yes Yes No No 2nd Floor, Looking below to Atrium Yes No 2nd Floor No Yes 3 Rest Rooms (2 1st FL, 1 2nd FL) No No No Yes No Yes
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Final Design
54
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
EXHIBIT 1 SERIES 1
EXHIBIT 2 SERIES 2
EXHIBIT 3 SERIES 3
EXHIBIT STORAGE
MEDIA BOARD MIDDLE ENTRANCE/ EXIT TO EXHIBITS
ENTRANCE TO EXHIBIT 1
EXHIBIT 4 SERIES 4
STORAGE CASUAL SEATING
PRINT PRESS
IMMERSIVE GRAPHIC WAY-FINDING EXPERIENCE LEARNING AREA
ENTRANCE TO EXHIBIT 5/ EXIT FROM EXHIBIT SPACES
COAT CHECK
EXHIBIT 5 SERIES 5
CASUAL SEATING
ENTRANCE TO EXHIBITS
PAID ENTRANCE TO EXHIBITS MAGNETIC CARD READER
EXPRESS CAFE GRAB AND GO FOOD
CASUAL SEATING
KITCHEN
BAR RECEPTION/ SELF GUIDED TICKET DESK CASH WRAP
BOOTHS
LOBBY
RETAIL RESTAURANT
ENTRANCE
56
LEVEL 1 FLOOR PLAN
OFFICE
OFFICE OPEN OFFICES OFFICE ATRIUM OPEN TO BELOW
CONFERENCE ROOM
STORAGE
ROOM CAN BE SPLIT FOR PRIVATE EVENTS
EVENT SPACE
WIDE VARIETY OF SEATING FOR DIFFERENT EVENTS
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ENTRANCE RENDERING
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SERIES 1 #1 ON THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE - SENECA (49 AD) KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Life is long if you know how to use it - Putting things off is the biggest waste of life, it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future - “They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn.” #2 MEDITATIONS - MARCUS AURELIUS (121 AD) KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” - Finding one’s place in the universe - “Confine yourself to the present.” - Rationality and clear mindedness allow one to live in harmony - The passing of knowledge/ thankful for knowledge #3 CONFESSIONS - AUGUSTINE (354 AD) KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: -Theme of redemption - Return to God - Admission of quilt and act of praise - Augustine’s road to committing himself fully to the church - Analysis of his life #4 THE INNER LIFE - THOMAS A KEMPIS KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - “ We are all frail; consider none more frail than yourself.” - Readings taken from the book The Imitations of life - Religious book - “Love God and serve Him alone.” - Non questioning #5 THE PRINCE - NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI (1532)
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KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - “ How we live is so different than how we ought to live...” - If you work hard and smart, you will see good results - Realistic about how life actually is, instead of what we think - A practical guide for ruling, written for Lorenzo de Medici - Life is a game of appearances
On the Shortness of Life
Representational of time passing by, just as birds fly. Showing that time is unimportant, if you live the way you desire. Of Human Freedom
Life flies by, remember to look around and “be mindful� of the little things. 61
EXHIBIT 1 RENDERING
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SERIES 2 #21 THE FIRST TEN BOOKS - CONFUCIUS (206 AD) KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Chinese Philosopher - “You, shall I tell you what it is to know. To say you know when you know, and to say you do not when you do not, that is knowledge.” - Emphasizes the importance of education - “Study the past if you want to define the future.” #22 THE ART OF WAR - SUN TZU KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - “The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.” - Sun Tzu may not be a real person - Military Strategic Studies - “Know your enemy and know yourself..” #23 THE SYMPOSIUM - PLATO KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - The idea of “soul mates” -“...make one out of two and heal the wound in human nature.” - One of the 1st mentions of homosexuality and acceptance - Explores the idea that male lovers will fight most bravely - Story told at a night-long party #24 SENSATION AND SEX - LUCRETIUS KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Not really a book about sex, actually advises against it - An exploration of atoms of the soul, that are extremely mobile and give us a quick sense of the universe around as - Came to this conclusion without science, only reason - Tries to find reason in how the body, senses, and the soul work #25 AN ATTACK ON THE ENEMY OF FREEDOM - CICERO KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: -A book of insults against the senate primarily - Written out of a “sense of duty” to inform the Roman people of the standard that they should hold for their leaders - Eventually lead to his death By Antony and his soldiers 64
The Art of War
A replica of the material that the original text was written on. An interactive piece that translates Chinesee symbols into English The First Ten Books
A small model of what is thought to be Confucius’ temple 65
EXHIBIT 2 RENDERING
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SERIES 3 #41 IN CONSOLATION TO HIS WIFE - PLUTARCH KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Explores how to find happiness and a life free of distress - “...a life that is calm as a millpond...” - The question of contentment - Focus on the good, reason is your ally - “It is madness to feel upset at what one has lost and not feel happy about one has kept.” #42 SOME ANATOMIES OF MELANCHOLY - ROBERT BURTON KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Intended to be a medical study of sort in 17th century - Too much of melancholy will lead to diseases - A “how to” on how to be healthy - Includes lists of foods to avoid, etc. #43 HUMAN HAPPINESS - BLAISE PASCAL KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: -Pascal is a mathematician and a philosopher - Views life as generally miserable and unsatisfying - People only find “happiness” because they are easily distracted - Weighs the advantages of believing in a god, decides that it is better to worship god because if he exists, you get eternal life - “If you win, you win everything, if you lose you lose nothing.” #44 THE INVISIBLE HAND - ADAM SMITH KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Explores why people trade - Countless of thousands of people exchanging goods, for one end product, but not with the “end goal” in mind - “ We address ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self love.” - Ex: The shepherd does not herd sheep with the intent of it eventually being made into a wool sweater for the average person. #45 THE EVILS OF REVOLUTION - EDMUND BURKE
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KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - A glorification of the British constitution - Human nature is complex and does not neatly conform - Changes can have huge consequences - “But to form a free government; that is, to temper together these opposite ideas of liberty and restraint in one consistent work, requires much thought, deep reflection, a powerful and combining mind.”
The Invisible Hand Exploring what it takes for one simple item to be made and all of the people that are involved in it. Large, heavy type to show the “weight” of making just one object
Interactive piece on this side, to see what process occurs for the production of common items Human Happiness
A 3D, virtual representation of Pascal’s triangle. The intermixing of math, science, and philosophy
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EXHIBIT 3 RENDERING
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SERIES 4 #61 TAO TE CHING - LAO-TZU KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - “It is easy to deal with a situation before symptoms develop. It is easy to break a thing when it is still brittle. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step” - (meant to be the opposite of taking action, as people think) - Harmony is key; and activity is a sign of that harmony being disturbed - Avoiding an argument is better than winning an argument...etc. #62 WRITINGS FROM THE ZEN MASTERS - VARIOUS KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - “Meeting a Zen master on the road. Face him with neither words nor silence. Give him an uppercut. And you will be called one who understands Zen.” - People will never understand Zen through a book, or by studying - Zen is extremely difficult to express through language #63 UTOPIA - THOMAS MORE KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: -“I don’t believe you’d ever have a reasonable standard of living under a communist system.” - A political reform that is a near perfect place of freedom, less work hours, no violence - Actually describes what this “better world” would be like #64 ON SOLITUDE - MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - “[Cicero’s] style of writing seems boring to me, and so do all similar styles” - questioning the world arrange him in a fringe way - Arguably the first great piece of self-reflection in Western literature - The importance of introspection and how people should not fear being alone, but rather strive to find more alone time #65 ON POWER - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
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KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - A collection of quotes by Shakespeare’s characters - Shows his vasts ideas through the use of characters, instead of his own voice. - If no one can provide a final answer, perhaps the greatest value comes from posing the question well.
On Solitude
A “solitude” experience/ questionnaire about the person’s life, dreams, goals. An interactive piece that will hopefully inspire more introspective meditations Writings from the Zen Masters
A small Zen garden on display because, “Zen can be neither taught nor read, it must be known.”
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EXHIBIT 4 RENDERING
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SERIES 5 #81 THE TAO OF NATURE - CHUANG TZU KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Explores Taoism as a religion - The main point of Taoism is that you should do nothing. Nature is as it is. - You seek compliance with the heavenly, whereas I have sought compliance with humanity.” (No sense of salvation, or a better world, only a balance state of ourself. #82 OF HUMAN FREEDOM - EPICTETUS KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Epictetus was a slave - The discontent that people feel in life comes from them wanting the things that they do not have, and discounting the things that they do have. -Freedom comes from putting those desires aside, and letting the world have no hold over you #83 ON CONSPIRACIES - NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Italian politicians were murderous, lying bastards - Looking to understand how it is that a conspiracy can succeed or fail - A conspiracy can be undone during the planning, during the execution and during the aftermath - Advice to princes wanting to avoid conspiracies is to stop acting like a tyrant and making people want to kill you... #84 MEDITATIONS - RENE DESCARTES KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - Questions if is there anything in the universe that one can be absolutely sure is true, to use as a foundation for all other philosophy - Concludes “I think, therefore I am.” - If I am able to doubt my own existence, it shows that there is enough of an ‘I’ there to do the doubting #85 DIALOGUE BETWEEN FASHION AND DEATH GIACOMO LEOPARDI KEY IDEAS FROM BOOK: - The world is hollowed out and on the verge of celestial extinction; - Mankind is divided between murderers and suicides - Nature is mostly about perilous discomfort - A sense of gloom and pessimism that runs through the text 76
Meditations “I think, therefore, I am.� Exploring conceptually the disconnect between the conscious and the body.
Drawings by Rene Descartes, as he went into six mediations, pondering the existence of reality and the possibility of a god.
Of Human Freedom
Silhouettes behind class, but not chained, representing the lost of freedom by our human desires.
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EXHIBIT 5 RENDERING
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SENIOR SHOW INSTALL IMAGES
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