Exhibition Design and Casson Mann with Gary Shelley - Q&A
Who builds the exhibition?
The designer does the plan, concepts et cetera, Then the contractor realised the design
Educational or people’s engagement?
The most important thing is the audience engagement because they will only pay attention and learn once they are engaged.
In the UK, you must convince the UK National Lottery that the exhibition will attract visitor to get funding.
How would designers access the technology and do designers need to learn about it?
You do not need a lot of knowledge. If you need a certain technology for your design, you would need to consult a specialist. However, it is better to have the people to be part of your team or to learn it yourself.
Do research on technology. Go out and see the technology for yourself.
Should you value the objects or the space/experience more?
There is a constant fight between the designer and the curator. For the designer, it is the experience that is most important, but it is the other way around for the curator. Therefore you need to find a balance and you need to consider how do you allow the audience to intellectually accessed the objects.
Are there other ways to make costume alive?
- Pepper’s ghost
- Projection
- Posing
- Motion and inhabit by a character
- Wigs, but they are difficult work with as it is extremely hard to get the hair right
Can you not have a glass case?
No glass case is normally allowed in temporary exhibitions. If there is no glass protection, the object must be one arm length away from the audience.
You can also investigate the materials of the case. There is special no-reflection glass (low iron) that can lower the sense of a barrier.
Why are the Theatre and Performance so dark?
Costumes have to be in 50 lux, anything over will damage the items. Also constantly changing from light to dark when traveling through the gallery is straining to the eyes. So your design has to work with the gallery and darkness.
Additional notes
think about the continuity and cohesiveness- how do you ensure the visitors always know that they are in the V&A
sometimes, less is more- what is the message you want to communicate?
how are the objects displayed? - the height of the stand? the degrees of viewing?