Exploring sexuality through the Wellcome Collection
5 April to 29 June 2014
This exhibition was the first-ever display dedicated to the Wellcome Collection’s sexually-related material. The display formed part of the University of Exeter’s Sex & History project.
Challenge
The objects in this exhibition were small and few. There was also an expectation from the University to incorporate a vast amount of research text.
Solutions
Interpretation was divided into three levels. Cases were positioned strategically and the lighting was adjusted to give the objects an intimate and delicate presence.
The identity for the exhibition relied on a twist integrated into the typography. The twist device is a visual reference to the structure of DNA, but could also be a representation of an intertwined couple. The title graphic was reproduced in cutout letters and had a successful trompe l’oeil effect.
The hero image was chosen because it was a good illustration of the content of the show, clearly an exotic and erotic artefact. It also worked well with the twist concept. The image was picked up on social media when one resident took offence and contacted the local newspaper.
The secondary level of interpretation was created on panels arranged to look like opened books. This was a reference to the idea of sexual knowledge and how it is disseminated in many cultures, most famously in the Kama Sutra.
The green and black colour scheme pulled the whole display together complementing the objects.
Credits
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