Glimpses of the Wonderful
13 May to 17 Sep 2017
Background
An exhibition charting our fascination of the seashore, with historic objects, natural specimens and contemporary art. Marine Biologist Philip Henry Gosse started the craze for studying aquatic life during the Victorian period with his illustrative studies of Devon’s coastal wildlife.
Brief
Create an interactive exhibition to engage visitors of all ages with a flowing narrative across two galleries. The intention is to encourage visitors to go to the coast and engage with nature.
Requirements
Space needs to incorporate a fish tank, film projection, dressing up area and additional interactive elements.
Approach
Give the gallery interactives adequate space. Create clear section introductions using several layers of text hierarchy allowing visitors to explore at different paces and depths.
Solution
Big and bold graphic elements with a strong and lively colour palette to give the space a clear brand identity. Fish tank gallery given plenty of space to allow young ones to run around. Dramatic entrance points and engaging sight-lines throughout the space. Little sea life illustrations on the display cases to encourage younger viewers to look at the artefacts.
Challenges
Exhibition across two galleries, big space with lots of eclectic content. How to make the fish tank the main attraction, without detracting too much from the other content.
Outcomes
Remarkably high visitor figures over the summer months. Increased visitor figure sustained beyond the exhibition’s end date.
Photography: Matt Austin and Apex
Poster image: (Anemone) Dan Bolt
Exhibition typeface: Fira Sans
