This is a good example of how tension can be used in display.

The fact that the manequins are so active is unusual and really attracts your attention. 

I also like that despite there is no actual movement, the 2 displays have a real sense of energy about them.

What I like about the bottom image is the transformation from one shape to another.

I also really like the way the birds have been made and displayed. 

I really like this display. Despite the simplicity of the objects created, the complexity of how they are used and arranged makes it a very engaging display.

Also the lack of colour doesn't create a problem. It makes it less easy to differentiate between the different objects and therefore requires people to look closer and pay more attention.

I really like the idea of mystery and curiosity that these example summon up. 

However I really don't like the use of colour in the bottom image. 

This is an example of the use of humans in display. 

Apparently clowns are of particular interest. 

Display - understanding what factors affect the impact of a display

I have been looking into the important elements of display to give me some ideas on how to set out and design my two projects. Both lend themselves to the area of display or exhibition.

I have found a book, "how to understand and use display" from which I have found a number of big factors that effect the impact of a display on the viewer.

1. Humans - it seems that us humans find nothing more interesting than each other. Therefor having a human figure or part of one in the exhibit can create greater interest.

2. Movement - anything that gives the exhibit a feeling of energy. This doesnt necessarily mean something that actually moves but maybe just something which looks like it is in motion.

3. Concealment - choosing what to conceal and reveal in  display is very important. This fits in with another important factor - Mystery.

Partially hiding sections of the display can inspire interest through curiosity. A lot of people take interest in something hidden.

4. Colour - this can have a great impact on the mood and atmosphere of the display. Also certain colours can communicate particular emotions or messages. e.g. red/pink for love

5. Masks - this is also connected to the idea of hiding things to create secrecy and curiosity about what is being hidden.

However masks also have the great power of transforming whoever is wearing it. They can exaggerate characteristics and express symbolism.

6. Lighting - the correct placement and colour of lighting can really bring a display alive

7. Shapes - shapes as well as colours affect peoples moods and emotions. Most people find smooth curved forms make them feel relaxed whilst sharp edged shapes create feelings of tension.

8. Tension - This has the function of tightening the given space and making things seem more lively. We naturally respond with the most focus and concentration towards those things that may pose a threat. There is an example in my research of a manequin shattering the glass of the exhibit. Not only is the pattern of shattered glass attractive but the violence of the act really attracts peoples attention.

9. Fantasy - This gives people the pleasant feeling of being led away from real life and allows them to see new and unexpected things.

10. Mystery - This can be created through the clever use of mirrors and hidden pictures

11. Exoticism

12. Nostalgia 

http://www.blackbox.co.uk/technical/bbe/power.asp?id=2&tx=Black%20Box%20Explains

http://www.blackbox.co.uk/products/submenu.asp?id=0&tx=5&sx=1&st=Environmental%20Monitoring

here are a few of the pages I searched through on the web site looking for motion sensors.

http://www.blackbox.co.uk/

On the advice from a modelmaker from the glue factory I looked at this web site in the hope of using motion sensors to incorporate sound into my interactive.
Unfortunately I couldnt really make any sense of what I found on the web site.
I have no understanding of electronics and couldnt work out how what I wanted could be achieved. I tried sending them an email to ask advice but didnt recieve a reply.

This is something I am keen to learn about for future museum work. Lots of models use animatronics or at least require a basic knowledge/ understanding of electronics or mechanics to make them more complex and interesting. These are areas that I want to explore and study later to help enhance my work.

http://www.gluefactory.co.uk/modelmaker/London_Zoo.html

This is a museum interactive that I found on the glue factory website.
I really like the touch aspects of this. The big chunky texture panels are a really nice idea.
It is from this that I made the decision to use sculpted creatures on the doors of the interactive so that users can touch the creatures without reaching into the interactive itself.

I wish I could create a set of drawers for the interactive that could contain physical objects as they did in the mummy exhibit shown earlier in the blog.
This may be something that I can add/incorporate into the design at a later date.

Natural History Museum - London

This was one of the few marine life themed exhibits at the museum and it wasnt a very effective one.

It looked a bit old fashioned and neglected.

It makes the use of a story to introduce different sea creatures and report some fact about them.

Natural History Museum - London

This was an exhibit I saw at the museum some months back.

Similar to my own design the only real interative element is the opening of doors to expose information. It also strives to show these creatures live in their normal environment.

You can only view the creatures and cannot touch them.

After viewing some other museum models online I have started to realise that touch is an important sense with which to engage visitors and really aids the quality of the learning experience. My interactive design was based on this enclosed design and doesnt make use of touch.

http://www.dynamomodels.co.uk/index2.htm

I have been looking at the company Dynamo Models LTD and the few display models they have made. Both the panthers and the poodle seen here were made for the front window of a fashion store.

http://www.godfreydesigngroup.co.uk/pages/shop.html

This company also have a page of shop display models they have made. I really like the mole model although the ice lolly models are more like my own project.
Here are some enlarged images of them.

http://www.godfreydesigngroup.co.uk/largeimages/shopdisplayprops3.html

http://www.godfreydesigngroup.co.uk/largeimages/shopdisplayprops2.html

http://www.godfreydesigngroup.co.uk/pages/sculpture.html

This modelmaking company Godfrey Design Group do a range of architectural and product models as well as sculptural work and marine models.

Here I was really impressed by some of the sculptural work. What is particularly relevant here to my own work is the sculpts of fish and the cameleon. I was really impressed by the degree of detail and realism achieved as well as the paint effects on the fish.
The paint finish is something that I feel has let down my interactive project and it is something I would like to research into further and improve on.

http://www.alchemy3dc.co.uk/tv-and-film-modelmakers/model-makers-bbc2-indent-2.html

I really like the ice effect models in this one. I am interested in effects and creating the impression of different materials. In my current project this was looked at through trying to get a sense of realism into my rocks and creatures.

I particularly like the first example which looks like it uses blue lighting inside. It demonstrates how the use of lighting can really bring a model alive. This one is far more dramatic than the one at the bottom without this use of lighting.

http://www.alchemy3dc.co.uk/exhibition-model-makers/model-makers-wella.html

I really like these Wella Hair care models. They are very large, the biggest being just over 6 foot tall. I think they are really striking, they are very crisp and cleanly made. Once again the main materials being polystyrene, timber and resin.

http://www.alchemy3dc.co.uk/exhibition-model-makers/model-makers-block-bear.html

Here is another large scale exhibition model. Despite their size these models must be made very quickly as they are sculpted out of polystyrene and then coated in resin and finished to a smooth surface. This is almost exactly the same method I used for the rocks on my interactive although I have never considered using this method in quite this way before. It allows you to mass up a shape really quickly but still create a hardwearing, smooth finish.

http://www.alchemy3dc.co.uk/exhibition-model-makers/model-makers-over-sized-mobile-phones.html

This model I found particularly impressive because it is something where construction would normally would be very machine orientated. However they have been able to achieve these really sharp, crisp and accurate shapes simply through the normal method of polystyrene and fibreglass over a metal framework.
The interactive quality is also really impressive as they used plasma televisions to give the phones a real working screen.

http://www.alchemy3dc.co.uk/exhibition-model-makers/model-makers-creed-perfume-bottle.html

The context for this model is much like my original intentions for the pen model. It is a window piece and despite its simplicity is very striking.

http://www.alchemy3dc.co.uk/advertising-model-makers/model-makers-aladin-lamp.html

http://www.alchemy3dc.co.uk/advertising-model-makers/model-makers-tia-lusso-on-ice.html

Here I found some more display/advertising models made by the modelmaking company Alchemy. These are not my favourite examples of their work but they demonstrate the best example of what Im trying to achieve with my own pen model.
I had always assumed that the pen model would be used as part of a window display, however as seen here it might be more likely to be used as part of a sign over a shop/building.

What suprised me about these models was the simple ways that they were made. Mostly using metal framework and resin and polystyrene. Similar to my attempt to make my pen by casting into pipes they have made their models with minimal machinery and used materials that can be manipulated more easily by hand.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9220

This is another internet site about old fashioned fountain pen adverts.
These are more text than the others but it is good to have a variety of differnt fonts to use as reference.

I am considering trying to make a modern alternative to these old fashioned posters.

As my pen model is most likely to be used as an advetising model or as part of a display I have looked into fountain pen ads and have come across a lot of old ones.

Here is a selection I found online.

Most of them focus on reliability and many appear to be seasonal.

I hoped that these would give me some ideas as to how to display my pen. I am starting to consider the possibility of making a pen case to hold my pen. Either that or designing my own advert poster which could be accompanied by the pen itself.

http://www.asylumsfx.com/#/work/142

This is an example of advertising work by Asylem models for Bacardi. I really like the fractured glass effect and the model fruit.

Most of their advetising models do something interesting with the product and rarely involve just recreating the original. It would have been nice to have looked further into the advertising idea for my pen model and designed and developed a creative way of displaying the product.
At the very least it would be good to design an interesting method of displaying the pen model.

http://www.asylumsfx.com/#/work/129

http://www.asylumsfx.com/#/work/101
I really liked this model for London Ink. It has made me consider whether a whole model is really necessary or whether something creative can be accomplished by just showing sections.
Perhaps I could make the pen an exploded form with all the internal workings showing.
This would also be similar to the shattered glass effect seen in the Bacardi advert. This fractured effect adds real interest to the product.

http://www.vincent-creatives.com/pages/gallery/milton-country-park-kingfisher21.php

This company called vincent creatives does a variety of interactive and exhibition models as well as architecture, trophies and point of sale displays.

The kingfisher model was made as part of an entrance sign.

http://www.vincent-creatives.com/pages/gallery/giant-building-site82.php

This model was made for a contruction company celebrating their 90th year in business. I really liked these oversized props. I have included them here as I felt they had some connection to the pen project. They were made quite simply from a variety of woods and sheet metal and the paint effects achieved with acrylic paints.

http://www.flicmodels.co.uk/product.htm

I have looked at flic models. They make both digital and physical models. Their physical work is generally in the fields of architecture and product.

Whilst looking over their website I found one model of a wine display which I felt was similar to my own project discipline. Whilst at the moment I only have the pen itself, I would like to do something similar to this and design an intersting stand on which to display the model.

http://www.gluefactory.co.uk/modelmaker/copy_of_Baryonyx_Skull.html

http://www.gluefactory.co.uk/modelmaker/rhino_horn_panel.html

Most of the exhibits I have looked at here have been made in order to allow museum visitors to touch the objects which they would not normally be able to. The element of touch can be very important in the learning process.

I am disappointed that I didnt do something more along these lines myself. This is perhaps something on which I can improve. I intend to make some changes to the model and put doors over the info panels. In the front of these doors I could add more 3D representations of the creatures so that they could feel them as well as see them.

http://www.gluefactory.co.uk/modelmaker/Medicine_Man.html

This model made by the glue factory is also similar to my own interactive's teaching methods.
There is a main visual object which can be observed by the visitor but cannot be directly manipulated. In order to learn more about the subject of the exhibit the visitor must open drawers to reveal information.

Modelmaking companies - The glue factory

As part of my research I have looked briefly into modelmaking companies that are of interest to me and that are connected to the disciplines I have chosen for the projects.
I have looked at museum models and also at display and advertising models.

The glue factory is a company that specialises in a number of different fields including film, advertising, props,some architecture and exhibits, but is probably best known for its museum models and interactive's.

The project at the end of this link is a cast of some Roman skeletons which were done in order that visitors to the museum could handle them and interact with the objects first hand.
My own museum model design works along these lines. Although it isnt mechanically or electronically interactive, my model requires hands on manipulation by the visitor to explore the model and discover the information they want.

Also due to its relatively small size it could be transported easily and used as a teaching aid.

http://www.gluefactory.co.uk/modelmaker/Partial_Roman_Skeleton.html

The Mouldmakers Handbook - Release agents

The Mouldmakers Handbook - Release agents

Here I have some more detailed information about release agents. To someone new to moulding and casting processes it is important to know what materials can be used together without causing an unwanted reaction.

I have included a number of tables concerning release agents and the materials they can be used with in my folder of research.

The Mouldmakers Handbook - Paint effects and Metal powders

More information on paint types and also on metal powders to colour resins.

The Mouldmakers Handbook - Paint effects

In my learning agreement I mentioned wanting to experiment with paint effects and the idea of creating aged objects is something I find interesting. I found these pages on the subject.

The Mouldmakers Handbook - Making hollow casts

Here I found some pages on making hollow casts by rolling the chosen casting material around the mould before pouring it out.

I have included these pages because they describe a similar method to the one I chose to make my pen.

I tried using car body filler slush to make a hollow pipe form, only I continued to swirl the mixture around inside the mould until set instead of pouring it out.

The Mouldmakers Handbook - casting resins

Some interesting pages about the facts and possibilities when working with polyester resin.

The Mouldmakers Handbook - Casting plaster

Here the book moves onto the casting process.

I havent dont much casting work with plaster but felt it was a valuable thing to research as part of this topic.

Here there is a brief history of the material and various important facts about its use and characteristics.

The Mouldmakers Handbook - silicone (pouring under a shell)

Here they have also included some information on how to create a two part version of this mould technique.