Kiwi graphic designer works on revamp of the Oxford Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
Author: Karen Tribbe | Categories: Graphic, General
Karen Tribbe's mission along with her design colleagues, curators and interpretation team, was to develop and implement the 2D design strategy that crossed departmental boundaries and selected objects of importance as agents of cultural exchange.
The newest oldest Museum, by Karen Tribbe
Old museums can be dusty, dull, over-stuffed places, but when you walk through Britain’s oldest public museum the new oak floorboards, fresh paint, light-filled spaces encourage a sense of discovery and comparison that shatters out-dated expectations.
Located in the heart of Oxford University, and of Oxford city, lies The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, recipient of one of the largest cultural revamps recently undertaken in the UK. With the cost coming in at GBP£61M, this re-built and re-branded monument of history was opened by Her Majesty the Queen on 2 December 2009.
While the neo-classical façade has been preserved, once you step inside you are carried away from the traditions of Oxford and faced with, not just endless stunning exhibits, but the embodiment of change. Previously a dusty (yet well-loved) collection of treasures, the Ashmolean now represents change in the way museums and exhibitions present and update those treasures for today’s audience. As you step through the enormous blue front doors you are in an historian’s Narnia. The once cluttered cabinet of curiosities, which inspired Oxford scholars such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein and Lewis Carroll in the creation of their alternate worlds and weirdly wonderful creatures, is now fully accessible, usable and truly ‘public’.
How was this achieved?
From the start creating space was paramount. The display space has been doubled and many objects that were never displayed due to space and conservation issues have been revealed. Through intelligent architecture, the exhibits have been cleverly contained within the original site, meaning there’s been no side-ways spread. With neighbouring colleges touching three sides of the museum, the building has gone up thorough a series of alternating single and double height galleries centred around a six-story atrium. What’s so unique and exciting about this museum project is that this is a purpose built addition that merges seamlessly with the old building and responds directly to the plan for ‘interpretation’ – in other words the space has been made for the objects and their stories, rather than objects attempting to speak within an existing building. The architect, Rick Mather, has created a matrix of solids, voids, bridges, linking galleries and subtle shifts of artificial and natural light. There is an intriguing effect of spatial and contextual overlays that can be enjoyed with a simple turn of the head.
The intended overall effect is an ebb and flow of space and light that allows clever pacing and a refreshing absence of the dreaded ‘museum fatigue’. People can rest by enjoying the view from the various bridges into the atrium or making use of the many long wooden benches, with their sturdy butchers-block proportions, inviting visitors to ‘participate by being’.
My involvement
My journey began years ago at Massey University’s old Dominion Museum building in Wellington, where as a small child I marvelled at the giant squid hung in the Great Hall, and, as an adult, I studied Visual Communication. I joined this project 18 months ago as a graphic designer specialising in exhibitions and galleries.
My mission here was, of course in collaboration with my design colleagues, curators and interpretation team, to develop and implement the 2D design strategy. It was a unique privilege to rub shoulders with a mix of academics and professionals as varied and wonderful as the collections themselves. Curators have been encouraged to cross departmental boundaries and to select objects for their importance as agents of cultural exchange. By focusing on these cultural influences and exchanges, the Ashmolean can tell stories that are more relevant to our global mindset. As a New Zealander I’ve found that an upbringing and education in a multi-cultural, open-minded and honest country has been one of my strongest tools, and I felt very comfortable with the idea of building understanding through cultural interaction and fusion.
The object is the star
The design team responded with care and attention to the theme of redisplay, with the interpretation plan of ‘Crossing Cultures, Crossing Times’. The Ashmolean collection is extensive enough to successfully show how civilisations of the east and west have developed as part of an inter-related world. Our challenge was finding the ultimate way for each object, regardless of size or value, to contribute to the stories we were telling.
As our Director, Christopher Brown, said: “There are many ways to understand any object, from looking at it in its conventional, specific historical context to looking at it across cultures, as an object with functions that are universal, emphasizing connections, contacts and cultural exchanges.” For the Ashmolean the object is the star. With so many important artefacts some displays have retained their familiar clutter that invokes a sense of foraging for treasure, but without being overwhelming. Other displays show single objects in isolation to highlight a specific connection or relationship with objects around it, bringing it to life by telling its story.
The graphics
Our graphics needed to complement the collections, and increase accessibility, readability and the sense of curiosity. To do this we developed a quiet, elegant solution that employs refined typesetting on a subdued palette. We wanted people to be drawn to the graphics as a secondary experience, to gain information rather than be a distraction. Imagery has been incredibly important to not only provide context and comparisons, but to comfortably colonise the large graphic spaces.
Coordinating several designers in different locations was our biggest challenge and so we developed a ‘toolkit’ for text and graphics that allow each designer the creative guidelines to produce graphics that respond to the gallery content and the designers individual strengths and flair - allowing individual expression to satisfy specific gallery needs.
Opening and closing
The week before opening to the public was a dusty experience. Tradespeople, curators, designers all got in the way of the installation team. We were convinced that many hands make light work and the whole team were focused on getting each and every detail perfect with no regard to ‘job description’. The night before the press opening I saw my project manager dusting the top of the central cases in Greece, as I was went around with Mr Muscle de-fingerprinting glass.
As the project now draws to a close I have time to reflect upon the many memories, and consider the fantastic journey both the Ashmolean, and myself as a designer, have been on. At the preview evening in late October this year, my colleagues and I had the great pleasure of standing in the expansive atrium and enjoying the view at night. While the galleries are modern, the sense of history has not been lost and still pervades every aspect of the museum.
As a designer I have had the pleasure of delivering many books, brands and brochures; however, for me, nothing is comparable to the tremendous satisfaction of using design to help breath life into history.
Image captions:
1_Apollo and 2_Islam
Bridges, voids and vistas – Apollo looks over the Human Image and (just above) the Islam galleries.
3_Human Image
Playing with scale to create drama, Human Image Gallery.
4_Karen and her Map
My biggest challenge, the central map in the Mediterranean Gallery is 6m x 2.5m in size.
5_Money
Thinking big with small things, family-friendly and themed displays in the Money Gallery.
Posted on 9 December 2009, 12:39 p.m.
|