NEW OPENING
The exhibit includes illuminated habitat depictions and the life size replica of a camarasauraus’ leg and shoulder bone (on the right)
a wall to a showcase has to meet this pri- mary requirement. Once the show is on the road it has to be carefully broken down, packed into crates, loaded onto containers, shipped, then the reverse process hap- pens at the other end.” The fact that the artefacts will be on tour helped Bishop decide which of the millions of specimens behind the scenes in the palaeontology department to include in the
exhibition. “The exhibition will be touring for up to 10 years, so we needed to include specimens that were able to participate in the tour,” she says. “Also, the specimens needed to be visually interesting to visitors and allow people to make links with today. For example, there’s a starfi sh in the under- water area, so people can see at a glance what it is, but can fi nd out more about its life and how it died by reading the label.
“HAVING AGE OF THE DINOSAUR AS A TOURING EXHIBITION ALLOWS MORE PEOPLE TO SEE OUR SPECIMENS, LEARN ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC STORY AND UNDERSTAND THE EVIDENCE BEHIND THE SCIENCE”
It’s important that the specimens are visu- ally arresting as well as telling a great story.” Blanchard is delighted with the fi nished
article. “We’re pleased with the whole exhibition – from the beautiful fossilised specimens, to the interconnecting timber walls, to the Japanese animatronics,” he says. “However, one stand-out element from a design point of view is the large backlit tensile-fabric walls. These have worked out really well for us, as they satisfy both the touring brief in their light-weight adaptability and the sustainability brief with the integral LED lighting. They also meet the experiential/science brief, as they form illuminated ambient backgrounds (accurate habitat depictions) to the overall experience and the specimens.” Age of the Dinosaur received 20,000
visitors in its fi rst 10 days and Bishop is pleased it’ll be seen by millions more peo- ple outside of London when it starts its global tour. “We’re always refreshing our offer at the museum and want to exhibit new, different collections that people haven’t seen before and give them a new experience,” she says. “We have a perma- nent, very popular dinosaur gallery, which isn’t going anywhere. Having Age of the Dinosaurs as a touring exhibition allows more people to see our specimens and learn about the scientifi c story.” The exhibition will be at the NHM until
The displays explain how scientists at the NHM piece together the scenarios they have 38 Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
4th September. It will then tour within the UK for several years before going overseas. The age of the dinosaurs is upon us.
AM 3 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE: NICK WOOD FOR LAND DESIGN STUDIO © 2011
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