DESIGN PROJECT PROFILE RIVERSIDE
“When displaying social history material and the
collections around them, the difference in scale between a ticket and a 30m-long train can be quite challenging ”
THE SUPPLIERS
The companies that Glasgow Life and Event worked with to create Riverside Museum:- Beck Interiors – the 1900s recreation street Mivan – the main fl exible display systems Sisco – hardware 55 Degrees – software Conservation by Design – showcases Tony Jones – mounts Eura – vehicle axel stands Dodd Engineering – moving conveyor for ship models Engage and Machine Shop – manual interactives Service Graphics – graphic production and installation
structures. The sounds of the cars have been recorded – slamming doors, beeping horns and windscreen wipers. Using baton technology, visitors can play the cars like an orchestra. There are many interactives for children, plus AV and ICT displays.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGN? The inspiration is always the stories we’re given to tell. As storytelling is the principle drive, we want to show off the collections to their best advantage. These are social history stories and
we’ve used the fl exible display systems, with some bespoke elements, to empha- sise the content, whether it’s the way in which objects are displayed or the back- drops against which they’re seen. For example, there are cars with the top sec- tion lifted off so visitors can see inside to learn the story of the mechanics. We’ve got cases with revolving speedway drivers and mechanical, moving skateboarders – this way the objects are brought to life. Another display is Tram Dancing. In
the 1950s and 60s, many Glaswegians went out dancing on Friday and Saturday
72
nights, travelling into town on the trams. The women wore their cocktail dresses. To refl ect this, the tram is displayed alongside a sweep of circular cases featuring revolv- ing dresses from the period. The idea is that they’re dancing to the tram. We had a lot of fun with the stories and I think people will be quite entertained by them. There are stories that will be familiar to different generations – some are relevant to young people, while others will remember catch- ing that tram in their cocktail dresses. While we’ve been playful with vehicles
and other objects, there are some displays that look at sad incidents, such as trans- port crashes and disasters. We’ve taken the mood and the pace up and down, which is quite a challenge in an open place. We’ve tried to make it as varied as possible.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES WITH DISPLAYING SUCH LARGE ARTEFACTS? One of the factors is allowing people to get to them in a safe way. We use large ramps and lifts so they can get up to a level where they can appreciate them. And visitors can also get on several of the vehicles.
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
Although the brief asked for fl exibility so
that displays can be changed, the logistics of moving large trains is complex, so there are elements which are unlikely to move and we design around those. When displaying social history material
and the varied collections around them, the difference in scale between a ticket or a uniform and a 30m (98ft)-long train can also be quite challenging. In some instances we use large numbers of small items to create a presence.
HOW DID YOU WORK WITH THE ARCHITECT? We were commissioned at the beginning of the project, in 2002, to undertake a master- plan for a new transport museum. The masterplan outlined the concept and all the requirements of the functioning museum and informed the architectural brief. It set the space requirements, the conditions for the collections and the technical requirements. Glasgow Council then held an architectural competition, which Zaha Hadid Architects won. From then on we worked alongside Zahas, as they designed the building and we devel-
AM 3 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86