DREAM STATE DESIGN
exhibitions - visitor experiences - products
International exhibitions
I designed high profile international exhibitions in New Zealand including Warhol: Immortal; Henry Moore: Journey through Form; Gianni Versace: The reinvention of Material; and Japonism in Fashion.
I spent time at the Henry Moore Foundation in the UK working with curators to develop interpretive content and refine design concepts. I developed an audio visual presentation that featured in the exhibition. I also worked at the Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI) in Kyoto Japan, working with curators to select garments and present design concepts.
Working closely with the curators of the Versace exhibition I was able to request additional content to augment the experience, notably the inclusion of photography by renowned fashion photographer Mario Testino. It was a highlight that Santo Versace and his team were delighted with the presentation and overall experience.
Image: Japonism in Fashion at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Japonism in Fashion
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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Reflecting the traditional and contemporary content in the exhibition I designed details that would resonate with a New Zealand audience - an adaptation of a traditional torii gate to suspend the section signage; walls that were reminiscent of shoji screens; neon light suggestive of the urban environment and turntables that rotated to show garment detail and structure.
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I curated a soundscape incorporating Western and traditional and contemporary Japanese music to enhance the mood of the exhibition.
Gianni Versace: The reinvention of material
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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
I designed a neutral colour palette for the infrastructure and increased lighting lux levels highlighted the detail and drama of garment design and construction. I designed white bench seats with violet padded squabs to complement the mannequin stands and curated a contemporary soundscape to enhance the mood of the exhibition.
Warhol: Immortal
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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The graphic designer and I developed a 3-dimensional circular 'pop art' approach to exhibition signage to serve as a counterpoint to the square format of the art works, making the themes and texts both recognisable and appealing.
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Themed wallpaper was used throughout to define series of work and a separate room was constructed in the centre of the gallery to contain the Silver Clouds installation.
The exhibition entry featured a large curved wall with an elliptical aperture, revealing glimpses of the sculpture within.
Henry Moore: Journey through form
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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
To reflect the artist's studio I designed a room centred in the gallery to contain the majority of interpretive material. I developed a slide show of the sculpture as seen in situ in the UK. Double-sided display cases displayed maquettes and moulds that related to the works within the exhibition; works that are typically seen in outdoor environments. By viewing internally or externally from the room, the maquettes prompted different perceptions of scale with the finished sculpture.
To maintain the minimalist environment of the gallery and not detract from the sculpture, the graphic designer followed the 3d spatial design aesthetic and designed a gatefold brochure to contain all object labels and texts.