Local time:
NMA / Great Southern Land
Client
National Museum of Australia
Timeline
12 Months
Date
May 12, 2022
Exhibitions
Environmental Graphics
A major permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, Great Southern Land, explores the powerful natural and cultural forces that create and shape life in Australia. Interactive digital experiences, multi-sensory installations and over 2300 unique artefacts offer viewers the opportunity to observe the diverse connections, history and seasonal rhythms of Australia.
The Opportunity
For this project, Artikel Design was engaged by the NMA to design and develop various exhibition elements, including 2D graphics, installation features, and typographic designs. Building on initial development by Local Projects, Artikel founder Nick Williams worked closely with the museum’s project and curatorial teams to carry the designs from the conceptual to production stage with clarity and precision.
The Outcome
The visual experience of the exhibition space was shaped in alignment with a design objective of creating meaningful and educational encounters. The atmosphere enhances immersive interactions while evocative visuals provide insight into the conceptual backdrop of the exhibition.
One specific outcome is the 2D graphics that flow through the gallery space, presented on informative media bands. Here, Nick collaborated closely with Yuwaalaraay Designer Lucy Simpson, bringing to life intricate linework motifs which symbolise the five thematic pillars underpinning the exhibition: Bunya, Power, Connection, Life and Change.
The pair collaborated to ensure the linework designs were cohesive, while being balanced and in harmony with the photography or other visual elements featured on the information panels.
Nick’s contribution was materialised across various displays and formats, working to enhance the audience’s education and understanding of the exhibition content. The design process encompassed the creation of illustrations, development of layouts for image display and the formatting of typography featured throughout the gallery space, including entry statements and didactic labels. For each design, materiality was extensively explored, with the final forms and finishes being determined by their ability to balance legibility, tactility and visual impact.
The Experience
The designs created by Artikel seamlessly integrate into this spatial experience, while supporting the desired user experiences, design objectives and conceptual backdrop of the exhibition.
The delivered designs enhance and align with the atmospheric experience of the exhibition. The gallery space is curated as an open and flowing layout with partitions or displays that structure and guide visitors through the various exhibition features and themes. Meanwhile, the dramatic black paint that covers the main walls dynamically juxtaposes and elevates the digital panels, LED lighting and spotlit artefacts on display.
Conclusion
As a key part of the NMA’s Gallery redevelopment, Great Southern Land continues to welcome and educate masses of visitors every year. Artikel’s design contribution plays a central role in anchoring and enhancing the educational nature or engagement of a visitor’s experience. Our thoughtfully created design outcomes help to subtly guide, inform and support the storytelling that underpins one of the NMA’s most prominent and ambitious projects to date.
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