Weekly Round Up 2

Follow Team Opal as we design and build our own exhibition for Museum Studies Leicester.

This week we had a change of plan in terms of our exhibition design. On Tuesday, following a meeting with one of our supervisors, we decide to totally redesign our case. Through our discussion we had found that the case was beginning to lose its message as we had so many ideas we wanted to convey. We decided to narrow our focus and begin designing again with the sole idea of ‘Food is a representation of home’ in mind.

Over night we each drew up our designs and compared on Wednesday morning. We found that we had a consensus for making our case into a form of food cupboard. As a group we also decided that the olive jar should not be the centre of our exhibition, instead the theme of food and home would be. Whilst the pot would still have a place in the case so too would other food that we view as important in representing our homes.

We also liked the idea of incorporating a suitcase into the exhibit as the connotations of the olive pot are similar, something you travel with and transport goods in. We felt that we could create an interactive around a suitcase where people could place pieces of card inside it with their answer to the question ‘What food reminds you of home?'. We came up with the idea of these cards being in the shape of either a suitcase or the olive jar. 

In addition, the group also felt that this redesign would fit well with our previous idea of a running audio on the Ipad where we describe foods that remind us of home. Within this new idea, the food items that we talk about could be seen within the case, tying the two together.

Some members of the group then mocked these ideas up into a digital form and we then presented them to our supervisors for a design critique. The idea was very well received and helpful advice was given into how we could extend and develop the idea.

As a group we have learnt a lot this week and cannot wait to make this idea a reality in the next few weeks.

Opal and out (mic drop).

Sharing Food and Home

Follow Team Opal as we design and build our own exhibition for Museum Studies Leicester.

Today we brought in food that we felt represented home. Our group represents 8 different nationalities so we had a huge variety of different food cultures to draw upon. 

This is the selection of food that we shared together today:

Llapingachos - Ecuadorian potato pancakes

Spanakopita- spinach and feta cheese pastry puff

Fairy cakes with chocolate buttercream

Tarte Tatin - apple turnover

Chocolate and marshmallow muffins

Siu Mai – Cantonese morning tea dishes with pork and wheat flour.

Caprese Salad - tomato & mozzarella cheese

Custard bun- Cantonese staple food made of flour, milk, cream and egg

KimBab - The combination of rice, bacon, tuna, and Kimchi (Korean traditional food).

We took photos of us sharing the food, which we may incorporate into our exhibition. We also intend to put our recipes together and enable online access to these. This would allow us to show the importance of food, home and migration today.

 

We are now feeling very full and ready for another exciting week.

Opal and Out.

Weekly Round Up

Follow Team Opal as we design and build our own exhibition for Museum Studies Leicester.

Today we had our final meeting of the first week. Yesterday we were advised to use visual images to help us storyboard our exhibition design. We thought this was a great idea so overnight we printed out images related to food and migration and brought them together this morning. We then constructed this into a narrative related to our case.

At the base of the case we have our pot and the related story. Above this we want to explore the idea of incorporating a map to show the migration of the pot from Spain to the Americas. Finally at the top of the case we liked the idea of a collage with images related to modern day migrated food.

We then constructed basic text panels and reduced the number of images to give a clearer view of our narrative.

Finally we then made a basic sketch of how we want to utilise the wall beside the case. We tried to sketch how we would incorporate our interactive elements as well.

It feels like our ideas are finally coming together and our exhibition is really taking shape.

Opal and out.

Trip to Hampton Court Palace

Follow Team Opal as we design and build our own exhibition for Museum Studies Leicester.

Yesterday, we visited Hampton Court to give us inspiration for our exhibition.

Some of the exhibition techniques used were particularly interesting, such as text panels written on hanging fabric and the tablecloth in the great hall that had different facts at each place setting. We also found the use of paper costumes in the Hanover Galleries a particularly innovative way of bringing people and their relationships to life.

We were also tasked with looking at the learning potential for schools. Hampton Court has many resources targeted specifically at schools, with online resources that you can easily download. The resources link specifically to key stages 2 and 3, and the palace staff also offer curriculum-based workshops. As we explored the palace we encountered a school group in the palace kitchens, they looked like they were having a brilliant time.

The palace also provides education for college groups who may be studying historic periods such as the Tudors. They also offer special group rates.

Overall, it was a very inspiring and enjoyable trip. 

Opal and out.

The Gantt Chart

Follow Team Opal as we design and build our own exhibition for Museum Studies Leicester.

Last week we learnt about Gantt charts, a way of planning and mapping out a project. During the workshop on Thursday we individually produced paper examples of a Gantt chart based around our exhibition.

Opal group judged this to be an effective way of planning so decided to put it into practice. Over the weekend Charlotte produced a digital Gantt chart that we subsequently reviewed as a group.

We found that the digital version was much more handy as it allows us to easily update and change the chart instantaneously as well as allowing easy access and sharing.

We hope the Gantt chart will help us effectively plan this exhibition.

Opal and out.