Hot off the press from Laurence King Publishing is the second edition of Exhibition Design. London based designer Philip Hughes offers a valuable insight into the briefing and preparation required for exhibition planning using knowledge from his experience as an exhibition designer and lecturer.
In Exhibition Design Philip Hughes researches and displays the key techniques employed by professionals focused on the assemblage of exhibition design; as a student coming from the Visual Culture department in NCAD, I was keen to learn more about exhibition planning from a new perspective. I must mention that Visual Culture is largely geared towards curatorial work and arts administration.
The exhibition is a crucial building block in the construction of an artist and; very relevant as of late, the career of the much respected curator but it seems that there is little consideration for the work in motion behind the scenes. An intrinsic aspect to the planning and execution of an exhibition is the design and as the frequently echoed saying goes “Great design should be experienced and not seen”.
Hughes gives the reader an insight into the early practice of “skying” clustered artworks on the walls of the Great Exhibition in 1851 to the evolution of modern display techniques used to propel the artwork from the plane, bare walls directly to the viewers foreground. Modern exhibitions seem to have travelled a long way with the introduction of pavilions and pop-ups becoming a regular addition to exhibition design. The book also considers seemingly minor case studies like exhibition stand designs featuring one interesting example from 2007 when Sonance commissioned Lorenzo Apicella to design their stand for a trade fair featuring branding and identity by Pentagram.
The book gives examples of successful strategies used by museums, galleries, trade fairs and festivals reinforced by a host of imagery to improve the readers learning experience. Each chapter is illustrated with informative sections and plans to assist the reader with their future plans and concludes with a very useful Do and Don’t section reminding the reader of possible pitfalls along the way.
Thankfully, for curators and managers, the book is not entirely aimed towards designers – Hughes includes practical tips for project managers from the boring (but very useful) aspects like ancillary services and efficiently completing snagging lists.
Exhibition Design packs a chapter-by-chapter run down of practical advice essential to a designer’s proposal and production and in doing so succeeds in highlighting the work that designers produce behind the white walls and cubed spaces. It definitely is a must-read for anyone hoping to gain in-depth knowledge into the backend of exhibition and display design whether it is read from a curator’s perspective, a project manager or a student hoping to catch a glimpse of the industry behind the scenes.