- Email: [email protected]
An Earth-shattering experience
318
World of Museums
"An Earth-shattering Experience" Marketed as "An Earth-shattering Experience", the first phase of the new Earth Galleries at the Natural History Museum, London, was opened in July 1996, and by the end of 1988 the entire displays of the former Geological Museum will have been replaced. The airy central space which once provided such excellent daylight for those studying the national collection of minerals and gemstones has been replaced by the theatrical slate-clad RTZ Atrium from which leads an escalator up to the second floor and the first two of the six new thematic displays: 'The Power Within' and 'Restless Surface'. The overall concept and design brief have been evolved by Dr Giles Clarke (Head of Exhibitions & Education) and Dr Robert Bloomfield (Head of Exhibition Research & Design), and the 'Visions of Earth' display in the RTZ Atrium has been designed by Neal Potter Design Associates who have been responsible for the design of a series of exhibition displays and pavilions, nationally and internationally. This space, of 468 m 2, is lined with panels of dark slate 'etched' with the symbolic Visions of the Solar System and Visions of the Heavens, while at eye level below, these walls are pierced by glazed portholes, 22 on each side, which act as display cases "displaying some of the Museum's most treasured specimens". However, the visitor entering the RTZ Atrium from Exhibition Road, through the low-key entry space enlarged by Pawson Williams, the project architects, first encounters three pairs of weird, dramatically-lit bronze figure sculptures, floating rather unsteadily on hemispherical glass plinths lit from within and representing basic concepts about the Earth which are, or will be, addressed in the new thematic displays. God (after William Blake) and Atlas symbolize visions of Earth's beginnings and of Earth's shape and place, respectively, while Cyclops and Medusa symbolise visions of Earth's past and of Earth's processes. The final pair, ideal figures of a Scientist and an Astronaut represent visions of Earth's future and of Earth's order, though much of this somewhat recondite symbolism is lost on visitors relying on the Museum's official guide leaflet which is provided free after they have paid for entry (adults £5.50; children £2.80). In the short note on the 'Visions of Earth' display they are described as "Bronze icons: six imposing, specially commissioned sculptures explore our changing perceptions of the Earth" and no mention is made of the unlabelled "most treasured specimens" lurking behind the portholes. In the words of the Museum, "the Earth Galleries are designed to stimulate and promote the desire to find out more about earth sciences" when its audience research had revealed that "pure geology was perceived by many as academic and rather boring". Consequently the new Earth Galleries are designed to excite and inspire unmotivated visitors of all ages, rather than communicate more than a limited amount of information about geology, and the 'Visions of Earth' display is conceived as 'affective' or 'mood establishing'. Visitors are nevertheless exposed to a bewildering wealth of unfamiliar visual images, reinforced by pulsating sound and dramatic light effects, and are encouraged to become excited about the idea of geology as a prelude to joining the queue for access to the escalator leading up to the thematic displays. The RTZ Atrium is dominated by the massive, slowly revolving globe sculpture, 11 m in diameter, formed of ragged sheets of beaten copper, iron and zinc, subjected to constantly changing lighting within. Symbolizing "a journey
World of Museums
319
through the centre of the Earth", the visitors are processed by it, through a burst of pop music, to be delivered at a rate of 20 per minute onto the second floor landing to join another queue awaiting entry into the thematic display of 'The Power Within', designed by Event Communications Limited. This dramatic display addresses volcanoes and earthquakes, mostly by means of a plethora of small videos buried in high-profile museum design environments, and the reason for the congestion becomes immediately apparent. The video material is intensely dramatic and arresting, and since no visitor wishes to miss anything, the natural inclination is to see through each mini-programme at least once before moving on to the next. Unfortunately the small screen inevitably tends to 'domesticate' the awesome processes at work within the Earth and, on mature reflection, it would have been far better (and less expensive) to explore the world of volcanoes downstairs in the RTZ Atrium using large-screen technology and thereby provide a constructive diversion for those waiting to mount the escalator. However, in an exceptionally noisy environment such as this, and punch-drunk from the film footage of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 and an ash-covered Buick, any geological specimens displayed and detailed information tend to be passed over as visitors press on to the next excitement--the 'Earthquake Experience'. Recreating the scene within a small Japanese supermarket, in Kobe, as recorded by its security video camera just before the power failed during the 1995 earthquake, groups of visitors take turns to stand on a moving platform
I. Interior of the RTZ Atrium in the new Earth Galleries of the Natural History Museum, London, designed by Nell Potter Associates and opened in July 1996. The six over-life-size bronze sculptures oll glass plinths represent basic concepts abou* the Earth which are, or will be, addressed in the six new thematic displays on the floors above which are reached via the escalator which passes through the massive revolving globe sculpture. Pulsating sound and dramatic light effects reinforce the impact of the 'Visions of Earth' display.
320
World of Museums
2. Detail of the Volcanoes section of 'The Power Within' display', designed by Event Communications, in the new Earth Galleries of the Natural History Museum, London. The front section of a Buick, covered with volcanic ash, enhances the immediacy of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991.
which is intended to replicate the shaking experienced during that earthquake. The 'supermarket shelves' included form part of this structure and, while watching the video, the visitors and goods on the shelves experience that unforgettable disorientating combination of movements and sounds which accompanied an earthquake. Certain science centres in the United States of America include such earthquake platforms in their repertoires, and they are undoubtedly popular with the young if not with Japanese visitors, but adult visitors to the Museum are left with rather too many unanswered questions, not least in respect of their efforts to relate this relatively mild sensory experience to the Richter Scale quoted by the media and the evidence of the physical devastation of Kobe. The conclusion of this display is largely missed as visitors accelerate, looking for their next 'kick'. The constant problem with high-profile audio-visual and interactive displays of this kind which adopt the techniques of the world of entertainment is that they soon suffer from the law of diminishing returns and everything else in the sequence of thematic displays is likely to be 'cold rice pudding', or an anticlimax, for visitors more interested in the mode of communication of the message than its content. Consequently the much more measured approach adopted for the 'Restless Surface' display (designed by MET Studio Ltd) suffers grievously from unfair competition from what has just preceeded it, coupled with a marked reluctance on the part of visitors to dedicate sufficient attention to its thoughtful interpretation of the much less exciting processes of erosion. The old Geological Museum has been much criticised--usually by non-geologists who never visited
World of Museums
321
i t - - f o r failing to attract and hold the attention of non-specialist visitors, and it remains to be seen whether the 'Restless Surface' and remaining four thematic displays to be opened in 1997-98 will succeed in holding the attention of unmotivated visitors attracted by the hype and razzmataz of 'Visions of Earth' and 'The Power Within'. In the meantime visitors descending to the first floor are able to study a substantial section of the famous gems collection, displayed without hype in their elegant post-war cases, and a selection of British fossils, together with a modest display on 'British Offshore Oil and Gas'. Far from being deserted, the low-key systematic displays of gems and British fossils were, at the present author's time of viewing, attracting and holding the rapt attention of more visitors (overwhelmingly adult) than the 'Restless Surface' display on the floor above. Perhaps there is food for thought here. At the formal Opening Ceremony for the new Earth Galleries (17 July 1996), performed by Virginia Bottomle> the Secretary of State for National Heritage, she stated: Today is the first opening of a major Lottery funded project and shows that money from The National Lottery is being used in just the way we envisaged. The l~arth Galleries provide a new and exciting museum experience. The lively interactive exhibits will no doubt be hugely popular with the schoolchildren who come from all over the country to visit the Museum, as well as the thousands of overseas visitors. With the support of Lottery funds, the latest technology has been brilliantly employed to give us a museum of the 21st century which will enhance the cultural heritage of the nation.
3. Temporary displays of Gems in the Earth Galleries of The Natural History Museum, London, in summer 1996, continuing to use their elcgant post-war display cases and traditional labelling. The quiet acoustic cnvironmellt and generous daylight provides excellent study conditions for these important systematic displays which arc scheduled to bc replaced by ';File Earth's Treasury' in 1997.
322
World of Museums
Costing a total of £12.2m, £6.06m has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the RTZ-CRA group is the lead corporate sponsor with support of £1m, with further funding provided by the Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund and BTR plc, while the remainder of the funds needed are from the Museum's selfgenerated income and thus substantially dependent upon the income to be generated from entry charges. The huge investment of Museum time and energy is unquantified, but it is not unreasonable at this juncture, after the opening of Phase I, to ask whether this money has been spent wisely? Dr Nell Chalmers, Director of The Natural History Museum since 1988, is quoted as stating at the Opening: For the first time in Britain, we will have a museum that is really going to make earth sciences accessible to visitors. The duty of scientists today is to help people understand why the earth sciences are so important . . . . Understanding them helped us gain materials from the earth, such as oil, gas and building materials, in a responsible way, while many minerals and gems were simply beautiful in themselves . . . . They also helped explain how landscapes were formed by the earth's internal processes (The Independent, 18 July 1996). Sir David Attenborough, the natural history guru, reinforced the thrust of these ideas: Perhaps scientists have taken for granted too long that excitement they feel for their subject is automatically felt by everybody. This restores the wonder of what has for too long been considered rather dull and dire stuff (op. tit.). However, the overall balance of the Museurn's priorities were reflected most clearly, a few days later, in the advertising feature placed by it in the London Evening Standard, 22 July 1996, which focussed overwhelmingly on tile elements of spectacle and entertainment for all ages. Critics have taken issue with the Museum about its excessive reliance on video imagery, the paucity of real objects on exhibition in the displays (416 specimens to date) and their near obliteration by the display techniques. Equally serious are the questions to be asked about what has been lost. The Natural History Museum, as the heir to the former Geological Museum collections and displays, provided for the British people the most comprehensive and accessible systematic displays of the geology of the United Kingdom, as might reasonably be expected of the national museum entrusted with their care. Most revealing today is the extent to which the surviving displays of gems and British fossils continue to be studied for their information content notwithstanding the seductions offered by 'The Power Within' displays on the floor above. This is evidently not just a temporary retreat from the omnipresent noise and bright lights in the new sections, but an insistent demand for real objects to be seen in an atmosphere conducive to their study and quiet reflection. As a national museum responsible for serving all British citizens, the Natural History Museum is in danger of losing sight of its core functions as it competes for the hundreds of thousands of additional paying visitors it will need each and ever}' year merely to fund these new developments. Photo Credits 1. Ncal Potter Associates, London (b> courtesy of The Natural Histom Museum). 2 8: 3. The Natural History Museum, I.ondol(. PI-THCR (],ANN()N-BR~ )OKI.:S
World of Museums
"An Earth-shattering Experience" Marketed as "An Earth-shattering Experience", the first phase of the new Earth Galleries at the Natural History Museum, London, was opened in July 1996, and by the end of 1988 the entire displays of the former Geological Museum will have been replaced. The airy central space which once provided such excellent daylight for those studying the national collection of minerals and gemstones has been replaced by the theatrical slate-clad RTZ Atrium from which leads an escalator up to the second floor and the first two of the six new thematic displays: 'The Power Within' and 'Restless Surface'. The overall concept and design brief have been evolved by Dr Giles Clarke (Head of Exhibitions & Education) and Dr Robert Bloomfield (Head of Exhibition Research & Design), and the 'Visions of Earth' display in the RTZ Atrium has been designed by Neal Potter Design Associates who have been responsible for the design of a series of exhibition displays and pavilions, nationally and internationally. This space, of 468 m 2, is lined with panels of dark slate 'etched' with the symbolic Visions of the Solar System and Visions of the Heavens, while at eye level below, these walls are pierced by glazed portholes, 22 on each side, which act as display cases "displaying some of the Museum's most treasured specimens". However, the visitor entering the RTZ Atrium from Exhibition Road, through the low-key entry space enlarged by Pawson Williams, the project architects, first encounters three pairs of weird, dramatically-lit bronze figure sculptures, floating rather unsteadily on hemispherical glass plinths lit from within and representing basic concepts about the Earth which are, or will be, addressed in the new thematic displays. God (after William Blake) and Atlas symbolize visions of Earth's beginnings and of Earth's shape and place, respectively, while Cyclops and Medusa symbolise visions of Earth's past and of Earth's processes. The final pair, ideal figures of a Scientist and an Astronaut represent visions of Earth's future and of Earth's order, though much of this somewhat recondite symbolism is lost on visitors relying on the Museum's official guide leaflet which is provided free after they have paid for entry (adults £5.50; children £2.80). In the short note on the 'Visions of Earth' display they are described as "Bronze icons: six imposing, specially commissioned sculptures explore our changing perceptions of the Earth" and no mention is made of the unlabelled "most treasured specimens" lurking behind the portholes. In the words of the Museum, "the Earth Galleries are designed to stimulate and promote the desire to find out more about earth sciences" when its audience research had revealed that "pure geology was perceived by many as academic and rather boring". Consequently the new Earth Galleries are designed to excite and inspire unmotivated visitors of all ages, rather than communicate more than a limited amount of information about geology, and the 'Visions of Earth' display is conceived as 'affective' or 'mood establishing'. Visitors are nevertheless exposed to a bewildering wealth of unfamiliar visual images, reinforced by pulsating sound and dramatic light effects, and are encouraged to become excited about the idea of geology as a prelude to joining the queue for access to the escalator leading up to the thematic displays. The RTZ Atrium is dominated by the massive, slowly revolving globe sculpture, 11 m in diameter, formed of ragged sheets of beaten copper, iron and zinc, subjected to constantly changing lighting within. Symbolizing "a journey
World of Museums
319
through the centre of the Earth", the visitors are processed by it, through a burst of pop music, to be delivered at a rate of 20 per minute onto the second floor landing to join another queue awaiting entry into the thematic display of 'The Power Within', designed by Event Communications Limited. This dramatic display addresses volcanoes and earthquakes, mostly by means of a plethora of small videos buried in high-profile museum design environments, and the reason for the congestion becomes immediately apparent. The video material is intensely dramatic and arresting, and since no visitor wishes to miss anything, the natural inclination is to see through each mini-programme at least once before moving on to the next. Unfortunately the small screen inevitably tends to 'domesticate' the awesome processes at work within the Earth and, on mature reflection, it would have been far better (and less expensive) to explore the world of volcanoes downstairs in the RTZ Atrium using large-screen technology and thereby provide a constructive diversion for those waiting to mount the escalator. However, in an exceptionally noisy environment such as this, and punch-drunk from the film footage of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 and an ash-covered Buick, any geological specimens displayed and detailed information tend to be passed over as visitors press on to the next excitement--the 'Earthquake Experience'. Recreating the scene within a small Japanese supermarket, in Kobe, as recorded by its security video camera just before the power failed during the 1995 earthquake, groups of visitors take turns to stand on a moving platform
I. Interior of the RTZ Atrium in the new Earth Galleries of the Natural History Museum, London, designed by Nell Potter Associates and opened in July 1996. The six over-life-size bronze sculptures oll glass plinths represent basic concepts abou* the Earth which are, or will be, addressed in the six new thematic displays on the floors above which are reached via the escalator which passes through the massive revolving globe sculpture. Pulsating sound and dramatic light effects reinforce the impact of the 'Visions of Earth' display.
320
World of Museums
2. Detail of the Volcanoes section of 'The Power Within' display', designed by Event Communications, in the new Earth Galleries of the Natural History Museum, London. The front section of a Buick, covered with volcanic ash, enhances the immediacy of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991.
which is intended to replicate the shaking experienced during that earthquake. The 'supermarket shelves' included form part of this structure and, while watching the video, the visitors and goods on the shelves experience that unforgettable disorientating combination of movements and sounds which accompanied an earthquake. Certain science centres in the United States of America include such earthquake platforms in their repertoires, and they are undoubtedly popular with the young if not with Japanese visitors, but adult visitors to the Museum are left with rather too many unanswered questions, not least in respect of their efforts to relate this relatively mild sensory experience to the Richter Scale quoted by the media and the evidence of the physical devastation of Kobe. The conclusion of this display is largely missed as visitors accelerate, looking for their next 'kick'. The constant problem with high-profile audio-visual and interactive displays of this kind which adopt the techniques of the world of entertainment is that they soon suffer from the law of diminishing returns and everything else in the sequence of thematic displays is likely to be 'cold rice pudding', or an anticlimax, for visitors more interested in the mode of communication of the message than its content. Consequently the much more measured approach adopted for the 'Restless Surface' display (designed by MET Studio Ltd) suffers grievously from unfair competition from what has just preceeded it, coupled with a marked reluctance on the part of visitors to dedicate sufficient attention to its thoughtful interpretation of the much less exciting processes of erosion. The old Geological Museum has been much criticised--usually by non-geologists who never visited
World of Museums
321
i t - - f o r failing to attract and hold the attention of non-specialist visitors, and it remains to be seen whether the 'Restless Surface' and remaining four thematic displays to be opened in 1997-98 will succeed in holding the attention of unmotivated visitors attracted by the hype and razzmataz of 'Visions of Earth' and 'The Power Within'. In the meantime visitors descending to the first floor are able to study a substantial section of the famous gems collection, displayed without hype in their elegant post-war cases, and a selection of British fossils, together with a modest display on 'British Offshore Oil and Gas'. Far from being deserted, the low-key systematic displays of gems and British fossils were, at the present author's time of viewing, attracting and holding the rapt attention of more visitors (overwhelmingly adult) than the 'Restless Surface' display on the floor above. Perhaps there is food for thought here. At the formal Opening Ceremony for the new Earth Galleries (17 July 1996), performed by Virginia Bottomle> the Secretary of State for National Heritage, she stated: Today is the first opening of a major Lottery funded project and shows that money from The National Lottery is being used in just the way we envisaged. The l~arth Galleries provide a new and exciting museum experience. The lively interactive exhibits will no doubt be hugely popular with the schoolchildren who come from all over the country to visit the Museum, as well as the thousands of overseas visitors. With the support of Lottery funds, the latest technology has been brilliantly employed to give us a museum of the 21st century which will enhance the cultural heritage of the nation.
3. Temporary displays of Gems in the Earth Galleries of The Natural History Museum, London, in summer 1996, continuing to use their elcgant post-war display cases and traditional labelling. The quiet acoustic cnvironmellt and generous daylight provides excellent study conditions for these important systematic displays which arc scheduled to bc replaced by ';File Earth's Treasury' in 1997.
322
World of Museums
Costing a total of £12.2m, £6.06m has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the RTZ-CRA group is the lead corporate sponsor with support of £1m, with further funding provided by the Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund and BTR plc, while the remainder of the funds needed are from the Museum's selfgenerated income and thus substantially dependent upon the income to be generated from entry charges. The huge investment of Museum time and energy is unquantified, but it is not unreasonable at this juncture, after the opening of Phase I, to ask whether this money has been spent wisely? Dr Nell Chalmers, Director of The Natural History Museum since 1988, is quoted as stating at the Opening: For the first time in Britain, we will have a museum that is really going to make earth sciences accessible to visitors. The duty of scientists today is to help people understand why the earth sciences are so important . . . . Understanding them helped us gain materials from the earth, such as oil, gas and building materials, in a responsible way, while many minerals and gems were simply beautiful in themselves . . . . They also helped explain how landscapes were formed by the earth's internal processes (The Independent, 18 July 1996). Sir David Attenborough, the natural history guru, reinforced the thrust of these ideas: Perhaps scientists have taken for granted too long that excitement they feel for their subject is automatically felt by everybody. This restores the wonder of what has for too long been considered rather dull and dire stuff (op. tit.). However, the overall balance of the Museurn's priorities were reflected most clearly, a few days later, in the advertising feature placed by it in the London Evening Standard, 22 July 1996, which focussed overwhelmingly on tile elements of spectacle and entertainment for all ages. Critics have taken issue with the Museum about its excessive reliance on video imagery, the paucity of real objects on exhibition in the displays (416 specimens to date) and their near obliteration by the display techniques. Equally serious are the questions to be asked about what has been lost. The Natural History Museum, as the heir to the former Geological Museum collections and displays, provided for the British people the most comprehensive and accessible systematic displays of the geology of the United Kingdom, as might reasonably be expected of the national museum entrusted with their care. Most revealing today is the extent to which the surviving displays of gems and British fossils continue to be studied for their information content notwithstanding the seductions offered by 'The Power Within' displays on the floor above. This is evidently not just a temporary retreat from the omnipresent noise and bright lights in the new sections, but an insistent demand for real objects to be seen in an atmosphere conducive to their study and quiet reflection. As a national museum responsible for serving all British citizens, the Natural History Museum is in danger of losing sight of its core functions as it competes for the hundreds of thousands of additional paying visitors it will need each and ever}' year merely to fund these new developments. Photo Credits 1. Ncal Potter Associates, London (b> courtesy of The Natural Histom Museum). 2 8: 3. The Natural History Museum, I.ondol(. PI-THCR (],ANN()N-BR~ )OKI.:S