Early in this project I paid a visit to this local art gallery/museum for inspiration. The house showcases the lifestyle of those who occupied it, including many royal visitor's portraits and gifts to the house. Two displays showcase objects collected from their travels to Japan and Europe, including illustrations, armer, pottery and furniture. The Japanese Room had a conventional layout found in many museums, while the other items were on display behind glass within the original house. The Japanese room hosted impressive objects, though it was difficult to find the corresponding information to explain what was on show. Large blocks of text stickered onto the wall provided interesting background information, though I found it difficult to pay sufficient attention to it and read in depth. The one interactive was out of order on the date of my visit, but it seemed to consist of screens that would tell a story associated with the items. For me, the most effective elements of this room were the hanging, enlarged card cutouts of items suspended from the ceiling as they are a simple and eye catching way to sum up the style and key items on display. There were few illustrations or photographs to be found here but I did find them much easier to learn from than taking time to read all of the text across the walls.
The areas beyond the conservatory of the house were much more like a traditional art gallery consisting of sculpture and portraiture. Child participation has been strongly considered here, with activities such as giant puzzles, dress-up and question sheets provided. Some of these sheets were organized to cater for different learning levels, considering the needs and interests of the different age groups. The Manga to Muriel section successfully caters for adults and children, the walls showing a series of illustrations with captions while there are several display cabinets posing questions and highlighting points for the kids to look at. In the centre of the room, there are photocopied segments from the drawings for children to create their own interpretation of the artwork.
The merits of this museum include its layout and setting amongst the restored house. There is sufficient information also about the funding and conservation behind it's upkeep to assure visitors where their donations will be spent. Unfortunately, there is a strict no bag and no photography policy here so I was unable to include any exhibits that really stood out to me in my comparison report.
Museum website: www.russel-cotes.bournemouth.gov.uk
Modern day photographs of Beijing and the Forbidden City provide me with a style and theme for my early presentation boards. These images were found on Google Earth and allow me to imagine how a gallery themed around Ancient China should look. The fact that these palaces have been preserved and opened to the public show the potential for educating tourists about Ancient Chinese life. The Western market are also interested in the culture and History behind these sites, generating huge markets selling replica goods of this original style and symbolic nature of these items. I have recently found a collectors guide to Hair comb collecting which sites Oriental design as a major influence in Art Deco Jewelry. After further researching jewelry trends on the internet it appears that there are many collectors and enthusiasts who would love to own a piece of Oriental jewelry for themselves at present day, due to their vintage appeal and high value.
