Create a time-line / checklist: This week copying and laminating - Next week: buy or beg materials - Two weeks: covering display boxes with matching paper - Three weeks: collect books matching the display....
Be careful with your fingers (blow - blow) the glue is very hot and you easily get blisters
Each object needs its own space. Think of a shop window that is more than full with appliances, you can’t distinguish one object from the other, while carefully placed objects attract the attention.
Travel the world from your lazy chair
We all have our dreams; where to go when we win the lotto or what we’ll do when we have time and money enough to travel the world; Africa – South America or maybe the pyramids in Egypt. Those thoughts were the base for this display.
Since not everyone can travel when desired you can always travel in your mind to unknown destinations by fantasizing or reading books about other cultures and far away destinations.
What kind of images could people have in their mind when thinking of being somewhere else, doing something totally different?
I wanted to create an insightful look in the mind of different kinds of people (see: personality types) to show that most of us dream of things others would not even think of. I opened up (literally) the minds of some of the figures on the display like the insight you get in others peoples life when reading a book. Timeframes were not relevant and I crossed cultures, time and gender.
Tutankhamon dreams of sailing to unknown destinations and the book in his hands tells stories about the Phoenicians. The ninja can stop jumping or fighting and use his mind power to dream of the unknown. The snake-head man represents the ultimate fantasy; who would dream to have snakes sliding in your nostrils and coming out of your throat? But this African man makes it happen. This image in particular will attract lots of attention from the students. I made it even more realistic by using extra copies of snakes and Rasta plaits to paste them on top of the photo for a 3D effect (see: display tips).
Te Aho-te-Rangi Wharepu dreams of being a ballerina (the image is hidden under his hat) and the geisha opens up her umbrella to give you an insight in her inner world. The Indian just booked a ticket to Venice and dreams of wearing a Venetian Mask instead of the same old feathers, while the orange punk boy dreams of Africa and lions but might see things a bit black and white.
While working on the posters my imagination grew wilder and wilder and often I grinned while imagining what I could add to make it even more hilarious.
It was lots of fun to find punchy lines about heads and books illustrating that you can travel the world from your lazy chair if you have the right book.
What you need:
- a huge imagination
- courage to try something unfamiliar
- a bit of extra time and space to prepare the posters
- copies of (enlarged) images from library books or internet
- different colours card and paper
- large size coloured card
- pink and blue wrapping paper
- tools: blu-tack/ tape/ stapler/ scissors/ guillotine/ ruler/ glue stick
What to do:
Take an image you choose and look how you can make it 3D. Place it on the poster. Find slogans referring to reading and books and cut and paste them to the poster. Don’t be shy, make it funny or unusual or even scary. Use book stories or magazines articles to make your poster more adventurous. Copy ideas from this website display and use them to your own advantage, it will make me proud; photos are welcome.
This display contains all the elements I describe in: Tips for creating displays. I used unusual colour schemes, created 3D effects, used the offcuts to connect images and text and stepped out of the box of traditional thinking while letting my imagination grow wild.
Seeing my ideas coming together in this bright 3D display was a fantastic journey.
To view a larger photo of the total display click on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gr8displays/
And.....Keep an open mind for unusual, funny or cartoon-like images in magazines, books and daily papers like the image above that was featured on the front page of Canvas magazine, Cut them out or copy them and store them for when you need inspiration. One unusual image can be the base for an imaginative display. You don't need to do all the hard work yourself.
You can hang little objects like birds, light bulbs, little books, art objects etc from the frame. Voile fabric draped over the frame will give it an extra elegance.... let your imagination run wild and try it out!