After revisiting my research I noticed the bottom zone of the ocean, which is the main zone which my exhibition is based on, is called the Abyssal Zone and I think the word ‘Abyss’ perfectly sums up my idea. Abyss I think sums up the cold, dark and unknown idea behind my exhibition.
The exhibition will be based around the deepest parts of the ocean and the idea that we are still completely in the dark about the deep sea. It will be based around people who are still largely unaware of the wonders of the deep sea and want to be a part of an immersive experience into the Abyss.
Overall as exhibition spaces go I didn’t want to have it anywhere with an aquatic theme, I just wanted it to be in a large open space where the darkness would consume the space and where the viewer would feel as though they really are in the middle of the Abyss with nothing around them. I looked up some of the largest exhibition spaces in the world and found the Fiera Milano in Italy. Typically the space is used more for trade fairs etc, however after seeing the empty warehouse within the space I realised it would be perfect for the exhibition. The space is large with high cielings which would make the viewer feel as though they have been consumed and especially with minimal lights inside it will be almost impossible to see any structures such as the walls or ceilings.
The plan would be to construct a variety of walls within the space which would act as the outer walls of the exhibition, these structures would hold lights and objects inside them that would help with the idea of the darkness and reflecting lights.
Content:
Room 1 – The Known, will be based around what we already know about the deep sea. Although the exhibition is based around the unknown and all the amazing part of the sea we know nothing about, I wanted to give a short insight into what we already know. I did however want to show the idea that although we know some knowledge about the deep sea, we are still largely in the dark and only know about 5% of the ocean, so I decided the images and videos seen within the first exhibition space would all be viewed through small peep holes to illustrate this idea that we only know about a very small amount of what the viewer will be seeing.
Room 2 – Enigma is about the parts of the ocean which we know a glimpse about but are still largely unaware. The content of the room will be based around what we know about the depths of the ocean but are unable to see or investigate further. The visuals will all be cgi and vr due to the fact we don’t have any real footage. All images will be in a very bright, intense colour with over exaggerated movements to draw the eye. The room layout will be the same as in the first room, with the content still being viewed through peep-holes.
Room 3&4 – Luminous and Fantasia will both be largely based more around fantasy than the real life under the sea. Both rooms will be more about expressing the world of the unknown down under the ocean and portraying this through bright, expressive light shows which will let the viewers imagination run wild.
Ben Jackson 