8 - Project Outcomes - ET

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UCL Institute of Archaeology

2012

Who Stole my Milk?2.7 Exhibition Team

Jennifer Brown & Semiha Bicer


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UCL Student Homes Project 2012 Page 313

TABLE OF CONTENT

2.7 Exhibition Team 312

2.7.1 Executive Summary 314

2.7.2 Writing Exhibition Text 316

2.7.3 Material Selection 3162.7.4 Photographs & Captions 317

2.7.5 Exhibition Tone & Voice 317

Appendix 2.7.6 QR Code Research 319

Appendix 2.7.7 Spatial Layout 321Appendix 2.7.8 Storyboards 322

Appendix 2.7.9 Text Hierarchy 325

Appendix 2.7.10 Bibliography 327

Appendix 2.7.11 Panel Design Mock Ups 329

Appendix 2.7.12 Panel Text 341

Appendix 2.7.13 Designers Brief 352

Appendix 2.7.14 ET Reportage Photographs 355


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2.7 Exhibition Team (ET)2.7.1 Executive Summary ET used the material collected by DSHT to design a 12 panel exhibit, based in

constructivism and socio-cultural approaches to learning and communication, aimed at

the projects primary target audience and which disseminated the projects

communication messages.

ET researched exhibition text writing and design, and visited other similar exhibitionspaces as well as the GMsAt Home with the Worldexhibition.

ET held meetings with AAT. Through AAT, ET undertook a front-end evaluation of theaudiences responses to some of the key ideas in the communication messages and

used these to inform the exhibition writing and design.

ET selected material for the exhibition from the interviews, and photographs collectedby DSHT to explore the projects communication messages.

ET extracted student quotations from the audio recordings to include a first personnarrative in the exhibition. This aimed to appeal to the target audience and help them

connect with the exhibition.

ET asked AAT for a formative evaluation of some chosen photographs and captions, andincorporated the feedback into the exhibition.

ET prepared summaries for each documented household thanking the participants,outlining each students data chosen for display and their exhibition portrayal. (see

DSHT progress report appendix 3.1.7)

ET remained in communication with DSHT in order to collect more information for theexhibition and to keep participants informed as to changes of how they were being

represented.


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ET continued to refine material choice as they wrote the exhibition, and some lastminute changes were made when one panel was deleted and entirely re-written.

ET established a text hierarchy that remained the same across the exhibition and wasconstructivist in design. (see appendix 2.7.9)

ET took advantage of the spatial layout to divide the communication messages. (seeappendix 2.7.7)

ET formed conceptual links between each panel section in order to demonstrate howelements of a student home work together to make them unique yet familiar to other

types of homes.

ET utilised object images and audience questions to create links with concurrentSOTW-themed exhibitions found throughout the GM.

ET created two different panel designs which were tested on the audience andpresented to the GMs Graphic Designer. (see ET progress report appendix 3.7.5)

ET prepared a designers brief to help the Graphic Designer understand the exhibition,its context, the selected materials and suggested designs. (see appendix 2.7.13)

The overall panel design presented similarities across the exhibition in order toprovide a visually cohesive display.

In addition to regular email contact, ET held meetings with their GM counterpart, AlexGoddard, to discuss panel writing, refine the selection of the exhibition material, and to

review and edit panel text.

ET also held meetings with WRT to discuss crossovers in chosen materials and possiblelinks between the two visitor resources. The teams decided the exhibition would focus

on the students relationships to the objects; the web resources would provide more

details on the objects themselves.


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ET conducted research into the use of QR codes in museum exhibitions. ET decided toinclude two QR codes which linked to the web resources. (see appendix 2.7.6)

2.7.2 Writing Exhibition TextFollowing advice from the GM, ET aimed to use no more than 150 words per panel for the

main body of text. This excluded the photograph captions. ET also met with Alex Goddard

(GM) to discuss panel text writing, and received useful resources including a V&A panel

text guide (Trench 2009). Following revisions and tightening of the text, by the final draft

the team achieved fewer than 100 words on every panel.

2.7.3 Material SelectionBefore receiving the documented material ET came up with an initial storyboard diagram

(see ET progress report appendix 3.7.4) to brainstorm how the exhibition might be

approached. After receiving all the collected material from DSHT, ET went through the

material in detail. ET looked for material that linked directly to the projects

communication messages, and to the sub-themes that came out of the data collected. The

resulting storyboard had some changes to the original proposition. The communication

messages were summarised in the introductory panel and communication message one

began on panel three. Communication message two started on panel six, and

communication message three began on panel nine.

Each panel was also assigned a specific topic and theme. This supported the constructivist

design of the exhibition, as each panel could be read and understood by itself, although the

panels were largely grouped by communication message (Hein 1998). The panels were

numbered in all the documents for clarity of explanation; this did not indicate a narrative

approach dictating how the visitor must have approached the exhibition. When deciding

the individual topics attention was also paid to AATs front-end evaluation results. In

particular, the audience demonstrated an interest in kitchen equipment and how it

represented culture and background. Two panels were therefore devoted to kitchen

objects and mugs.


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2.7.4 Photographs & CaptionsBased on the material collected ET decided to use photographs as the objects of the

exhibition. Audio and video was available on the web resources, and as discussed

elsewhere the exhibition provided links to this. The photographs provided a key material

for conveying the projects communication messages, as well as acting as a visual hook

(Rose, 2012). Reducing the word count of the body of the text also allowed plenty of room

on the panels for a greater number of large images, and engaging and explanatory

photograph captions.

The photographs chosen aimed to illustrate the ideas conveyed in the main panel text and

provide further relevant examples. The photograph choices also aimed to make visible to

the audience as much as possible of the nature and structure of student homes: where

there was a close-up of an object or feature, a wider shot of the room in which it was

situated was also included where available. Therefore the chosen photographs served two

purposes: supporting the message of the panel and evoking feelings or memories in the

audience (Rose, 2012, 319-323). The majority of photographs had an individual caption,

working from what the visitor could see in the photograph through to how the evidence

provided in the photograph linked more generally to the message of the panel (Serrell,

1996). In a few instances linked photographs only had one caption.

2.7.5 Exhibition Tone and VoiceThe tone of the exhibition had to fit with that of the GM, but also be engaging for the

primary target audience. Through the inclusion of differing student quotes and viewpoints

on the same topic the exhibition opened up the possibility for differing perspectives, rather

than being written from an authoritative perspective. This fitted in with the constructivist

approach chosen for the project, as it was not suggested that there is one right answer(Hein 1998).

ET also tried to make the exhibition topics relevant to the audience by including questions

that encouraged the audience to make links to their own experiences of making a home or


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living away from their more permanent home, whether or not they had been a student.

This decision was influenced by personal meaning-mapping theory and constructivist

learning theory (Falk and Dierking 2000; Hein 1998; Hooper-Greenhill 1994, 143). These

questions were included at the beginning of each panel. More details on our approach to

the text hierarchy can be found in appendix 2.7.9.

Ultimately, one of the key aims of this project overall had been to attract a younger

audience to the GM. ET tried to write and create an exhibition that enabled visitors in the

primary target 16-25 age group to take part in a new community-of-practice through

visiting the exhibition, and potentially discussing the exhibition as a whole, and the

questions in particular, with their fellow visitors (Hein 1998; Matusov and Rogoff 1995).

The writing of the panel questions was also informed by socio-cultural learning theory andcultural communication theory, which influenced the project as a whole (Falk and Dierking,

2000; Hooper-Greenhill 1999).


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APPENDIX 2.7.6 QR CODE RESEARCH

One of the goals of ET was to combine a mixture of material including floor plans and audio

recordings. Since the exhibition space was small ET had come up with the idea of including

links to the projects web resources in the exhibition via an URL link and/or a QR code. The

GM had not used QR codes before so ET offered to write this report on QR codes and their

current usage in UK museums.

Research on QR codes:

QR codes can be described as a kind of barcode which can contain links to web-pages.

Smart phones are able to read these codes and take people to the address contained within

it.

QR codes can link to a website, to a video; can be used as mobile audio-guide or a contact

number; let visitors know about the up-coming events and can link to a feedback form to

hear visitors comments (BB Interpretive Products Ltd, n.d).

Recently, most museums have started to use QR codes to improve their displays and

provide further information to visitors. Museum visitors consider that using a QR scanner

is a game-like way to do a routine task like navigating to a website than typing the address

into a URL bar. However, there have been some misuses of QR codes in museums like

laminating it or putting the code behind the glass (Wheeler 2011).

At the Museum of London, QR codes are located next to each exhibit. When scanned, short

films relevant to each exhibit are uploaded (Manifesta, 2011).

The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, University College London, has opened its

first QR code-based exhibition, Myth, Migration and Egyptomania. The Grant Museum of

Zoology has also located iPads next to numerous displays. Visitors can use the iPads in the

exhibition or their own smart phones. 'Both museums take part in the QRator project,

which uses digital technology to connect the public directly to the objects in the museums

collections (Whiting 2012).


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The National Gallery of Scotland is also using QR codes for their displays. Around eighty

objects in the Scotland: A Changing Nationgallery has been tagged with QR codes. Using

smart phone visitors can scan these codes to discover a treasure trove of hidden

information about the displays (National Museum of Scotland, n.d.). However, if visitors

don't have a smart phone, they can still see all the extra information about the objects and

add their comments via an URL link.

The V&A has also established amobile web content Handmade in Britain, which allows

visitors to discover more about many of the ceramics in the series. By scanning the gallery

labels which contain QR codes visitors can access more information and audio

commentary on the objects selected (Victoria and Albert Museum. n.d.).

The British Museum has considered linking to Wikipedia as a source of information from

objects in its gallery. However according to the article that published on the Guardian

newspaper, British Museum wantsQR codesto direct visitors to their own web pages and

not Wikipedias (Hitchcock 2011).

Conclusions:

Besides this research, ET also tested a smart phone to make sure if there was sufficient Wi-

Fi signal in the exhibition space. In addition, ET held a number of meetings with WRT to

discuss crossovers in chosen objects and possible links between the exhibition and the

website. Following these meetings and this research on QR codes, ET decided to include QR

codes in the exhibition. ET suggested to the Graphic Designer that the QR codes would be

located on the vinyl strips on the front of the glass panels to ensure that they could be

easily read by the smart phones. These QR codes would be linking to the interactive floor

plan and digital story on the project website.
http://www.mobilemarketinguk.net/qr-codes-2/http://www.mobilemarketinguk.net/qr-codes-2/http://www.mobilemarketinguk.net/qr-codes-2/http://www.mobilemarketinguk.net/qr-codes-2/


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APPENDIX 2.7.7 SPATIAL LAYOUT


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APPENDIX 2.7.8 STORYBOARDS


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APPENDIX 2.7.9 TEXT HIERARCHY


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ET tried to keep the text hierarchy the same across panels three-twelve. Panels one and

two as the two introductory panels were different. As a relatively small exhibition space it

was decided to introduce each subject or theme in turn on each panel, rather than have a

group panel which introduced the communication message, as we had originally planned.

A more detailed explanation of the text hierarchy is included below.

Title: Introduces the subject of the panel

Introductory questions: One or two questions per panel aim to encourage the audience to

reflect on their own experiences of, and views about, the specific topic before they read the

rest of text. The experiences of the project participants then provide suggested answers for

the audience, but do not stop the audience coming up with their own ideas. This is in linewith a constructivist approach to exhibitions.

Chunk one: Where possible there are two chunks of text of fairly equal length that can be

placed separately on the panel. These aim to make the text less linear and more accessible

[Serrell, 1996; 72].

Student quotation: Linked to each chunk of text is a student quotation that expresses a

participants view on the specific topic.

Chunk two: Please see the explanation for chunk one

Captions: Where extra photographs are being included beyond those attached to the two

student quotations additional captions are provided. These begin with what the audience

can see in the photographs, and work from these specifics to a more general observation

[Serrell, 1996, 27].


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APPENDIX 2.7.10 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Carter, J. 2001. ed.A sense of place an interpretive planning handbook. 2nd ed. [online].

Available at: [Accessed 20th Feb 2012]

Falk, J. and Dierking, L. D. 2000. Learning from Museums. Visitor experiences and the makingof meaning. Walnut Creek CA: AltaMira Press

Geffrye Museum. 2008. The Geffrye Museum of the Home A guide to the Museum. London:

Geffrye Museum

Hein, G. 1998. Learning in the Museum. New York: Routledge

Hooper-Greenhill, E. 1994. Learning from learning theory in museums. In: Hooper-

Greenhill, E. ed. 1999. The Educational Role of the Museum. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.

pp.137-145

Hooper-Greenhill, E. 1999. Education, communication and interpretation: towards a

critical pedagogy in museums. In: Hooper-Greenhill, E. ed. The Educational Role of the

Museum. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. pp. 3-27

Matusov, E. and Rogoff, B. 1995. Evidence of development from peoples participation in

communities of learners. In: Falk, J. and Dierking, L. D. eds. Public Institutions for Personal

Learning. Washington DC: AAM. pp. 97-104

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. 2008. Inspiring Learning: An improvement

framework for museums, libraries and archives. Available at:

[Accessed 29 February 2012]

Rose, G. 2012. Making photographs as part of a research project: photo-documentation,

photo-elicitation and photo-essays. In: Rose, G. 2012. Visual Methodologies An

Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials. 3rd ed. London: Sage. pp. 297-327

Serrell, B. 1996. Exhibit Labels An Interpretative Approach. Oxford: AltaMira Press

Trench, L. 2009. Gallery Text at the V&A A Ten Point Guide. V&A. [unpublished]

For QR Report:


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BB Interpretive Products Ltd. n.d. Using QR Codes Within Museums, Trails Etc.

[online] Available from: http://www.blackboxav.co.uk/using-qr-codes-within-museums-

trails-etc/ [Accessed 10 April 2012]

Hitchcock, G., 2011. British Museum Makes the Wikipedia Connection. Guardian Online,

[online] Available from:http://www.guardian.co.uk/government-computing-

network/2011/aug/08/british-museum-wikipedia [Accessed 10 April 2012]

Manifesta, 2011. QR Codes bring fresh views on heritage inside the Museum of London.

Available from: http://www.manifesta.org.uk/uploads/PressReleaseOct2011.pdf

[Accessed 10 April 2012]

National Museum of Scotland. n.d. Tales of a Changing Nation. [online] Available from:

http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/national_museum/explore_the_galleries/scotland_a

_changing_nation/tales_of_a_changing_nation.aspx [Accessed 10 April 2012]

Victoria and Albert Museum. n.d. Handmade in Britain: Mobile Content[online] Available

from: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/handmade-in-britain-mobile/ [Accessed

10 April 2012]

Wheeler, J. 2011. QR Codes in Museums. [online] Available from:

http://www.themobilists.com/2011/08/30/qr-codes-in-museums/[Accessed 10 April

2012]

Whiting, J. 2012. Rise and Success of QR Codes in London. [online] Available from:

http://www.innovcity.com/2012/01/18/rise-success-qr-codes-london/ [Accessed 10

April 2012]
http://www.themobilists.com/2011/08/30/qr-codes-in-museums/http://www.themobilists.com/2011/08/30/qr-codes-in-museums/http://www.themobilists.com/2011/08/30/qr-codes-in-museums/


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APPENDIX 2.7.11 PANEL DESIGN MOCK UPS


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APPENDIX 2.7.12 PANEL TEXT

Who Stole my Milk?

Exploring Student Homes in London

Text for Concourse Cases Display: 15th May 9th September 2012

Notes:

Panel texts are for 1x wall mounted panel at the bottom of the stairs and 11x panels in glass

cases going right to left around the exhibition space.

Word counts are for the main bodies of text, subdivided where appropriate.

Panel 1 [Panel Design: as per PDF mock-up]

Who Stole My Milk?

Exploring Student Homes in London

Student homes are shared spaces; scenes of conflict, compromise, friendship and cultural

exchange. They are also unavoidably temporary. In this exhibition you will see how

cooking, decorations and personal objects come together in students attempts to create a

home away from home. Fourteen students from four house and flat shares have shared their

homes and stories.

This project is a collaboration between MA students from UCL Institute of Archaeology and

the Geffrye Museum and is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad project Stories of the

World.

[Word count: 87]

IMAGES: IMG 4548, IMG 4790, IMG 4704, IMG 4875, UCL Team Reportage IMGS P1100988and P1110030

[Logos of UCL and Stories of the World]


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Panel 2 [Panel Design: as per PDF mock-up]

Meet the Students

Tower Hamlets [Exterior images IMG 4600 and 4681]

[Facial Crop from IMG 4671] Sophie is French and doing a postgraduate degree in Politics.

She has recently moved to the flat to live with her boyfriend Sebastian.

[Facial Crop from IMG 4705]Sebastian is from Germany and is a postgraduate student in

Development Management.

[Facial Crop from IMG 4704]Ted is American and is studying Teaching English as a

Foreign Language.

[Facial Crop from IMG 4663]Jack is British. He is doing a postgraduate degree in EconomicHistory.

Barnet [Exterior Shot: Image name House 1]

[Facial crop from IMG 4790] Gabriele is Italian and is doing a PhD in Biochemistry and

Molecular Biology.

[Facial Crop from IMG 4724] Jamie is British and is doing a PhD in Archaeology.

[Facial Crop from IMG 4825] Alessandra is Italian. She is also doing her PhD in

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Islington [Exterior images IMG 4514 and IMG 4515]

[Facial Crop from IMG 4548/ Facial Crop]Yiyuan is from China and studying for a degree

in Chemical Engineering.

[Facial Crop from IMG 4589]Weijia is a Chinese postgraduate student on an Executive

Leadership Programme.

[Facial Crop from IMG 4548]Alan is from China and studying for a masters degree in

Finance.

[Facial Crop from IMG 4581]Echo comes from China. She studies Cultural Heritage.


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Camden [Exterior images - File names: P1120224, P1120221]

[Facial crop from IMG 4875]TA comes from Vietnam. He studies architecture.

[Facial crop from IMG 4875]Hoa studies Finance. She shares the room with her boyfriend

TA. She is also Vietnamese.

[Facial crop from IMG 4875]Natasha comes from Malta. She is doing an MBA focusing on

the Health Care Sector.

Panel 3 [Panel Design: Website-style]

Living with complete strangers

Imagine yourself as a student coming to London, a city where you know no-one.

You find yourself living with people you have never met before.

Sharing a house with others can be a lot of fun and a great way to make lifelong friendships.

But there are also the realities of daily life - splitting the bills, noisy parties or whose turn it

is to buy the milk.

Would these lead to conflict or compromise? [Word Count: 50]

(Facial Crop from IMG 4663 and IMG 4704)Sophie, Tower Hamlets: I had very

nice experiences of flat sharing. But I can see how it would be a problem if I was

sharing a flat with people I didnt like, or if I wasnt on the same page as them, I would

hate it.

(Facial Crop from IMG 4875, whole of IMG 4875 and IMG 4878)Hoa, Camden: I

dont mind sharing my cooking equipment with my flatmates, but it depends on the

personality.

(Facial Crop from IMG 4594 (include some of doorframe as well as face) and

IMG 4548)Yiyuan, Islington: I dont like to share a house with others, but still get

along well with my flatmates and feel comfortable here.


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(IMG 4655 (possibly pointing to features in fridge) and IMG 4663) [quote as

caption] Jack in the Tower Hamlets kitchen: Ted buys a massive skimmed milk which

no one else uses, takes up a whole fridge shelf and inevitably it gets thrown out half

way through usage because its gone off. Space in the fridge can be a source of

conflict in student homes.

(IMG 4827 and IMG 4774) [caption]The one female flatmate in Barnet, Alessandra,

posts an amusing poster on the boys toilet door.

Panel 4 [Panel design: comic-style]

My space, your space

How would you feel if your bedroom was also a shared living room?

Shared living always requires compromise. Student houses are unique arenas where

people with different lifestyles and backgrounds try and create a home together. The

students find that being considerate towards their flatmates and respecting their space is

vital in creating a happy home. [Word count: 43]

(Facial crop from 4663)Jack, Tower Hamlets: The philosophy of the flat is sharing

and caring.

The Tower Hamlets flat in particular requires a lot of compromise. One flatmate, Jack,

allows his room to be used as the living room. Luckily they know each other well and are

aware of their boundaries. [Word count: 36]

[Total two word counts: 79]

(Floor Plan)[caption]Floor Plan showing Jacks room/the living room in the Tower

Hamlets flat, drawn by Sophie.

(IMG 4643)[caption]Half of Jacks bedroom is used as the living room, Tower

Hamlets. (IMG 4642) Details of Jacks open plan bedroom can also be seen.

(IMG 4609 (full shot not cropped))Sophie, in the bedroom shared with her

boyfriend at Tower Hamlets: We intrude a lot by being around already [in Jacks

room], so I dont want to leave anything around.

(IMG 4613 and IMG 4611 highlighting where details in IMG 4613

are)[caption]A detail from Sophie and Sebastians bedroom, Tower Hamlets. They


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keep their belongings in their personal space. (IMG 4708) A detail of the opposing

end of Sophie and Sebastians room. Sebastian sits on their bed.

Panel 5 [Panel Design: Website style]

Bringing University home

Does home represent an escape from work?

Or is it a more comfortable place to study?

Looking around the flats reveals that the students really are interested in their subjects.

Many bring academic-related decoration into this most intimate space - the home. [Word

count: 26]

(IMG 4828, plus wider shots of bathroom IMG 4727 and 4726 collaged next to

main image) [quote as caption]Alessandra, Barnet: We have a shower curtain that isa periodic table. Gabriele, one of a total of four scientists living in the house, shows

the curtain to our interviewers.

A bedroom doubling as a study is a familiar feature for students of all ages. Whether at

school, home, or away at university, their books and computers become an important

feature of their rooms. [Word count: 34]

[Total of two word counts: 60]

(IMG 4971 (from new photos) and context shot IMG 4549)Weijia, Islington: The

laptop is a most important machine to contact family and friends and for mystudies. It is the laptop his parents bought for him when he first went to university.

As both a personal and academic object, he does not want other students in the flat

to use it and it is kept in his bedroom.

(IMG 4663 (full shot not cropped) and IMG 4616)[caption]Sophie, Tower Hamlets,

with her academic year planner mounted in her bedroom.

(IMG 4719) [caption]The books on Jamies bedroom shelves reveal his interest in

the heritage industry and culture [Barnet].

(IMG 4909) )[caption]Natashas desk in her Camden bedroom.


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Panel 6 [Panel Design: Comic-style]

Cooking up memories

Would you ever view your cutlery sentimentally?

Would this change if you had to share a kitchen?

Like any household, kitchen utensils are essential objects for daily living in student homes.

We do not usually give them much thought, but having to share them with strangers can

give the simplest everyday objects a higher significance. [Word count: 38]

(IMG 4733 and File names Cutlery 1 and Kitchen 2) [quote as caption]Jamies

cutlery with different handles sits in the top of the cutlery draw at Barnet. Jamie:

For some reason I have brought a knife, a fork and a spoon from my home. It ki nda

feels like home when I use them.

The kitchen equipment in student flats is usually provided by the landlord. The objects

students bring therefore tend to be very personal and reflect their cultural backgrounds

and cuisines, like rice cookers brought all the way from China. [Word count: 38]

[Total word count: 76]

(IMG 4587 and IMG 4581 facial crop. Also IMG DSC05703 and IMG DSC05705

for context)Echos rice cooker in the Islington kitchen: It is very old, because my

Mum and Dad used it.

(IMG 4825) [caption]Alessandra, an Italian student in the Barnet house, with her

espresso maker and cup she brought from Italy.

Panel 7 [Panel Design: Website-style]

Dont touch my mug

Do you have a favourite mug at home?

Would you use it for your guests?

The first thing people tend to do when a visitor comes round is offer them a drink. Cups

and mugs are therefore associated with the social side of homes.


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However, look in a students bedroom and the same mug is always there - it is never left in

the kitchen cupboard. Students often become attached to their mug as a physical link to

their past homes, or as a reflection of their personal style. [Total word count: 74]

(IMG 4903 (not cropped) and also IMG 4904 and 4910 collaged next to main

photo) [quote as caption]Natasha, Camden: Its incredible how I wont take it out,just because if they break it, I really like it.

(IMG 4829 and collaged over right hand side IMG 4724) [quote as caption]Jamie,

Barnet: I got that mug from a girlfriend, from America. Id seen it and thought it was

the best thing Id ever seen. I think the handle is on the verge of breaking, it has been

used so often. It has a picture of American writers, with their names all round the side.

(IMG 4705) [caption]Sebastian, Tower Hamlet, holds the mug his sister picked up

for him in a charity shop.


Carrying home across borders

If you were going to live abroad for a year

which objects would you take with you?

Familiar objects make us feel at home. Living in a temporary home, often in a foreign

country, makes students even more aware of this.

Many of the students described the personal objects they carried to London with them.

These priceless objects connect them to their families and help them feel comfortable.

[Word count: 51]

(IMG 4581 and IMG 4588) [quote as caption]Echo, Islington: I have a little Buddha

made from jade. It is a gift from my Mum to bless me as I am far away from home and

she is worried about me.The Buddha is on the necklace that Echo wears.

Students also do not wish to place these objects in the shared spaces. Sebastians differing

attitude towards his guitar and record player demonstrates this. [Word count: 24]



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(IMG 4642 and IMG 4645 to be superimposed on this to show context) [quote

as caption]Sebastian, Tower Hamlets: One personal object that I have in the shared

space is the guitar in the living room I suddenly realised it would be nicer to share

it.

(IMG 5001)[caption] Sebastian, Tower Hamlets, holds his familys record player inhis bedroom.At the beginning of the year Jack asked me to keep it in the living room,

and I preferred not to as I was worried about it getting broken.

[On vinyl strip at the bottom of the panel: For more information on the students personal

objects please visit the Geffrye Museums Learning for Universities section of the website at

www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/learning.A QR code also to be included that will link directly to

interactive floor plan.]


Where is home?

What does home mean to you?

Is it the place where you grew up or where you live now?

Or is it where you feel most comfortable?

For most of the participants the place they considered to be home is not where they

currently live, but their family home. A few, however, identified home as somewhere they

feel comfortable rather than a specific location. [Word count: 37]

[IMG 4581 Facial crop]Echo, Islington: This is not my home I dont think I need to

decorate it. I treat it as a place where I can sleep. Echo shares this bedroom with her

boyfriend Alan.

(IMG 4663) [caption]Jack, Tower Hamlets, sits in the half of the living room that

serves as his bedroom, holding his photo album: I dont have a location or place in

mind I get the feeling Im always moving on and Im very comfortable with that idea Most of my personal objects that remind me of home remind me of relationships.

For those who view their flats only as accommodation rather than a home their

decoration is often very minimal and temporary in nature. [Word count: 23]
http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/learninghttp://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/learninghttp://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/learning


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(IMG 4664 (not zoomed in or cropped)[caption]Sophie only recently moved into

the Tower Hamlets flat with her boyfriend Sebastian. Their bedroom poster

encapsulates this homes temporary nature.

(IMG 4912 and IMG 4905)[caption]Natashas suitcases remain at the end of her

bed in the Camden house. A common feature of student bedrooms, suitcases are a

constant reminder that student homes are only temporary accommodations.

(IMG 4762 and IMG 4757)[caption]Gabrieles pinboard from his bedroom in the

Barnet house displays postcards and tickets he has collected during the year.


Turning a house into a home

Would you agree that it is the little things that make a house a home?

Time as a student is fleeting, but it is a key stage in life that shapes your identity as you try to

create a home away from home. Personalizing your home reflects your character and helps

others understand who you are and what you value.

Many students make a conscious effort to decorate their accommodation and make it feel

homely. Much of their decoration also has emotional meaning for the students and connects

them to their family homes. [Total word count: 78]

(IMG 4750) [quote as caption]Alessandra sits in her decorated bedroom in Barnet: I

try to make the place where I live a comfortable place, where I like to relax and that

reminds me of my true orreal home which is where my parents live.

(IMG 4933 and IMG 4927)[caption]The row of plant pots on the landing

windowsill of the Camden house attempts to bring a feeling of home into this

temporary accommodation.


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(IMG 4982 montaged onto edge of IMG 4633)[caption]The Tower Hamlets fridge

is covered with postcards and flyers from events the flatmates have been to

together.


Living in London is a Gastronomic Adventure

London is a truly cosmopolitan metropolis!

Londons students arrive in a city where food from all over the world is available easily and

cheaply. The kitchen in student homes becomes a key zone of cultural exchange, where

students can experiment with these different cuisines and tastes. You can mix the cultures

in one kitchen and taste the whole world. [Word count: 53]

(IMG 4581 Facial Crop)Echo, Islington: I mix salad, pizza or cake with Chinese food,

I eat them together

[Collage of mixed packaging IMGS 4547, 4533 and 4546] [caption] An

international mix of food packages in the Islington kitchen.

(IMG 4584 and IMG 4589 Facial Crop of Weijia including full top half of

photograph) Weijias cooking ingredients and personal chopsticks in the Islington

kitchen. I cook the Italian noodles in Chinese way, with Chinese sauces.Chinese style

Italian noodles!

Not all students are persuaded though. Some choose to stick with the food they know, and

dont want the bother of cooking. [Word count: 22]


(Slightly wider facial crop of IMG 4548, and IMG 4525 Yiyuan, Islington: I dont

even cook, I go to Chinese restaurant everyday.Restaurant and takeaway menus are

kept posted on the fridge.


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Panel 12 [Panel Design: Combination of website and comic style]

Flatmates into Friends

Sophie, Tower Hamlets: Home is a place where I feel safe with family or

people I call family.

The objects and decorations students put in their homes can only go so far towards making

them comfortable. For a sense of place, the real key is the people they live with and the

relationships that they make. This creates attachments to the home and the city.

Despite hectic university schedules and diverse flatmates, many students feel that they

have created a home together. They forge friendships that can act like family in this

temporary home, and may last well beyond the time spent sharing the flat together.


(IMG 4700)[quote as caption] The four students in the Tower Hamlets flat hold the

living room DVD projector that brings them together. Sebastian: What makes me

feel most at home is spending a day at uni, and you come back and, although we dont

cook together that much, we often eat together and sit in the living room and talk or

watch something on the projector and switch off from uni.

(IMG 4650 and IMG 4641 to show context)[caption]The living room coffee table

at Tower Hamlets has DVDs and board games that also provide a social focus for the

flatmates.

(IMG 4790)[caption]The students in the Barnet house have a dining room where

they can sit and eat together. Jamie has cooked a risotto which the friends are

enjoying together.

(IMG 4710)[caption]Jack and Sebastian from Tower Hamlets are eyeing up some

home cooked treats for the flatmates to share.

(IMG 4875 and IMG 4548) [caption]The kitchen is the main social space for the

students in the Camden house and Islington flat.

[Vinyl strip at the bottom of the glass: To watch an online video about student homesplease visit the Geffrye Museums Learning for Universities section of the website at

www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/learning. QR code linking to the digital story also to beincluded on the strip.]
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APPENDIX 2.7.13 DESIGNERS BRIEF

Stories of the World exhibition at the Geffrye: Designers Brief

Who Stole My Milk? Exploring student homes in London

15 May 9 September 2012

Location

This exhibition will be located in the concourse cases. The wall panel at the bottom of the

stairs will be an introductory panel, and we are also using 11x panels in the glass cases

going from right to left around the exhibition space.

Target Audience

The primary target audience for the exhibition is the 16-25 age group. We are thereforeaiming to make the exhibition as visually appealing to this group as possible. The

secondary and tertiary audiences are the Geffryes core audience and those under 15

respectively.

Exhibitions Themes

The main themes covered are:

- Conflict and compromise in student homes shared spaces- Academic decoration- Personal and practical objects of sentimental value- Temporary nature of student homes and temporary decoration- Homely decoration- Friendship

The structure of most panels is:

- Introductory question or comment- Two fairly equal chunks of text- At least one student quotation per panel- Additional photograph captions where required

The materials included in the exhibition are text and images.

Design Testing

The exhibition team came up with two different designs:


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- Comic-style with speech bubbles [Please see Design A PDF mock-ups]- Website-style intended to look like forum or facebook posts [Please see Design B

PDF mock-ups]

Both designs aim to appeal to the target audience, whilst also being familiar to our other

exhibition audiences. They also aim to place visual emphasis on the student quotationswithin the exhibition. This is felt to be important for the target audience and reflective of

the social history nature of this project.

The two designs were tested on the Youth Panel through a focus group discussion, and on a

broader audience via an online survey. Some key results were:

Youth Panel

- Website style clearer to read and easier to understand preferred for panel 3- Comic style preferred for panel 4 as fitted the panel layout better- Both designs could be used in the same exhibition- Website style would appeal most to the target audience- Overall preference = website style. 7 votes to 2

Online Survey

- Comic-style was more fun and eye-catching- Website-style was easier to read- Overall preference = comic style. 22 votes to 7

Design Suggestions

As audience evaluation indicated both styles could be used in the same exhibition, offered

different benefits and suited different panels depending on content we have suggested a

design pattern as below. This is based on content and number of student quotations per

panel.

Area 1:

Panels 1 and 2 as per the PDF mock ups.

Area 2 [Glass covered panels 3-5]

Panel 3 website [favoured by Youth Panel for this panel]

Panel 4 comic [favoured by Youth Panel for this panel]


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Panel 5 website [Suggested because the quote on the shower curtain is actually

from Alessandra. Therefore in her website post she can include the picture of

Gabriele with the curtain]


Panel 6 comic

Panel 7 website

Panel 8 comic

Panel 9 comic


Panel 10 comic

Panel 11 comic

Panel 12 combine two styles:The top quote from Sophie could be in a comic

speech bubble, Sebastians quote could be a website post at the bottom of the panel.

Design suggestions for making collages of individual images, or superimposing images, is

included in the panel text document next to the relevant image numbers.

Fonts

The title of the projects online blog is in Action Jackson available at:http://www.fontfreak.com/fonts-a.htm.

Who Stole My Milk?

Exploring student homes in London

We are wondering whether it would work to use the same font for the exhibition title on

panel 1.

Student quotations: suggesting the same font in both the speech bubbles and the websitestyle in order to be visually cohesive. Suggesting Kristen ITC, Palatino Linotype, Bradley Hand ITC.

Colours

As per PDF mock ups: Black strip top and bottom of panel with white title text for all

panels. Rest of panel white with black text.
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APPENDIX 2.7.14 ET REPORTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS

Both members of ET, Jennifer Brown and Semiha Bicer, pose for the Project Photographer

fully aware that this image will appear on WRTs blog.

ET member, Jennifer Brown, presents the teams progress during the last panel meeting at

the GM.

8 - Project Outcomes - ET

Documents

Transcript of 8 - Project Outcomes - ET