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p r o j e c t p o r t f o l i o

Take a closer look at a unique approach to interpretation and the visitor experience at longwood Gardens.

The Meadow Garden | webb FarMhouse & Galleries

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an arTisTic approach To inTerpreTive desiGn and learninG

the impressionist claude Monet once said, “I would like to paint the way a bird sings.” in such simple words, he captured the inspiration of nature – its sounds, textures, colors, scents, muted subtleties and brazen contrasts. Gecko Group followed the Meadow’s inspiration, and created unique and artistic learning experiences throughout the 86-acre Meadow Garden and interior galleries of the historic Webb farmhouse.

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Spring is the season of promise and renewal, of tender shoots, delicate greens, nesting birds, and an abundance of new life.

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The Meadow Garden

challenged to develop interpretation about life in the Meadow that would not interfere with the visitor’s view of it’s beauty, the design team rejected typical signage solutions. in order to preserve unobstructed views and to encourage the visual and sensory experience, subtle design solutions were integrated into the Meadow experience. exploration of alternative materials used in unique and artisticways, present interpretation that accommodates multiple learning styles.

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Low profile interpretation and orientation maps were strategically placed along the pathways of the 86-acre meadow. Direct embed signs on weathered corten steel bases offer information about the many habitats within the meadow, sustainability messages, and points of interest. Maps with wayfinding messages help orient visitors and guide them to multiple destinations within the Meadow.

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The Forest Edge tells the story of the unique ecosystem of the successional edge and the need to control its growth as part of maintaining the meadow. Artfully displayed, wood tree rounds highlight the relationships between the flora and fauna through subtle stain colors and screen printed graphics. A weathered corten steel panel is integrated with the architecture and introduces the overall topic through etched and pierced text and illustrations.

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Autumn is the season of maturity, mellow as ripened fruit. The rich greens of summer become blazing scarlets, shimmering oranges, and golden browns. Shadows become longer, and crisp days are reminders of the coming winter chill.

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Great care was taken to present information in an unobtrusive manner. Beautifully crafted land and water bridges offer great vistas that help frame the narrative for these experiences. Custom illustrations on direct embed panels wrap the hand rails of both bridges creating a story telling device that informs and delights visitors while remaining discreet in the meadow environment.

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Bronze sculptures were commissioned for the project and are sprinkled throughout. Found in hidden corners of the meadow they support the interpretive concepts in an artful and tactile way.

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Summer is lush, sizzling, and brilliant. It is a multi-colored palette, a theater of activity, and a rich symphony of sounds. The Meadow hums and buzzes with life in the heat of a summer day.

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Pollination is one of the most vital processes to sustaining life on earth and in the Meadow. The relationship between plants and their pollinators is a powerful example of nature’s economy. We developed a series of illustrated interpretive tiles with embedded bronze sculptures to help tell this story. Mason bee hive towers were also custom made and will be home to many bees that will continue to pollinate the meadow and surrounding lands.

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The Meadow Garden is an extraordinary place for watching birds. They may be spotted flying high above, nesting in a nearby tree or nest box. Look up and across the Meadow and watch for a splash of color or a graceful glide of wings. To help visitors identify these birds we installed a spotting scope and beautifully illustrated ID panels that wrap the support beams of the structure. To offer a different perspective, bird silhouettes were crafted from painted metal and suspended from the ceiling offering a surprise to those who enter and another way to help identify birds.

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Temporary and changeable seasonal signage is subtly integrated into the landscape.

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A year in the Meadow is a cycle of change in which each season arrives with its own allure. Winter unleashes a raw beauty – stark outlines and neutral grasses are animated by the presence of crisp wind and rolling clouds. Winter’s pause sets the stage for the transition of spring activity.

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webb FarMhouse & Galleries

the culminating experience at the Webb farmhouse invites visitors to explore two galleries. one expresses the Meadow through the changing seasons with herbariums, sculpture, photography and illustration. A second gallery tells the story of the people who inhabited the land and its use over time told through an atypical timeline of maps, historic photographs and artifacts, that are displayed salon style. Visitors are invited to explore herbarium boxes, books and artifacts on display.

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The meadow today surrounds each guest with the wonder and beauty of nature. It blooms in a place that has long been part of the region’s history – a history that may be obscured by the changing beauty of each day. Here, in this place, the past and present come together, as both nature and human history unveil their stories.

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The West Gallery immerses the visitor in the rich visual and sensual experience of the seasons. Calling out close-up images of birds, plants, and animals, clustering them in artistic arrangements, reinforcing the sense of change and variety, and evoking awareness of the beauty of nature itself. From the skillfully crafted bird sculptures made of paper to the unfolding frond of a delicate fern, these images and objects are exhibited within a grid-like system that will allow Longwood to easily change the exhibit as the new meadow emerges.

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Commissioned photography, illustration and sculpture, along with beautiful herbarium specimens created by Longwood, tell a visually rich and compelling story of the seasonal changes in the meadow and provide a 360° view.

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The East Gallery builds on its historical context, using the 17th century background to examine the history of the land and its surroundings. Photographs, artists’ images, and reproductions of early documents presented in an atypical timeline, connect visitors to the extraordinary events that happened in this place over a span of 400 years.

Images are displayed in weathered frames and look as if they’ve been hung by the families that lived here long ago. To keep the walls free of interpretive labels we created a printed Gallery Guide that offers information about each image. Digital reproductions of Longwood’s vast collection of herbariums were also produced giving guests an opportunity to sit and explore the many plants that have grown in the meadow over time.

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The Meadow Garden holds many opportunities for discovery. Even nighttime hosts its own mysterious sounds and movements in the Garden.

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a collaboraTive projecT

through design, illustration, sculpture, poetic label writing, and unique assemblages of materials, Gecko Group, collaborating with a group of artists, has created an interpretive experience that uses art as a gesture that leads back to nature.

for more information about this project or collaborating with Gecko Group, contact usat 610-430-0305 or info@geckogroup.com.

Gecko Group’s full services included: content development, script

and label writing, exhibit design, interpretive graphic design, project

management, fabrication and installation interface.

arTisTs

Beverly sheppard | Writer / Developer

carlos alejandro | Commissioned Photography

Jim Moffett | Photography

Natalya Zahn | Flora and fauna Illustrations

steven stankiewicz | Map Illustrations

Becky ault | Bronze sculptures

Diana Beltran Herrera | Paper Bird Sculptures

FabricaTors

Usa | Exhibit Fabrication, Webb Farmhouse

Ms signs | Exhibit Fabrication, Meadow

Meadow photography presented here by Carlos Alejandro, illustration by

Natalya Zahn and exhibit photography courtesy of USA, Carlos Alejandro,

and Gecko Group. Image text by Beverly Sheppard.