Great War Exhibition

Entering the space was quite a contrast after being just outside and the setting of the village really drew you into the feeling of the time era.  The dim lighting was throughout the village and I liked how some of the windows were open and lights were on. Some of the storefront shops needed some more lighting as it wasn't all that easy to see the detail of what was in them. I was amazed with the amount of detail of all the little things throughout the exhibition. The exhibition led you through a linear time period of the war following the story of Peter Jacksons grandfather Will. The spaces were broken up by large tombstone arches into the next year. In these small spaces your eyes were drawn up and the light was much brighter which also helped with breaking up the separate year spaces. Throughout the exhibition was quite a large use of diorama and cabinet of curiosity, the exhibition space relied heavily on visuals and detail rather than worded information. I did see text but none of this stood out enough for me to actually read it or want to read it. There were stations throughout where you could open the lid to boxes and smell what different types of grenades would smell like. The other sensing aspect of the exhibition was being able to put your hand inside the tank and feel the warmth the soilders would have felt in the tank. Another feature of the exhibition which is quite an old technique was the use of a peppers ghost. With the use of glass, mirrors and lighting along with two models of the same setting before and after the effects of the war, the illusion makes for a great display practise. Other than the vast displays of original models from the war, mostly contributed by Peter Jackson himself, there was also a huge use on wax people throughout the exhibition. These wax people look very much realistic and were important for telling the story of Will and the war. The exhibition is a G rated version of telling the war story with only one gruesome wax figure of Will towards the end, the exhibition has been developed for people of all ages so that it is not restricting to the general public.