World of Music Video
How can two spaces show the diversity and depth in the history of music videos as an art form?
Details
Concept Design done during internship at NorthernLight for the exhibition of a traveling collection of music videos. Through 80 videos with descriptions, interactive headsets, and special theme corners, The World of Music Video tells the story of a constantly evolving, globally present, and culturally significant art form.
Exhibit opened at Forum Groningen in December 2024.
Timeline
June - August 2024
Services
Spatial Design
Exhibit Design
Credits
Maaike de Jong (Senior Designer)
My Role
All sketches, renderings, 3D models, and diagrams are my own original work and ideas. Photography was done collaboratively.
First Space: Floor 5
The first exhibition space visitors see, 'Underground Maze', on the 5th floor, evokes the rough, underground beginnings of music videos as an art form. Bare scaffolding, LED tubes, and light boxes give the space a raw, industrial feel rooted in clubs and street culture.
Second Space: Floor 3
'Concert Stage': the second half of the exhibit on the 3rd floor, representing the current mainstream, 'high' culture status of music videos as an art form.
Together the spaces show the diversity of music videos and their journey to embodying both 'low' and 'high' art. Large pieces of stretched fabric, organic inflatable forms, and colored light create a softer, more refined feeling
Final Exhibit
A few months after I finished my internship, the exhibit opened at Forum Groningen to large crowds and a positive reception. I was able to visit personally, and was pleased to see the many elements that were retained from the concept design I worked on.
How does it work?
Floor Plans
The World of Music Video came with a headset and sensor system that allows visitors to hear the music from the monitor they are closest to and looking at.
These floor plans show the sensor ranges for each display, placed over the distribution of videos and scaffolding in the two spaces. We wanted to make sure they didn't overlap too much to avoid confusion.
How did we get there?
Project Brief
Design two exhibition spaces for a traveling collection that show the diversity and depth in the history of music videos as an art form.
Main Goals
Exploring Context
Context/Inspiration
Previous Exhibition: Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte
The collection had previously been exhibited in Germany in a large former industrial building. Its rough appearance and focus on the collection was inspiring to us.
The Collection: 80 Music Videos
The soul of the exhibit rests in the collection of videos on display. From different places and times, in different styles, and with different messages, they exemplify the diversity of music videos as an art form. Various themes and visual elements from these videos inspired the visual identity of the exhibit.
Venue: Forum Groningen
A large museum and cultural center in Groningen and a frequent collaborator with NorthernLight, it brought visually unique spaces (the diagonal beams especially) and an in-house production team.
Establishing Mood
Mood Board:
5th Floor/ 1st Space
Representing the underground elements of music videos on the 5th floor, we looked into temporary scaffolding installations for inspiration. We were looking to create a dark, rough, electronic feel. Collage-like arrangements of screens fit with the presentation style the client was looking for: an 'Underground Maze'.
Mood Board:
3rd Floor/ 2nd Space
To complement the first space, we looked for a lighter, more subtle visual quality. We found inspiration in concert stages and installations with lit stretched fabric. Big, round inflatables also gave an interesting feel. Many of our references included scaffolding, showing how the same underlying construction could produce vastly different visual results.
Developing Spaces
Developing Spaces:
3D and 2D Process
The two spaces came to life in numerous iterations through sketches, 3D models in SketchUp and Fusion360, floor plans, and concept renders.
Results
