Library of Memories explores and celebrates Mary Elizabeth Lucy’s book Grandmamma’s Chapter of Accidents an account of her life and the funny/odd things that happened to her which she wrote and illustrated for her family in 1869. The display launched a new exhibition space at Charlecote Park, her family home, in the first-floor rooms that had been closed for maintenance work for a few years. The rooms had been repainted a gorgeous blue and the team had opted for a yellow and black palette for furniture and fixtures – giving the Penguins a vibrant canvas to create the new display.
Using Mary Elizabeth’s illustrations as a starting point, we created fabric panels depicting her drawings with splashes of colour to compliment the blue walls. A logo and stylised drop caps were created that reflected the print of the original book. Slim introductory panels were installed using floor fins and card panels that would stand in the rooms leading into the new exhibition space. We worked with a young illustrator to create new drawings that were used for a family guide that we designed and printed. Reproduction pages from the book to hang from the ceiling and coloured backing boards added to display cases to create a visual link throughout the spaces. Karen even flexed her drawing skills to decorate storage boxes to hold visitor’s memories (Emily too but Karen’s were better), and we designed bookmarks for visitors to take home as a memento. Where possible, we used material that can be recycled or reused to reduce waste, including printing direct to cork to create a colourful pegboard.
Overall, a memorable experience all round.
