DALD lights Robots at the Science Museum
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This intriguing exhibition features a unique collection of over 100 robots, from a 16th century mechanical monk to robots from science fiction and modern-day research labs. Set in five different times, Robots explores how religious belief, the industrial revolution, popular culture and dreams about the future have all shaped society through the different robots on display.
Recent developments from robotics research are also on show, allowing the visitor to explore how and, more importantly, why roboticists are building robots that resemble us and interact in human-like ways. The exhibition encourages the visitors to imagine what a shared future with robots would be like, with the latest humanoid robots in action.
DALD worked closely with the exhibition designers Drinkall Dean to create a dynamic contrasting lighting design within the five period sections of the exhibition.
The first robot visitor encounter is a life-like mechanical human baby, recently acquired for the museum’s new robotics collection. Usually made for use on film sets, this baby has no intelligence, making only pre-programmed movements (sneezing, breathing and moving its arms and legs).
To help off-set the baby a ring of side and edge emitting LED strip is mounted behind a vacuum formed quilted opalescent panel. Accent lighting to the baby is from a softly focused point source in a warm colour temperature. Two additional angled quilted panels help add perspective to the entrance, being down it by linear LED strips in a hue of magenta.
The second area, Marvel is a black enclosed space featuring various exhibits within custom designed showcases discreetly illuminated by LED strips within extrusions. The designers used a black fabric that incorporated a shimmering material, which is down lit in a deep hue of blue light, helping add a sense of infinity to the space.
From Marvel the visitors enter the Obey section, which is an immersive industrial area. A combination of lighting and projection helps to create depth through layering. Gauze panels are backlit in a warm sepia wash with video projection applied to the front of the gauzes illustrating old black & white footage of industrial looms at work.
Lighting projection of large cog wheels is keystoned across the floor adding an element of interactivity to the space as the visitors walk through the projection. A large loom is displayed within the space, which is top lit by led accent fixtures in a warm colour temperature with low level lighting strips illuminating the background behind the loom helping add further depth to the exhibit and space.
The fourth zone Dream has a dynamic 1970’s theatrical / TV studio theme with a range of full size Robots being displayed within scaffolding structures and lit by studio based lighting fixtures. To help animate the zone the lighting is programmed to slowly change through various hues of bold saturated colour. Included in the space is the T800 Terminator used in the film Terminator Salvation, being displayed within a black mirrored box and up lit in deep red to help create a menacing quality.
In contrast is the fifth area Build. The visitor enters a workshop space which displays a variety of Robot components. Through the use of a cool colour temperature, the lighting helps to reinforce the industrial quality of the space via a combination of task lights and accent fixtures.
The Final area Imagine displays an array of working robots. The design team wanted to reflect the feel of a clinical clean room environment through the use of daylight balanced LED light panels. These are integrated into the exhibition supporting frame structure.
The majority of the large graphic text panels throughout the exhibition are suspended edge illuminated panels, which create an additional depth to the zones.
Ben Russell, lead curator of Robots, said: ‘Coming face to face with a mechanical human has always been a disconcerting experience. Over the centuries, each generation has experienced this afresh as new waves of technology heralded its own curiosity-inducing robots. That sense of unease, of something you cannot quite put your finger on, goes to the heart of our long relationship with robots.’
(Jim Evans)
