Early Years Galleries
I have designed and built a number of galleries aimed at an early years audience and find them particularly interesting and fulfilling to work on. Play is vital to all children as it is how they learn and communicate. I have studied the many types of play and the schema used by young children to explore their world as well as learning valuable insights by accompanying young families and nursery groups on their museum visits. With the galleries I have developed I have explored ways to link the museum’s collection to the play spaces and I was particularly careful to address the particular needs of these visitors, including sensory exploration, quiet spaces, encouraging adult interaction, the benefits and challenges of loose parts, safety concerns, and thinking carefully about floor surfaces (as these visitors are closer than most to the floor and they like to crawl around).
Ahoy! - National Maritime Museum. I was part of the design team that created the new children's gallery for the NMM. This museum’s collection is particularly fabulous and inspiring and it was a pleasure to explore it. I worked closely with an early years consultant, accompanying visitors, and evaluating ideas in the development of our design. We created a maritime-themed landscape that included a number of themed play spaces. Children can fish from the end of the pier, stoke a steam ship’s boiler and captain a pirate ship.
Ahoy! - National Maritime Museum. This is an early concept drawing of mine showing a close-up of part of the 'Boatyard' area.
Ahoy! - National Maritime Museum. This is an early concept drawing of mine showing the 'Harbour' area. This is a safe sensory play space designed especially for under 3's visitors and their parents. It is a space they might find familiar - the beach and seaside - but it also affords views out across the rest of the gallery where they or their elder siblings can explore when they feel ready to.
'Minibrum' - a city for children - Birmingham Museums Trust, Birmingham. Here is a photo of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton opening the gallery. It is an immersive STEM-themed play space created by KCA London and Paragon Creative in which children can explore a child-sized recreation of their city. Co-production with local children formed a key part of the development process, and throughout we worked closely with Thinktank to explore how the children’s ideas and creativity could be incorporated into the gallery. We also worked to integrate Thinktank’s unique collections into the gallery, creating a space that celebrates and highlights its connections to the wider museum. The gallery was shortlisted for Permanent Exhibition of the Year at the 2020 Museums and Heritage Awards.
Sorted! - The Postal Museum, London. This was the family gallery created by KCA London for visitors to London's Postal Museum. Putting children in charge of a mini-town inspired by Britain’s rich postal heritage. I was responsible for much of the 3D spacial design as well as designing and developing the exhibits and experiences. Children can play in an interactive sorting office, weigh parcels, deliver mail, fill postal sacks, drive a postal van and use pulleys and slides to move mail. Illustrated wall panels and moveable magnetic characters and postal vehicles create a busy London cityscape and graphic backdrop for the gallery. Image copyright: The Postal Museum / Miles Willis
Sorted! - The Postal Museum, London. This is a plan view of the 'Sorted!' gallery, part of London's Postal Museum which was designed whilst working at KCA London
'Once Upon A Shape' - Children's Museum Jordan. I was part of the KCA London team who led the content and design of an immersive, playful and interactive exhibition for under 5s and their families. A play space filled with opportunities for interaction, open-ended play and discovery. The design was rooted in educational psychology and learning outcomes to help the Museum’s youngest visitors develop their motor and sensory skills whilst having fun. Once Upon a Shape was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah in October 2014. The Museum was the first interactive children’s museum in Jordan and its development was a key initiative for the Queen Rania Foundation.
'Grainpit' - Science Museum London, Launchpad Gallery. This was one of the first things I built for The Science Museum when I was still freelancing as a fabricator and before I became part of the 'Creative Services' exhibit design team.