https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NExrgBMuik&t=63s
“Where there is light, there is focus.” A concept based on the vision of Freemasonry to develop a temporary exhibition space in the Freemasonry museum, Cultural Masonic Center (CMC) ‘Prins Frederik’ in The Hague. A museum, archive and library of the Order of Freemasons under the Great East of the Netherlands. The Freemasonry Order asked us to prepare the space called ‘de verdieping’ on the garden side of this monumental building at Javastraat 2B for the first temporary exhibition. The content of the first exhibition would be based on the promotional work of Andréa Kroon, but the space was not yet an exhibition space and therefore also had to become a basis for subsequent temporary exhibitions. A double assignment, the temporary exhibition under the title ‘Adventure in Asia’ with a view to the future because the space will then have a temporary exhibition twice a year with changing topics linked to Masonry.
For the interpretation of this question we started from an interactive book in combination with a modular showcase system that is specially developed from the philosophy of Freemasonry. Where the book can present new content every six months in a fixed storyline without further material costs and the showcases can show the artefacts and authenticity of the preserved objects. You could see the showcases as proof of the digital storyline from the book. In this way, the limited space is used efficiently but a huge amount of content can be presented, that was the request of the curators of the museum.
In this first line-up we gratefully used Andrea Kroon's dissertation as content for the first exhibition 'Adventure in Asia - Freemasonry as a global social network since 1734' where the story is told of the dangerous journey that many Freemasons made as a result of which a global network has emerged.
The book is a digital reference to the almanac. The mysterious atmosphere that it presents so stately of a light concept, creates a clear atmosphere of the space. But not only the atmosphere is important, it gives you the opportunity to study, to delve into the subject. It invites the visitor to search for more depth in the content and therefore also has 3 story layers. The base has two types of pages. To involve the visitor in the story, there are animation pages with visual information. These pages are alternated with information pages with superficial leaf text with chapter themes where images and short text can be found with the common thread of information. These texts and images can be clicked on to then open in-depth pages. Concepts are explained here and subjects are given depth for deeper information. Or there is a visual gallery to see, where multiple images from a series are shown.
Modular display system: In order to create an exhibition space within a limited amount of time and with limited costs, where there was room for many collection objects to create a burden of proof for the information given in the interactive book, a modular system was developed. Changing information is presented in a format that is determined by the golden ratio. This gives peace in the image, while still giving you the possibility to show as many objects as possible in one exhibition, and the freedom to do the ratio text, image and object completely differently for the subsequent exhibition. Text, image and objects can be placed in an aesthetic but invisible grid via a modular golden ratio system. The construction of the display case is magnetic and can therefore allow for enchanting presentation possibilities in the composition. Entirely in the style of Freemasonry.
with content by Andrea Kroon and a printed exhibition magazine by Kwartier M.
