The Big Museum Takeover - Week 2, Day 4

Last Impressions

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Edward tries his hardest to get
the technology working.

                             

Wally Gundry's (DYA VP) hiking stick, called Dino, 
hung above the timeline

The group at DYR faced their last hurdles today, as the finishing touches and final fittings took place to get the exhibition in healthy shape, and we brace ourselves for the opening that was to take place on Saturday. But, today was a special occasion for more reason than the one. Dorset was today one of the host towns for the ongoing Olympic torch relay across the country, and huge anticipation was building as the museum was crowded with visitors and foreign students. They could learn a lot from the exciting "Our Sporting Life" exhibition detailing Dorset Olympic athletes through the decades.  It was just a taste of what a busy day could present for visitors of  our exhibition.

As the fixtures and fittings got underway, Lee assisted Pippa in putting together a small box, decorated with fabric to support some of the smaller objects, as well as give an extra boost of colour inside the cabinet. Edward, Ashley and t he museum technician Ken were having great difficulty in their Go-Kart features, as button sender and its television recipient were just not mixing very well together. There was much moving around of the small vehicle as they tried their best to ensure that the interactive features could actually be interactive.We were grateful for their patience! 

On the other side of the room, Jack, Liz and Rosie were stationed on a table full to the brim of paper, bric-a-brac and laptops. It was going to be challenge for them to make the best of the confined space they were working in, as well as making the best of the computers available. Problems soon unfolded as the press release both Jack and Liz worked on was noticeably absent from the laptop they were on! Contingency plans had to be made and both volunteers soon found themselves assisting Lee in putting together the adhesive lining on the wall for our magnets. This was to prepare the feature where visitors, young and old, can write their memories of youth club days and stick it on the wall for everyone to see. It soon proved more difficult than we first thought and the lining soon started disagreeing with its handlers. No wonder Pippa said it had a life of its own! This, like many other things had to be measured precisely to avoid wonky measurements or a sloppy appearance afterwards.

Inspecting positions for the comic
boards.

Later on, and just in time for lunch, the Olympic torch made its historic appearance in the high street of Dorchester. It was a buzzy atmosphere, in spite of the hostile weather conditions. A large crowd of people came to see the handover of one torch to another. It was back to business. Liz and Jack were at last able to finish the elusive press release, as well as adding a couple of blog posts on top of that. The labels were all cut out and ready to take their positions. Some other members came after their school day to prepare the positions of the comic boards on the walls.

We think we are ready and now all eyes turned to the opening on Saturday...

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 2, Day 3

Cutting for the Final Edit

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Amy and Lee measure out the precise
measurements for timeline fittings.

With the group reduced in numbers to their technical and visual crew, it was time to sit in the hotseat of DYR's first taste as film editors. The task would not be easy. A visit to the Dorset Centre for Educational Technology (DCET) on the Marabout Industrial Estate was in order. When the place was at last found (after some confusion on its tucked away location), the team got to grips with the experts who knew how to ensure that the clip stays fast paced, as well as making it an enjoyable experience for the visitors. The two attendees, Edward and Lee, found this a very interesting experience and saw just how technology can make a significant impact on ways of looking at films. As Edward himself said, "It was interesting to see a proper editor at work and it was really helpful to have input from somebody who it is more knowledgeable and knows where to make cuts." Be the judges for yourself, as you could be one of the visitors who sits in the driving seat and watch our new and improved karting video. The team now feel confident enough to try and edit the next film themselves on the Mac.

(From left) Amy, Edward and Philippa with a mock-up
of one of two posters outside the museum.

Back at our base, Lee was also busy for much of the morning arranging final labels and object positions in the cabinets. The television was ready to be set above the Go-Kart. We couldn't have done it without the professional brilliance of our museum technician  Ken. So thank you to them! Edward returned and continued with his work on the black box hoping to make a button on the kart interact with the television to start the film. One small sigh of relief can be had in that the musuem has a music license for any songs we wish to choose for the slide show edit. This is a satisfying result so now the group can select any music that will blend in best with the photos. 

During lunch, Pippa came with the rush announcement that the window advertising display had to be placed inside the museum front window. There was no time to wait , as Pippa informed the group the printers had put us on hold for a few days so we could get our area ready. Phillipa and Amy, our knowledgeable museum guides, helped Edward paste our brand new posters for the public to look at. Come and see the result yourself, as the team at DYR were surprised to see the supersized results looking so impressive on the front of the museum for all the high street to see. With two days to go now, the final lap has now been reached to make the finishing touches for the big reveal on Saturday. It's looking promising!

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 2, Day 2

The Writing's on the Board

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Boards at last! Lee, Edward and Rosie
unwrap the biggest presents
yet.

Pippa oversees the cabinet display is
just right.

After yesterday's chaotic spell of getting the general preparation of the exhibition ready, the team at DYR found it best that the groups should be much more concentrated and focused on the points that need to be finished. It was a later start from the group that morning and already the largest cabinet was filled with all sorts of eye-catching objects, including a suspended baton and mace, courtesy of our Majorette youth clubs. It was very exciting to see all our decisions now coming visually together and some of the smaller features of this exhibition standing out very well amongst all the bigger displays around. Dotted along the wall, pieces of written descriptions and printed photographs were temporarily stationed for their final positioning. It was great to see the photographs looking so well upon our bright coloured walls and it's all the more hopeful to see their final result will not disappoint. As Lorna made some of the finishing touches to the labels (what a lengthy process!), Susan Blake once again made an appearance to give some valuable vinyl records from a fellow youth club member who managed to make the big time in the music industry. See for yourself from Saturday! Liz and Jack, on the computer, received interesting tips from a fellow member of staff at the museum about the nature of press releases. It's not as straightforward as they sound! After finishing the blog from the last week, they settled down to write a statement for the newspapers that will hopefully attract public attention. It didn't turn out to be very easy and the afternoon was spent in editing and altering the words on just one sheet alone.

The layering of number continues (Lee's
hands).

There was some very positive developments during the day and the group had now finally received the blown up posters, after those many tiring weeks it took to produce at Routes. The result turned out to be very impressive and credit must go to Edward, who was largely the one who spent most of the hours putting in the manual elbow-grease to see that they were finished. Talking about the process overall, he commented "It's absolutely marvelous to see the end result. It was difficult with all the changes we had to make, but it was worth it in the end." Later on during the day, the television was at last ready to attach onto the wall, unfortunately this came at a heavy price with the loud drilling disturbing the next exhibition and not well liked by some of our volunteers. To round off the day, Izzy and Eliza came round to decorate our display cabinets and though it was just as nerve-wracking to meet our deadlines, the day was much more relaxed than some others.

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 2, Day 1

In the Fast Lane

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Edward and Jenny pose with the
cheque.

Lee, our kart designer,
stands near our
new fixture. Zoom!

After the weekend we braced ourselves for an action packed week ahead.  First task however was to welcome the staff from Clay Pigeon Kart Club where Jenson Button learnt his trade. Our static kart with a video screen is the most interactive part of the exhibition. It was fascinating to see the pace at which Lee and his colleague put the kart together so quickly. Before anybody had a chance to sit down, the fundraisers who supported our project arrived and presented the princely sum of £600.00 for all the technological wizardry on the exhibition floor.

Lee and Jenny
question Leslie
Philips.

As Jack was left to blog for the remainder of the morning, the rest of the group set about the tasks of label writing and attaching numbers to our timeline on the wall.  This was a very difficult operation and was left in the capable hands of Lee and museum technician, Ken, as they had to accurately measure the positions of each number on the wall. Liz and Rosie got underway with filling in the necessary deposit forms for the borrowed museum objects that will be displayed in the glass cabinets. We think we have managed to tell the story of linked events and the stories behind the objects. Meanwhile, Lorna welcomed Susan Blake as she dropped off some of her photographs of her days as a youth club leader, but just where all these interesting materials were going to go was very much undecided. After a much needed tea break, it was onto a busy afternoon where the group were finally able to assemble the first glimpses of just what our exhibition will look like!

Izzy and Charlotte cast their eyes
to the cabinet features.

As the group's second stint began, Edward and Ashley were now able to test for the first time how the video clips will look, as well as ensuring their LED functions from the previous week could interact with the screen in front of it. Just how the TV will look above the wall remains to be seen and just how it will work with our Go-Kart will promise some very challenging (and noisy) times ahead. The production of labels also continued, as four of the volunteers (Douglas, Ashley, Rosie and Jack) were taken on a very entertaining exploration of other museum exhibits by a volunteer tour guide. It was exciting to imagine how this exhibition will look in comparison to adjoining rooms. Jenny and Lee then received another visit from four time ex  Dorchester mayor Leslie Phillips. He allowed us to display his MBE which he received  for volunteer work, including his work for Dorchester youth club over four decades. He also gave us a specially made mayor broach to put on display. Saying why he has supported young people for 46 years, he commented "Helping the young people in Dorchester has been very important to me". 

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 4

Lights, Labels and Blogging

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Ken applies the  last touches to the
timeline.

As the end of the week approached, Thursday promised to be an action packed and the most rigorous day, as the team at DYR faced skills from collaborative writing to precise cutting and slicing of the all-important labels. Firstly, some members of the team got to the task of cleaning a paint splattered floor and making some of the finer touches to our timeline. Lee and Jenny were the first members to see that the miniature blots on the floor were scraped off. Our excellent museum technician, Ken, proved his ability in a nice, sharp measurement for the big centre piece on the wall. After the group had completed as much of this as they could that day, Liz imparted her wise experience from teaching as Jack continued in his efforts to write the blog for the previous days. Soon, the whole group got involved and contributed their own spin on the stories for that day - Jenny was particularly enthusiastic with her eagle-eyed amendments and the update was successfully completed.  

Rosie and Lorna get to work on the
boxing glove letters.

Ashley and Edward at gadget
central.

As the afternoon got underway, Edward had received his long-awaited LED light to control the interactive and most technical part of this exhibition. Edward and Ashley worked to get the circuit functioning. One curious feature was an invisible light that sends a signal to the television.  More developments on this as they come. Later on, Pippa put her instructor hat on as she taught Lee and Jenny the fine skill of label cutting.She thankfully had the clever foresight of using dispensable labels as they both  struggled in the difficulty of this challenge. Jon later came to see how the team were getting on and managed to demonstrate a completely alternative method of doing the cut-outs. It was not at all surprising to see that by the end of the afternoon, the team were very confused as to which method would best fit them. As this hectic objective was  going on, Lorna and Rosie were in a much more crafty mood as they stuck gold lettering onto our stand-out boxing gloves. This was much harder than it looked and took much time as they paid close attention to not damaging the fragile stickers.

With the day coming to an end, the group vacated to Routes as they watched the recently produced film of Loders Youth Club and all the fun and excitement that goes on there. It was a very pleasant end to the working week, as well as the day alone, as the group were given a well-deserved long weekend off for all their assistance in  preparing for the exhibition on July 14th. Until the next week, a big cheer for DYR!

Pippa expresses her frustration with the
label training!

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 3

Tiffin and Timelines

Lorna, Pippa B, Pippa D and Liz discuss the plans for
the object labels. SOS for Pippa and
Lorna!

Edward and Lee pose with the early
timeline. See the banana!

With the biggest turn-out yet of young (and older) volunteers we continued with the challenging demands of putting together an exhibition. Ken, our knowledgeable museum technician, showed us how to measure and construct a precise timeline on the panels (no spills with the paint and no wonky lines on the walls). Lee and Edward began the task of plotting the timeline while other teams got to work on the all-important fixtures of labels. The labels were designed by Pippa D, Rosie, Liz and Lorna, following the standard museum layout. The forms were another important element to ensure we could keep track of what belonged to who. We accomplished a lot and we are very excited to see the final print-outs. Meanwhile, Jack covered much of the technical research needed for details on artifacts such as an old Carbide Caving Lamp etc..

Do you recognise any of these
objects?

In the afternoon, Edward and Co. ventured into the other exhibitions across the museum, looking for numbered combinations to prepare a new Geocache. There was lots of laughter as Lee and Jenny tried the costume basket in the Thomas Hardy exhibition room - pity it was only for the role of Tess! After this, it was back to the timeline, as we made time for a Tiffin tea break. It was very tasty as the group polished off two boxes. After unveiling the blue coating for the timeline, which turned out excellently, we then moved on to placing some artifacts in the cabinet. It was a very interesting exercise and the matter of position, page and condition were all very important when considering this task. It was a very productive day for DYR in general and with the designs at last coming together, stay tuned for the gripping developments!   

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 2

All Hands on Labels

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Micheal (seated) observes as Lee paints on one of the
panels ahead of him.

With the official museum transformation now underway, the tireless volunteers came to a slight stand still as the second coats of paint failed to make their arrival at the due time. A change of plan was required. The labels were of great priority and scaled up a day or two ahead of their original timetable. It was time for the volunteers to find out just what professional techniques other exhibitions use!

Lee, Jenny and Jack, made a quick dash to the adjacent exhibition, copied a close template of the labels beside museum property. Able to replicate the method now, it was time to set to work - once they had let off enough steam during their lunch break. Here, an example is shown below of just what a typical label design will look like:

Lorna and Jack begin the task of scrutinising
archive material.

As the group returned to work, the new paint was found to be too thin to fully cover the previous coating on the panels! Ashley, who was primarily responsible for the effort of painting the walls, commented "It was very frustrating. The coat we used was useless and wouldn't spread far enough." In the meantime we set to work on the labels! From floppy harvest ragdolls to specially designed youth club flags, the challenge was set for accuracy and telling details that weren't already available in other parts of the exhibition.

The brand new cabinets. Empty, but soon to be full to the
brim of material.

Later on in the day, the new upright cabinets at last made an appearance. Ashley, being willing, set to the matter of dusting and giving a spruce up of the displays. As well as this, we continued to construct the timeline. As for the cabinets, we decided to go with a lilac felt, however, the correct colour was not available so we chose a dress lining instead. 
A slow day's work, but with much completed. Lorna reflected here that "We learnt a lot today about the nuts and bolts of mounting an exhibition. It was fascinating working alongside the museum technician and the education manager as they shared their expertise. I was very proud of the DYR volunteers, the technician commented on hard and well they worked."

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 1

No Paint, No Gain

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Lee and Pippa moving (by hand) one of the glass cabinets.
The lift is next to them. 

With paintbrushes and kettle boiling at the ready, it can only mean that DYR are now in the culminative stages of the most anticipated museum exhibition of the year. As the select number of volunteers entered the area where the transformation will take place at the tender hour of 9am, it was to battle stations. We started the long process and becoming familiar with the fine specifics of exhibition installation. This included a very efficient lift trolley for the glass cabinets and discussions for the colour of our walls. Much deliberation ensured that we finally settled for the aptly titled 'Carnival Time' paint colour, (find out more when you come to the exhibition)! The pressure was at full throttle in order to complete on time our scheduled tasks by July 14th.

The first strokes of success!

With the selection of paint accomplished, it was left to the brave efforts of Edward and Jenny to venture outside (in the rain!) and collect sample pots of the chosen paint. Meanwhile, a base station was established for borrowed laptops and the necessary collection of objects and exhibition material at our museum HQ ready to put on display with labels. Much discussion fell onto our list of objectives and who was going to do what and when... Jenny reflected "It was very rewarding to see the first coat of paint on by the end of the morning and it was good to see the exhibition coming together."

Amy holds the paint tray as Edward finishes
his work.

A tea break was now in order as many hours had passed. After having a drink, the painting continued as we worked our way up from the skirting board. Much praise must go to Ashley who was responsible for the early stages of our effort. The very man himself commented "It was good to transform all the blue bits to orange on there. It didn't look very good." But as the rush to lunchtime approached, groups formed by Edward and Amy and Jenny and Jack stepped up to fill the highest crevices and finish our first can of paint. At lunch, plans for our exciting celebrations in September and the opening day itself took place, with cakes, scribbles and giggles along the way! Top secret for now, though.

A cabinet meeting takes place.

In the afternoon, due to sudden shortages of the paint colour, our attentions turned to the formation of the timeline. By drawing the timeline to scale with accurate measurements, we could see how the various decades would be displayed on the wall.  The selection of overall colour of the timeline was negotiated to an appropriate shade of blue.