The Wales Millennium Centre (WMC), which is scheduled to open at the end of November, is to have an interactive exhibition at its heart designed by Continuum Group.
The £300,000 artsExplorer exhibition will be a ‘celebration of performing arts’ with particular reference to the seven cultural organisations which will be based at the WMC: Academi, Diversions, Touch Trust, Hijinx, Ty Cerdd, Urdd Gobaith Cymru and the Welsh National Opera (WNO).
While the final designs for the 400sq m exhibition are still being developed, the head of Past Forward – Continuum Group’s attraction design division – Erich Kadow, said it would consist of three main elements: the building itself, what goes on behind the scenes and interactives.
“We will have a model of the Wales Millennium Centre to help people orientate around the building,” said Kadow, “but we will also explore the building’s attributes, such as its acoustics, the materials used to achieve those acoustics and its design and construction.
“Then there will be an area explaining what happens backstage during performances; such as the principles of counterweight flying, lighting, trapdoors and moving scenery.
“Finally, there will be an interactive section, including a studio where visitors can create their own orchestral piece of music by adding in different instruments, then test it acoustically to see how it sounds in a variety of arenas – even how it would sound in a swimming pool!”
There will also be a poem board with fabric letters guests can move around to create their own poem in either English or Welsh. This is a further reflection of the building itself – at the front of the centre a poem is revealed using the shape of the windows as letters.
“The Wales Millennium Centre is extremely impressive from the outside and even more unbelievable from the inside,” said Kadow.
“It will be one of the largest performing arts centres in Europe and have a very high profile internationally.
“artsExplorer will act as a shop window for the centre, explaining what’s going on, where and when as well as providing an insight into the building and performing arts.” Details: www.wmc.org.uk
