Mineral Landscape
- Location: Prinsenkwartier, Delft
- Program: Temporary exhibition
- Year: 2021
- Type: Academic project
- Subject: Spaces of Display
- Mentors: Jurjen Zeinstra · Mikel van Gelderen
Mineral Landscape is the design for an exhibition space for the mineral collection of the Science Center Delft. The mineral cascading light reflections that depend on the position of the light source and the viewer, was the main design inspiration. A prominent design choice was thus to create a space in which visitors were able to see the minerals from all sides but also be guided into seeing them from different viewpoints. My personal aim was to create such close-up interaction and immersive experience with as less means as possible. The process of design was thus a cycle of reevaluation, eliminating walls, seperate objects and skimming down the use of different materials. This process to realising an exhibition with only a mass.
The black mass that takes up the floor of the exhibition space resembles a landscape, as here differences in height and direction occur naturally. In this mass paths have been carved out for visitors to come into close contact with the different minerals from different angles.
The heights of the crystals are placed on either average eye height standing or sitting or a child’s eye height to force all visitors to occasionally crouch or stand on their toes to inspect the minerals. To enhance the light reflections of the stones, each stone has been lit by at least two direct spot lights. This focused lighting also exaggerates the difference in light reflections when the visitor moves through the space, maximising the immersive experience while walking through the exhibition.
The display element separates the minerals from the black mass - that by itself blends in in the dimly lit room - which makes for an illusion of floating minerals. The black mass could also be filled fully with minerals, creating a true landscape of minerals in which the visitors can decide for themselves which path to take to inspect the minerals.
Experiment light reflections (from left to right) with indirect light, one spotlight and two spotlights
Floor plan with minerals and markups, with routing, and lighting
1:50 Detail of exhibition, testing the construction
Impressions of Mineral Landscape