Francisco Zamorano

TERRACOTA ARMY EXHIBIT

Terracota from Francisco Zamorano on Vimeo.

Overview

La Antigua China y El Ejercito de Terracota (Ancient China and the Terracotta Army) was the biggest cultural exhibition taking place in Chile during 2009-2010. It took place at the Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, a large exhibition space which is underneath the Government Palace in Santiago.

The Terracotta Army of Qin Shihuangdi, the First Emperor of China, is one of the most spectacular and best-known finds in world archaeology. A hundred and twenty three pieces brought from China are presented to the public through a non-traditional montage, including large video projections and interactive games.

My role was to create and direct the visual concept for the whole exhibit. We produced content for large video projections explaining the history of the Terracotta Warriors. One of the projections was meant to extend the visual landscape where the clay figures were placed, as a way to resemble the extension of the more than 8.000 figures that were at the original site in ancient China. A combination of projection and large facing mirrors created the illusion of an endless army of warriors.

The project also involved creating the Visual Identity for the whole exhibit and implementing museography elements, from technical descriptions for the 123 pieces exhibited to illustrating ancient Chinese tales showcased using custom lightboxes.

Details

Year: 2009-2010

Commissioned by: Roberto Benavente Architects

Role: Creative Direction, Exhibition Design, Animation Lead, Graphic Design

Production House: DAf