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In August of 2004, shortly after moving to Atlanta, I received a call asking if I was interested in doing some lighting for a museum exhibit. I had already done some plots and designs for some exhibits about the Titanic and human bodies, but this exhibit was looking for both pre-production and on-site work. It was the start of what would become a nearly full-time job.
I started in the summer of 2004 with Diana: A Celebration, a medium-sized exhibit detailing the life of Princess Diana, showing items from her childhood, family jewelry, her wedding dress, and around 30 dresses she wore during her lifetime. The exhibit started (for me) in Ft. Lauderdale, and soon continued to St. Petersburg, Houston, and Dayton over the next few years. This was my first solo professional lead position, and it proved to be very educational!
Lighting in a museum is a very different beast than lighting in the production world. In the production world, most people who work in the buildings you come into have at least a vague idea of what you are bringing in. In the museum world, it is sometimes far over their head what we are trying to do. In one instance, I told the building "engineer" that I needed a 200amp 3-phase power service, and he showed me a standard wall outlet. After I went into more detail, he showed me a panel full of wires and said that maybe I could find some power in there. Not exactly the most helpful. In another location, the building engineer was dead-set on telling me that I did not need the power I was asking for, since all I should need are a few breakers to turn on and off (no, try 120 dimmers).
The work on Diana soon led to a position on a new museum exhibit, the soon-to-be-blockbuster Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, in early 2005. This exhibit dwarfed Diana in every sense of the word. It was much larger in space, had much more detailed "scenery", and nearly twice as much lighting. King Tut opened in Los Angeles, and later moved to Ft. Lauderdale, then Chicago. Current plans have it going for many more years.
Click in either of the two names below to get more detailed info and photos of each exhibit.
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