vectorworks helps the aztecs rise again · case study: museum of new zealand te papa tongarewa...

Case Study: Museum of New ZealandTe Papa Tongarewa

AZTECS RISE AGAININ NEW ZEALAND

VECTORWORKS HELPS THE

Case Study: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

A native New Zealander, Barraud attended Dunedin School of Art in Wellington, New Zealand. He then ventured to New York City in 1993 to do some traveling. He ended up building a 15-year career there, first art directing commercials and then working in the film industry where he was a set designer, production designer, and art director, using Vectorworks® Fundamentals software to produce and communicate his design visions. The last New York-based film on which he collaborated was the highly acclaimed Julie and Julia, which was nominated for an Oscar and received numerous other notable awards.

In 2009, Barraud returned to New Zealand with his family and settled in Wellington. Then he saw something that changed his life: a job posting for an exhibition designer for the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa

ball

game ring

THE DUALITY

THE LEGACY

OF THE AZTECS

AGRICULTURE

SHOP

MOCTEZUMA IIAND THE LAST RULERS

THE FAMILYAND

EDUCATION

CONQUESTAND

MILITARY EXPANSION

codi

ce b

otur

ini

EXIT

ENTRY

RITUALS, AND RELIGOUSCEREMONIES

RECEP

TION D

ESK

JOU

RNEY

FRO

M A

ZTLA

N C

ASE

01

THE TEMPLO MAYOR

BALL GAM

E

THEFLOWER WARS

AND WARRIORS

AZTECTRIPLE

ALLIANCE

TRADE

EMPERORS ANDAZTEC GOVERNORS

THE SPANISHCONQUEST

LocustPH 01-0293

PiedraReg 21pj.447

snake sculpture10-266092

case 23

MARKET

mask10-168801

back-lit skull wall graphic

Mictlanecuhtli10-264984

Deathreg.21.pj.398

basalt bench10-262564

ceramic brazier10-639181

Clay Tripod brazier10-252951

heart ofjade.

10-392930

CuahxicalliEagle

10-252747

10-265072tombstone

snakehead fromtop of balustrade

conch10-220919

snake head

autosacricecasket.10-466061

awl. knives10-220280

sacrial stonereg.21pj.446

HUMAN SACRIFICEcase 28

Featheredserpent.21.pj.8

tombstone ofTezcatlipoca

A-66602

case18

CoyoteThrone

10-83992

case 22solar disccalendar10-13570

case 17

case08

case 20

Portrait of Cortezcase 16

case 15

clay brazier10-253182

Die

go R

ivera

's pa

intin

g of

a m

arke

t

Anthropomorphic jaguar gure

Fragment of a mural painting

Atlantean gure

case

24

Standard-bearer

Solar ray - sculpture that represents a ray of the sun

Xiuhtecuhtli

Ehécatl QuetzalcóatlA-36229; 10-109262

case 05

Ceramic almenaor merlon,

part of a battlement

case03

case

04codex RamirezB000457

case 13

case 10

case 11

TLALOC AND GODSOF LIFE AND FERTALITY

HUITZILOPOCHTLI AND THE GODS OF WARCONQUEST & DEATH

case 21

Chicomecóatl urn

NOBLES ANDCOMMONERS

Codex

Borgia

case 14MAR

KET

DIO

RAM

A

Zoomorphicfrog sculpture

10-168740

TEMPLEEXIT

CONQUEST OFTHE SPIRIT

chinampas

model

seating

ball

case 27

case 25

Spanish conquest screen

case 26

Atlantean gure

Mictlantecuhtli

Dog

JOURNEY TO MICTLAN

Tlaltecuhtli10-262523

Quetzalcóatl

ball

game ring

female sculpture

case 2

skull mask10-162934

Cihuateotl

TepetlacalliTláloc

canoe andtrident

Goddess of agriculture

Snake warriorStandard bearer

Eagle Warrior

Temalácatl

eagle10-203440

baptismal font10-544945 sacred heart

atrium cross10-341001

religoussculpture

10-264705; 10-26497

case

09

case07

case 06

templemarquet10-496916

seating

stampstation

stamp station

stamp station

stamp station

stamp station

stamp station

Chacmool10-10941

case 29case 30

case 31 case 32

case33

case36

case37

case38

Offering106

case39

TEMPLEENTRANCE

case35

skull nails

Xilonenceremonial

vessel

Anthropomorphic brazier[warrior brazier]

case 12

Owl characterwith helmet

EXHIBITION PLANScale: 1:150

1200X1200X2400mmglass case

custom step or plinth

1200X700mm wall unit

touch screen interactive

custom acrylic case

KEY

day one glass case

kids trail station

case 02case 03 temple marquet case tp46case 04 codex case tp25

case 17 incense burners & brazier case tp45

case 19 currently out of show tp 96

case 23 duality case tp30case 22 calendars case tp33

case 20 gods of life and fertility case tp112 case 21 gods of life and fertility case 2 tp95

DAY ONE CASE INDEX

case 18 Tarascan case tp37

case 07 lip plug case tp28case 06 emperor case tp114

case 08 tribute case tp93case 10 family case tp36case 11 education case tp35case 15 brazier case tp99case 16 anthropomorphic brazier case tp113

case 24 Teotihuacan & Toltec case 41

masks day one wall case

case 27 Florintine codex case tp49

case 05

gods of the 4 directions case tp 96

AZT-1000

1:150BB

17/07/2013

EXHIBITION PLAN

AZTECPROJECT TITLE

DRAWING TITLE

Revision Notes:

Date:MONZApp. by:

Checked by:Date:Scale:Drawn by:

Project Ofce, 2nd Fl.Te Papa, Cable StreetWellington, NZ(tel) +64-4-381 7000(fax) +64-4-381 7070

Check all dimensions on sitebefore commencing. Work togured dimensions and reportany discrepencies to the ContractManager before proceeding withthe work. This drawing iscopyright and must not beretained, copied or used withoutthe authority of theMuseum of New Zealand

Drawing Number: Revision:

Notes:

DEVELOPED

DESIGN

CORTEZ CASE

MOCTEZUMA CASE

JOURNEY FROM AZTLAN CASE

TRADE CASE

NOBLES & COMMONERS CASE

XILONEN CASE

MAYVART CASE INDEX

MAGICAL ANIMALS CASE

case 01case 13case 09case 14case 12

case 26case 25

REV 1-14/12/2012: ExhibitionStructure changed. Position of Temple moved.

REV 2-11/4/2013: Update based new object list and T&G schedule

3

case 28 Sacrice casecase 29 Barzier case

CUSTOM ACRYLIC CASE INDEX

case 30 Barzier casecase 31 Basalt Bench casecase 32 Tombstone case

case 34 Skull mask casecase 35 Offering case

case 33 Jade heart case

case 36 Dog casecase 37 Skull Nail casecase 38 Mask case

REV 3-17/7/2013: Case 12added. Plinth Removed.

Ben Barraud worked with Vectorworks Spotlight software to create a detailed exhibit plan that chronicled the Aztec civiliation.

What do you do for an encore after working on the set design team for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which garnered three Oscar nominations and more than $300 billion at the box office? If you’re designer Ben Barraud, you bring the fascinating and controversial Aztec civilization back to life on the other side of the world.

Tongarewa (Te Papa). “I always loved museums and would seek them out,” recalls Barraud. “And it seemed like the required skillset would be complementary to what I had been doing because they are both quite theatrical in nature and rely on similar software.” He got the job and learned to use Vectorworks Spotlight, the program that lighting, scenic, set, theatre, exhibit, and event designers use to make their productions memorable.

Since New Zealand is a small country, Te Papa fills the role that multiple art and history museums do in a big city. Providing visitors with a wealth of experiences gives Barraud great opportunities to try different things. For example, he designed A Day in Pompeii, which showcased Italian artifacts. He also collaborated on The Mixing Room, an exhibit revealing the stories of refugee youth whose families found homes in New Zealand. Barraud especially enjoyed putting together the Collecting Contemporary exhibit, which fused recent contemporary art exhibitions, as well as the German initiated European Masters: 19th-20th Century Art from the Städel Museum, an exhibit spanning different eras, from post impressionism to expressionism and through to modern art.

Following those successful exhibits, Te Papa graciously extended Barraud a 16-month leave of absence to serve as set designer and second unit art director for The Hobbit, which was filmed in New Zealand. Barraud used Vectorworks as part of a large team that created the legendary Esgaroth Lake-town for the movie.


The rendered concept design below reveals a wide view of the south end of the gallery, which is realized in the live photograph shown here.

AZT-4005

BB

07/11/2012

GALLERY WIDE VIEW

AZTECPROJECT TITLE

DRAWING TITLE

Revision Notes:

Date:MONZApp. by:





Notes:

90% CONCEPT DESIGN

WIDE VIEW OF THE SOUTH END OF THE VISA GALLERY

Welcome to the Aztec World, 500 Years Later

Then came Aztecs: Conquest & glory, from late September 2013 to February 2014, which chronicles the 200-year history of the Aztec civilization, from its meteoric entrance in 1325 to its equally quick demise at the hands of the Spanish in 1521. The show is a major endeavor and marks the first time that it is touring the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, the Aztec culture has only been displayed in a handful of exhibits. When it was showcased by London’s Royal Academy of Arts in 2002 and 2003, it was heralded by the public and called “powerful and macabre” by The Observer. Te Papa’s exhibit will enjoy the limelight in other cities,

as well. Barraud carefully designed it to be packaged and shipped to two other museums—the Museum Victoria in Melbourne and the National Museum of Australia in Sydney.

Barraud and curator Lynnette Townsend built the exhibit from the ground up. Their Mexican partners and a team of curators selected about 200 rare artifacts culled from more than 30 museums across Mexico. Two full planeloads transported elaborate pottery, jewelry, and vessels around the world. Working with Vectorworks Spotlight software, Barraud created a design that integrated the wealth of artifacts, including golden medallions, large carved stone figures, and intricate containers, into a stunning backdrop supplemented with models and multimedia displays to tell the complete Aztec story. Barraud says, “It was wonderful to see all the Aztec treasures and design combine to bring the Aztec story to life.”

This exhibit was seven years in the making, the result of a trade with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. Since New Zealand has an isolated history, the Museum saw this as an opportunity to shine a light on a markedly different culture, known for its artwork, jewelry, and, of course, its human sacrifices.


The Great Temple Guards Ancient Secrets

Barraud estimates that it took about one year to develop the project from concept to completion. His inspiration was the centerpiece of Aztec culture, the nearly 200-feet-tall Templo Mayor. This “Great Temple” was buried for hundreds of years under a Catholic cathedral erected by Cortez and the Spanish conquistadores when they defeated Montezuma. It came to light in the mid-1900s and was excavated in the 1970s. The Templo Mayor Museum now stands on the same spot in Mexico City. That’s where most of the artifacts in the exhibit hail from, including large gold statues that hung from the temple, ceramic and stone figures, evil warriors, and other representative pieces.

Barraud used the Templo Mayor as the exhibition’s larger-than-life focal point. He designed and constructed a smaller 1:10 scaled version and echoed the layout of that precinct by placing cases, walls, and plants around the temple in a similar radiant fashion. Since the temple had to be flat-packed for future travel to Australia and designed to withstand the threat of local earthquakes, Barraud made it light with an aluminum framework and PVC multi-board painted to look like stucco.

He and the curators felt it was important to introduce the often-controversial Aztec world slowly. First, visitors are immersed in the Aztec’s daily life, learning about agricultural practices like the gardens they built on a lake. This experience is contextualized with items representing things that were happening concurrent to that era in New Zealand. Then, visitors can decide to enter the temple to learn about the gods and the sacrificial rituals, which included human sacrifices, as well as dismemberments.

Barraud carved out this sacred inner chamber space for several reasons, even though the actual Templo Mayor was a monument without an interior. First, he notes, several artifacts were used for the Aztecs’ daily

Exhibit visitors are slowly immersed in the Aztec’s daily life before entering the temple to learn about the gods and sacrificial rituals.

Since the Templo Mayor had to be flat-packed for future travel to Australia, it was designed with an aluminum framework and PVC multi-board painted to look like stucco.

Scale 1:50PLAN

B1

B2

11

3777

1202

ELEVATION B2Scale: 1:50

851

946

5021

3027

2838

2557

ribbed fibreglasspanels bolted to aluminumbrackets.

ribbed fibreglassbalusters bolted to aluminumbrackets.

500

ELEVATION B1Scale: 1:50

ribbed fibreglassshell bolted to aluminumbrackets.

SECTION 1Scale: 1:50

Ribbed fibreglass shellbolted to Aluminum frame

fibreglass moulded steps glued to plywood substrate.bolted to aluminum braces.

Ribbed fiberglass balusterbolted to Aluminum braces.

Note:Interior walls not depicted forclarity of structure.

AZT-3040

1:50BB

10/06/2013

FIBREGLASS COMPONENTS

AZTECPROJECT TITLE

DRAWING TITLE

Revision Notes:

Date:MONZApp. by:


Project Office, 2nd Fl.Te Papa, Cable StreetWellington, NZ(tel) +64-4-381 7000(fax) +64-4-381 7070

Check all dimensions on sitebefore commencing. Work tofigured dimensions and reportany discrepencies to the ContractManager before proceeding withthe work. This drawing iscopyright and must not beretained, copied or used withoutthe authority of theMuseum of New Zealand


Notes:

TEMPLE MAYOR

DESIGN

human sacrifices, made on the Templo Mayor to ensure the sun would rise in the morning. Second, the native New Zealand Māori culture is especially sensitive to the proper handling of human remains, which are also present. And third, the temple absorbed so much floor space that building a chamber granted them much-needed display space.

“This is a real insight into the Aztec culture,” Curator Townsend remarks of the temple. “It’s dramatic, vibrant, and incredibly intriguing.” Visitors enter the interior by passing by the stone God of the Underworld, Mictlantecuhtli, as well as a large stone eagle that weighs three-quarters of a ton. It has a hollowed-out basin in the top of its back that once held human hearts. Visitors can also view a skull mask with a blade in its mouth that’s was crafted from an actual human skull.


AZT-4250

Sheet ScaleBB

13/02/2013

CASE 25_Cortez case

AZTECPROJECT TITLE

DRAWING TITLE

Revision Notes:

Date:MONZApp. by:





Notes:

DEVELOPED DESIGN

PLAN AND ELEVATION

CASE 25CORTEZ CASE2 x mayvart cases

E.3Plate[porcelain]30mmH x 210mm diam.

PLANScale: 1:25

2400

1150

custom base plinth.2400mm x 1150mm x 100mmcovered with red fabric.

GO

T30

0 x

150

GEOL300 x 150

OT150 x 150

FRONT ELEVATIONScale: 1:25

GEOL

SIDE ELEVATIONScale: 1:25

BACK ELEVATIONScale: 1:25

OT

OBJECT PLINTH PLANScale: 1:20

1000

ELEVATIONScale: 1:20

150

450

1000

600

E.93Miniature jar[ceramic, ie red clay]60mmH x 50mm diam.

E.6Olive pot[ceramic, ie red clay]290mmH x 255mm diam.

10-233988breastplate ofPedro de Alvarado16th C; EuropeanIron420mmH x 340mmW;weight 2kg105 / 242

10-92271(armoured headpiece)for a horseearly16th Century;EuropeanRiveted and burnishedwrought iron with etching320mmH x 565mm x 335mm

16th century Spanishsuit of Armour

AZT-4250

Sheet ScaleBB

21/06/2013

CASE 25_Cortez case

AZTECPROJECT TITLE

DRAWING TITLE

Revision Notes:

Date:MONZApp. by:





Notes:

DEVELOPED DESIGN

PLAN AND ELEVATION

Quality Euro 125kgDisplay brushednylon."Burgundy"

object plinthscovered withQuality Euro 125kgDisplay brushed nylon."Burgundy"

Note: Check all Label measurementsLiaise with: [email protected]

By converting object images into image props, Designer Ben Barraud could quickly create 3D objects in the correct scale to populate a virtual exhibition.

Vectorworks Brings a Civilization to Life

Barraud used Vectorworks software to efficiently design a space to house these relics. For his concept design phase, he started with an object list from the curator that he received as an Excel spreadsheet with associated JPEG photo images. Barraud doesn’t have time to do complex 3D models of every item in an exhibition. But he doesn’t have to; with Vectorworks Spotlight, he imports the photographs. Then, by converting object images into image props, he can quickly create 3D objects in the correct scale to populate a virtual exhibition. The tool saves him time because he can start his ideas in 2D and develop them in 3D, so that all stakeholders can visualize the exhibition, and the objects within it, in 3D.

“Vectorworks has been a useful exhibition design tool,” Barraud says. “As an all-around design program, the solution works well in exhibition design because it picks up theatre features from SketchUp® and Adobe® and mixes in a rich color palette, endless built-in objects for creating lighting positions, and more. It has flexibility to incorporate JPEG and other file types into my drawings.”

The software also helped him overcome his biggest challenge, which was collaborating across the world with a number of different institutions. “Vectorworks is great as an interoperative tool,” he says, “so it supported my design inspiration while enabling me to share information fluidly.”

In addition to translation and time zone issues, Barraud and his team needed accurate measurements for all of the objects. “It was quite difficult to work like that—and also difficult trying to get the right weights and sizes for the items, which is really important when you’re dealing with heavy objects,” notes Barraud. To keep communication clear, he created his designs in Vectorworks Spotlight and then sent PDFs to the experts and curators in Mexico to review. He also flew to Sydney to give a presentation using 3D Vectorworks renderings, as well as plans, elevations, and case layouts to the other two museums that would receive the exhibit next. He played a walkthrough in the program in which he actually flipped the whole exhibition 180 degrees to give everyone great insight into his design as he panned, zoomed, and “walked” through his plan.


Acknowledgements

Profiled firm: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa55 Cable Street, PO Box 467 Wellington, New ZealandPhone: +64 (0)4 381 7000 Web: www.tepapa.govt.nz

Images: Design images courtesy of Ben Barraud and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Photographs courtesy of Norman Heke and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Collection items reproduced courtesy of National Council for Culture and the Arts – National Institute of Anthropology and History – Mexico.

Original text and publication by: Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. 7150 Riverwood Drive Columbia, MD 21046 USA

Tel: 410-290-5114 Fax: 410-290-8050 www.vectorworks.net

Find your distributor: For sales information and to identify your local distributor, visit www.vectorworks.net/international

© 2013 Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. Vectorworks is a registered trademark of Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. All rights reserved.

New Worlds Beckon

Barraud is designing two new exhibitions from the National Museum of China that will open at Te Papa in early 2014. Throne of Emperors will tell the stories of seven dynasties and seven emperors. He’s also creating a complementary exhibition adjacent to this, a retrospective of Shi Lu, who is known as “China’s Van Gogh.” No matter what new worlds he brings to the visitors of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, one thing is certain. They will be larger than life.

LEGEND:ELEMENT

EXTERIOR EXTSTRUCTURE STRINTERIOR INT

TYPE

FRAME FRPURLIN PRTRUSS TRTIE BEAM TIBRACE BR

SKIN SKSTAIR STBALUSTRADE BA

INTERIOR WALL IN

WALL/SIDE

FRONT FRIGHT RLEFT LBACK B

NOTE:ALL ELEVATIONS VIEWD FROM OUTSIDE

HORIZONTAL POSITIONS NUMBERED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT

VERTICAL POSITIONS ALPHABETICALLY FROM BOTTOM TO TOP

F-SK-1A

F-SK-1B

F-SK-1C

F-SK-1D

F-SK-2A

F-SK-2B

F-SK-2C

F-SK-2D

F-BA-1F-BA-2F-BA-3F-BA-4

LEFT CHAPEL

RIGHT CHAPEL

EXTERIOR FRONT 1:50

EXTERIOR RIGHT 1:50

EXTERIOR LEFT 1:50

EXTERIOR PLAN 1:50

EXTERIOR AXONOMETRIC NTS

RIGHT CHAPEL

F-BA-4

R-SK-1A

R-SK-1B

R-SK-1C

R-SK-1DR-SK-2D

RIGHT CURVED WALL

F-ST-1A

F-ST-1B

F-ST-1C

F-ST-1D

F-ST-2A

F-ST-2B

F-ST-2C

F-ST-2D

INFILL TO MATCH PLINTH

RIGHT CHAPEL

F-BA-1

L-SK-1A

L-SK-1B

L-SK-1C

L-SK-2DL-SK-1D

LEFT CURVED WALL

EXTERIOR BACK 1:50

RIGHT CURVED WALL LEFT CURVED WALL

BACK TRUSSSUPPORT

(RIGHT WALL)

BACK TRUSS SUPPORT (LEFT WALL)

TRUSSES. SEE STRUCTURAL PLAN

DRAWN:

SCALE:

DATE:

DRWG TITLE:PROJECT:

7 Gordon Place, Newtown, Wellington T +64 4 380 0010

AZTEC TEMPLE SKIN ASSEMBLY SCHEMATIC 07.10.13

BM-A

1:50 @ A3

The exhibit integrates a wealth of artifacts, including golden medallions, large carved stone figures, and intricate containers, into a stunning backdrop supplemented with models and multimedia displays to tell the complete Aztec story.

Temple design development drawings courtesy of Workshop e.

vectorworks helps the aztecs rise again · case study: museum of new zealand te papa tongarewa...

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