59 Rodney Street, Liverpool is the former home of the celebrated photographer Edward Chambré Hardman. Following the successful
'59 Rodney Street, Virtual Tour' produced by Spoken-Image for The National Trust, we were asked to develop a series of installations for the new Discovery Room.
The Discovery Room's new exhibition aims to help visitors understand the traditional photographic processes Hardman used and to see more of the superb images that he and his wife Margaret created.
The main display illustrates how Hardman created his famous 1950 photograph of the Ark Royal. Using photography and illustration, it shows how the darkroom and printing processes worked and how Hardman manipulated the image to achieve the final award winning print. It follows the steps from start to finish - shooting the photograph, equipment, processing the film, making the print and finally manipulation of the image. Beneath each section of the display is a piece of equipment used for that particular process, which can by picked up and examined by visitors.
Spoken-Image also produced and installed a fun display that recreates the effect of movement when posing for a portrait in the 1950's. Completing the exhibition is a DVD slideshow featuring a large selection of Hardman's superb images from throughout his career.
The exhibition has proved a great success and allows visitors an insight into the photographic techniques of a bygone era.
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