Exhibition&Display - Model Makers Bristol / Amalgam Model Making

Recycling Displays at RWM 2015 – educational interactives and resources

September 16, 2015

Recycling Displays visits RWM to spread the word on developing educational interactives and resources Recycling Displays representatives Will Sheer and Rob Mackay are at RWM at the NEC in Birmingham this week, promoting our range of educational interactives, games and new products in the pipeline. Recycling Displays has been working for over twenty years to support education about recycling and waste management. Our experience has shown that children are mainly learning from their parents' example at home - so Recycling Displays has been exploring how to improve the level of engagement for reducing and re-using our waste through their education. We believe children and young people need a greater understanding of issues affecting sustainable production of food (packaging) and manufacture of products (materials), if they are to use that knowledge in their working lives and positively influence the future. So we are seeking feedback about the support teachers and educational settings…

User Experience and Interactive Models. to educate,entertain and inform

July 23, 2015

Most of the models we create are display pieces or prototypes for a variety of different industries - architecture, marine, product design and so on. Physical models have consistently proven themselves to be invaluable assets when developing and testing new designs, engaging with other people or communicating ideas. A static display model is a proven tool to draw in the audience, however, an interactive model becomes a powerful component in creating a memorable user experience. Interactive models can be used to achieve a number of goals, including: - COMMUNICATING COMPLEX PROCESSES TO THE UNINITIATED - TESTING OR MARKETING A NEW IDEA, ENGAGING WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS - BRANDING, CEMENTING A BRAND IDENTITY AND CREATING AWARENESS Complex Processes On an individual basis, placing a user in a narrative - such as a game - allows new information to be processed easily, and can be an enjoyable user…

Micro Mechanical Recycling Interactive – New Portable Sorting Game

July 6, 2015

We are excited to announce a new addition to the range of products available through our sister company, Recycling Displays. The Micro Mechanical Recycling Facility, or Micro-MRF, is a highly portable, compact tabletop interactive display, designed to educate and engage members of the public with important recycling processes. It is the first in a new range of products we are developing to build on the success of our existing line, and that include a self-set remit that a portion of our construction materials be renewable or recyclable. "The entertaining features of the MRF reinforces the message that household waste does not just disappear once it's in the bin - rubbish still has a lifespan, and needs to be managed responsibly for the sake of the environment." The unit is based on our highly successful Mini-MRF recycling interactive, a unit which has consistently proven itself as a valuable educational…

Twinings Tea Advert Stopframe Animation Armatures

June 10, 2015

Twinings Tea Advert Stopframe Animation Armatures In the latter part of last year, we created a range of jigs and mechanisms for design agency Stripeland and their 'Twinings - Drink It All In' TV spot. We made five devices in total; a rippling puddle, a huge tree with rotating branches, a swinging sign and a telescopic 'Sun Portal.' All of these devices were designed to allow precise incremental movements for stopframe animation, and each rig was dressed into the set with teabags and bright colours to create the final effect. "We engineered devices that produced the desired motion, yet were also easy to operate by an animator." The Rippling Puddle above was designed as a set of rings, with each ring capable of independent vertical motion, allowing the animator to create a 'Mexican Wave' effect. The 'Sun Portal' comprised a concentric set of clear panels mounted on adjustable rails; when lit from behind…

Make Your Mark with Branded Character Design

April 10, 2015

Designed and fabricated for Marketing Gloucester to coincide with the city’s summer festival season and a certain major sporting tournament, the 'Scrumpty' character is a combination of branding, character design and short-run manufacture, the bulk of which was handled in house; the character will be part of a competition for members of the public to design their own take on the character, to be stationed around the city in a 'Scrumpty Trail'. The client brief was to create a friendly character that combined Gloucester's 'Humpty Dumpty' folklore with the city's long-standing rugby heritage. After settling on a design, we used a specific set of processes for creating multiple copies. The final design was created as a digital model, which was CNC'd from a low-density rigid foam to fine tolerances. This was then hard-coated with a durable polyester resin and brought to a high finish by hand before being used to…

New donation boxes to refresh Natural History Museum’s gallery fund raising campaign

February 10, 2015

New donation boxes to refresh Natural History Museum’s gallery fund raising campaign We are very proud to have collaborated with creative consultants, Uniform, to realise their design and build new donation boxes that are going into the Natural History Museum galleries this month. The brief for the donation boxes was to build an attractive display unit using high quality durable materials that will withstand high footfall and encourage visitors to the Natural History Museum to donate voluntarily. The Natural History Museum attracts over 5 million visitors each year, and cares for and conserves a collection of 80 million specimens spanning billions of years. Through its unique collection and unrivalled expertise, the Natural History Museum is tackling the biggest challenges facing the world today. They are focused on ways to combat the issues where natural resources are diminishing, the ecosystems we rely on are under stress, food sources are declining and…

The Architectural Model: Exploring scale and vision at the Architecture Centre January 2015

December 12, 2014

Exciting news from our workshop in the run up to Christmas – we are busy preparing the next exhibition for the Architecture Centre, and it’s all about one of our favourite topics – yes, that’s right, The architectural model. To develop the display we were asked to reveal the processes behind our craft and share our insight on how an architectural model contributes to design. Of course, it all begins with great design – whether the model is for an architect or even a product prototype – yet when we interrogate their design we have a unique opportunity to help our clients realise their vision. An architectural model – irrespective of its’ key objective, for a competition or planning consultation – always offers the audience something special which a computer generated image (CGI) cannot. With our models, we use a wide range of techniques to capture the essence of a…

Educational models by Amalgam on show in Bristol

October 22, 2014

Educational models clifton suspension bridge

Making an exhibition of ourselves? Bristol’s Architecture Centre, on the waterfront quay by the Arnolfini, is currently showing Desire Lines: Romance and Rationalism in Bridge Design until Sunday 16 November. The Centre gave us the brief to create a set of educational models with which visitors – especially children – could interact and experiment with types of bridge design. So, the exhibition features three bridge building kits, designed and constructed here in Amalgam’s workshop. The aim is to inspire visitors with the diversity of bridge building techniques, as well as provide an historical background as part of Bristol’s Bridge 150 celebrations. Unique to this display, the Architecture Centre and Amalgam devised a set of top trumps cards – to add a fun and memorable element into the exhibition display – as well as offering a bridge drawing competition for the junior visitors. Also on show, back in Bristol after several…

BBC Sport Tabletop Footballers, Wall Insulation Models and Otters

June 26, 2014

We are currently making set 15 of our popular Wall Insulation models! These engaging display units were designed in-house by project manager Phillip Harris and we have been trickling them out at a steady rate for the last three years. The models show three methods for improving energy efficiency and cutting down on home fuel costs, by adding insulative materials to the cavity walling and exterior faces of a modern home. Initially made for the Centre for Sustainable Energy, these educational display models have caught the eye of a number of other clients and we have been making them as sets-to-order ever since. Typically in our industry, each model we make is a bespoke piece, designed and built to the client's individual specifications. Exhibition and display projects this month include the Mini MRF, a Compost Corner video interactive and cutaway compost bin - all more made-to-order items from our Recycling Displays trading arm. These…

Architecture Exhibitions and Chimps

May 23, 2014

Installed at the Architecture Centre down on Bristol Waterfront, the Living City is an interactive architecture exhibition where an analogy is drawn between the city and a human body. Users are encouraged to think about what is needed to create a balanced, healthy urban environment. The centrepiece for this exhibition is a model we made for the Center for Sustainable Energy some time ago; in its original context the PlanLoCal model shows how various low carbon technologies can be installed in rural and urban settings. In its new role in this exhibition, the model features an interactive element, where users can place magnetic icons along the sides of the base to highlight key points within the 'city-body', such as energy, transport and recycling. The exhibition also features key documents and case studies, and runs until the 10th of August. You can see some images up on the Architecture Centre's Facebook page. Be…