The Road to Vimy and Beyond, 1914–1918
The Road to Vimy and Beyond, 1914–1918
Proud military heritage
Nova Scotia has a proud military heritage dating back hundreds of years and that heritage is on display in a museum inside Halifax Citadel National Historic Site.
Staffed almost entirely by volunteers the Army Museum at the Halifax Citadel has been faithfully preserving and promoting Atlantic Canada’s military heritage since 1953. The collection itself is massive, numbering over 70,000 artifacts—a fraction of which is on display across several rooms. Walking through the museum is like walking through time; the story of our country’s proud military heritage evolving right before your eyes.
Fathom began working with the Army Museum in 2013. We’ve designed a number of exhibits, including powerful displays on the Boer War, the Northwest Rebellion and the First World War. Museum Curator, Ken Hynes, is pleased with the results. “The graphic design and installation done in the production of our First World War Centennial Exhibition has yielded world-class exhibit spaces, which has resulted in a significant increase in visitation.”
Over the next few years, several more exciting exhibits will be designed and mounted in the museum, telling the story of Canadians who performed the ultimate service and sacrifice for their country.
Status
2014 (Road to Vimy Ridge and beyond)
2015 (WWII installation)
Our Role
Interpretive planning, exhibition design, interaction design.
Client
Army Museum Halifax
Location
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Subconsultants
Skyline Atlantic Displays—Fabrication and installation; Eye Catch Signs—Fabrication and installation; Project Works—Fabrication and installation;. Illustration—Christopher Hoyt.
THE CENTERPIECE OF THE EXHIBIT
The permanent exhibition, The Road to Vimy Ridge and Beyond, 1914–1918, features a complete scale model of the famous Vimy Memorial, a massive and emotionally powerful monument to the sacrifice of Canadians who fought and died in the First World War.
THE “WAR TO END ALL WARS”
Opened in 2014, this exhibit recounts the epic story of Canadians who fought in the First World War—with a special focus on the experiences of Nova Scotian soldiers who served and sacrificed in the “war to end all wars.”
A SPECIAL FOCUS ON NOVA SCOTIANS
Canada was a young nation of just 8 million people when the First World War erupted in 1914. Over the next four years, more than 600,000 Canadians “went over” to fight for freedom, thousands more men and women remained at home to support the cause. This is their story.
ARMY MUSEUM HALIFAX CITADEL
Most people are familiar with the images of WWI's trench warfare, but unaware of individual battles, their objectives, and outcomes. The task was to transcend the facts and dates of a typical military history, and bring the big pictures of the battles to life for the visitor.
WELCOME SCREEN
We designed an interactive touchscreen, mounted within a re-creation of a military equipment crate, allowing museum visitors to explore key WWI battles involving Canadian soldiers.
INTERACTIVE
Located within a historic military building and surrounded by unique artifacts, the kiosk provides context for an exhibition that defined Canada as a nation.
INTERACTIVE
The popular conception of WWI is of battles that achieved little, but while the front lines may not have moved dramatically, each battle had innovations and outcomes that shaped the course of the war.
INTERACTIVE
The kiosk covers pivotal battles of WWI involving Canadian forces, most notably Vimy Ridge. Form:Media has been steadily adding battle information to the kiosk as we approach the 100th anniversary of the conflicts.
“The graphic design and installation done in the production of our First World War Centennial Exhibition has yielded world class exhibit spaces, which has resulted in a significant increase in visitation. Form:Media understood our needs and vision for the exhibition quickly and were the best partners any institution could hope for.”
CREDIT
Photos (from top): installation photography by Christian Laforce.