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A cast iron representation of how Captain Morgan’s cannon may have ended up when he was defeated during the Civil War.

Another project working closely with Chester Renaissance and the city’s Historic Environment team.

Imagemakers design, produced by local sculptor Colin Spofforth.

Colleagues David Revell and Graham Barrow will be speaking at the third International Forum on Geoheritage in June 2013, hosted by the Fangshan World Geopark in Beijing and supported by Imagemakers.

Our involvement in this conference builds on our work in China, where we have produced concept designs for 6 major museums and science centres over the last year. It also draws on our experience of telling stories about geoheritage and connecting people with geology.

Inanimate though they may be, rocks and minerals have truly astonishing stories that reach back to the dawn of time.  Our challenge is to bring these stories to life – and now also to share our experience with Chinese geoparks.

Geoparks are recognised by UNESCO for their outstanding geological heritage, and for their importance in conservation, education, enjoyment and sustainable tourism. China has over 20 UNESCO designated international Geoparks, and hundreds of national Geoparks. In the UK we have seven UNESCO Geoparks including the English Riviera in Devon, the North West Highands in Scotland, and Geomon on Anglesey.

So we’re rocking out to some serious geology, and to a serious interpretive challenge – to continue bringing to life a Cinderella subject that influences just about every aspect of how and where we live, what we grow, what we eat, and how we survive on planet Earth.

We’re delighted to be working on an exciting new project with Isle of Anglesey County Council. It’s based around a series of spectacular coastal walks that take in some of the highlights of Anglesey’s world-famous geology. In fact, Anglesey’s geology is so special that the whole isle is a designated Global Geopark called Geomôn. I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days there recently getting to grips with some of the topics.

I’ve tended to find geology more than a little bit confusing, to say the least… I think that, like many people, I’ve struggled because there are fewer (if any) human stories that I could easily relate to, and because the stretches of geological time are so vast and the forces so immense. As somebody who trained as a historian, I’m used to thinking in terms of hundreds of years, not hundreds of millions of years.

So I was very grateful to Dr Margaret Wood and Dr Stewart Campbell for sharing their knowledge and their passion for Anglesey’s geology with me, and explaining it in terms that I could understand. Now we’re working together to draw out the stories that will bring Geomôn alive for the next generation of visitors.

We want to encourage people to look more closely at Anglesey’s rocks, and to notice the details. The local landscapes are so magnificent that they naturally absorb your attention, but while you’re marvelling at the sweep of Red Wharf Bay in the distance it’s easy to overlook the amazing patterns in the rock right next to you. However, once you begin to look more closely at the rocks, and to understand what you’re looking at, I don’t think you can fail to feel a sense of awe and wonder at the forces that shaped our world.

As the project develops we want to kindle that sense of wonder for visitors, and that curiosity to find out more. Watch this space to see what happens!

All images courtesy of and © Dr Stewart Campbell

Well, as spring fast approaches, the Swiss Garden in Bedfordshire is coming to life in a big way – and not just the spring flowers either.

Just before Christmas, The Shuttleworth Trust got the exciting news that they had been successful in winning a substantial Heritage Grant from the HLF. Having helped put together the Activity Plan as part of the bid, we are now at that exciting point where all the ideas and activities have to be brought to life.

Sure, there are the mundane matters of budgets and project programmes, but then there’s the rush of excitement when you start the process of helping recruit volunteers; engage schools in developing new educational resources and writing the copy for a new app, audio trail or leaflet.

This little gush of enthusiasm was prompted by the experience of a colleague who has worked harder than most to ensure that the Swiss Garden has got the money it so deserves. She recently visited the garden after the completion of the first phase of tree works. Having invested so much time and energy and having ‘lived’ the project for years, she said that it was almost overwhelming for her finally to see the views and vistas as they were intended to be seen by the garden’s creator, Lord Ongley in the early 19th century. In a moment, all those plans, drawings, meetings and all that historical research became a reality in front of her eyes.

Let’s catch hold of the magic of those moments when we are feeling jaded and tired at the end of a long hard winter! And watch this space to hear more about the unveiling of one of this country’s most important designed gardens.

The icing on the cake, is when we get positive feedback from our clients. Here’s what the client team leader, Sarah Allen, Eco-Housing and Retrofitting Project Lead of East Hampshire District Council had to say: ‘I was very pleased, not only with how the exhibition looked when it was finished, but during the design and construction process too. You and your team did an excellent job and it was always such a pleasure to visit the site and see how efficiently and well the installers were working. I thought David Masters and David Revell did an excellent job of translating our wishlist into a design and then Charlie’s work at making it work was excellent too. All in all, we’re very pleased and please do pass on our thanks to everyone in the team.’

We’ll be uploading a full project profile but in the meantime, here are a few photographs of our work.

It is intended that the successful applicant will be working in China for 3 months at a time, returning to the UK periodically throughout the year. The position is initially offered on a 1 yr contract, with the possibility of extending thereafter.  Prior to this, full induction and familiarisation will be given in the UK.

If you would like to find out more then please download the job description and requirements by clicking here (36kb).

1. Must be vandal-proof.

2. Must last “forever”.

3. Must be beautiful.

All understandable requests.

But of course we know that there’s no such thing as vandal-proof.  All we can do is make the signs and interpretive art we put out there as vandal-resistant as possible and hope that the extreme, determined thug doesn’t decide to make his mark, and, our clients have the time to look after the stuff we make for them.

We also know that the more robust the materials are, usually, the less flexible they are in terms of their manipulative beauty.

We think that the suite of installations we’ve recently completed along the Rochdale Canal in the South Pennines buck these notions.

Working very closely with a well-informed steering group we developed installations made from cast SG Iron and vitreous enamel.

The vitreous enamel process brings with it various limitations in terms of graphic design and use of colour.  Whilst digital prints can be “embedded / fired” in to the panel, you only get the true depth and richness of colour through the normal screen-printing process.

The use of the teal green against the ever-changing hues of the rusting SG Iron frame provide a stunning visual contrast.  The vitreous surface is glass hard, virtually impossible to scratch, thus making the removal of graffiti somewhat easier than other panel materials.

Whilst the SG Iron has lovely texture and tactile qualities, meaning spray paint is difficult to remove with a chemical and cloth, it stands up well to a jet-wash to remove such indiscretions.

These installations will last for years and years and, we hope, remain as visually stimulating to those who enjoy them in the future as the visitors to Todmorden today.

The story at Todmorden evolves around the Rochdale Canal’s role in transporting goods to and from all parts of the globe.

The Rochdale Canal project was commissioned by The Waterways Trust, funded by Leader.

Design and project management by Imagemakers, manufacture and installation by IS-Group.

Cast SG Iron globe and vitreous enamel sign at Todmorden on the Rochdale Canal in the South Pennines.

Like many around the world, the Chinese government may have made some errors several years ago by managing water levels at some wetland sites to increase much needed agricultural land.

These moves backfired with diminishing woodlands and “raining mud in Beijing” being two unwanted symptoms.

There are now moves afoot to reverse the process, with wetland sites being reinstated across the country.  Ten new sites are planned in the next year or so – and Imagemakers has been fortunate enough to be involved in developing an interpretive exhibition for the new visitor centre at Zhangye in Gansu Province.  This wetlands area is over 500,000 acres – larger than the whole of Greater London.

Nearing completion is a 2-story, 5500m² visitor centre with stunning views over some of the more interesting habitats of the wetlands site that will be enjoyed not only by the avid bird-watcher and twitcher – but also by thousands of family and school visitors.

With 4 exhibition halls, a 4D theatre, library, meeting rooms and café – the centre will offer a memorable and thought provoking experience for the many visitors who will, no doubt, descend as soon as it opens in October.

Imagemakers  developed interpretive theming and concept sketches, the ideas then designed in detail and manufactured by our Chinese collaborators, Anda.  Some of our ideas included a periscope interactive – to view the plant and animal life below the surface, interactives to demonstrate the silting-up process and the important role that root systems play in cleansing water and binding silt to make more stable land.

The accompanying photographs demonstrate that the Chinese don’t do things in halves.  The Wetlands Centre is a wonderful piece of modern architecture, blending beautifully into its green surroundings.

Boardwalks and other on-site infrastructure make large parts of the site fully accessible, whilst protecting the more sensitive habitats where breeding birds make their winter nests.

Perhaps the greatest statement about the seriousness of attracting and educating thousands of visitors is the 40m tall observation tower.  The views from the top are amazing.