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Client: Lesley Dalziel:  Secretary,  Australian Light Horse Memorial Park Committee of Management

The Australian Light Horse Memorial Park (ALHMP) is located on the Goulburn Valley Highway, Seymour in central Victoria. 

The park is 141 ha of native bushland and is a significant reservoir of life for endangered flora and fauna, including the Speckled Warbler and Diamond Firetail. Kangaroos, wallabies, Echidnas, Koalas and other native animals call the park home. The park also attracts many visitors and regulars who walk, cycle and ride around the park. The site has cultural and historic significance as a major training ground for Australian Army units in both world wars.

Through the hard work and dedication of the ALHMP Committee of Management, grants and donations were established to install an interpretive display consisting of six panels. Spatial Vision, partnering with a local Seymour sign maker; Burgess Signs, won a contract to prepare and install six panels, each 1.2 metres wide by 2.4 metres high.

In a time when interest in our history grows, but knowledge about it seems to decline, the Park committee was keen to provide information that will stir curiosity and make the viewer want to search out more. Spatial Vision received text and supporting photos for topics covering; ‘Bunjil, Beersheba and Beyond’, ‘Building a Legend – The Australian Light Horse’, ‘A Military Crossroads’, ‘Remarkable Lives’, ‘The Nurses’ Story’, and ‘Reservoir of Life’. The challenge was to create an engaging, colourful display from largely black and white photography. The committee also felt that while the bulk of the content was of a military nature, it is the nature of the park that should figure strongly in the design of the display.

Spatial Vision prepared three different draft concepts. It was quickly established that the text would need to be edited to allow the images to tell the story. The concept selected involved the wave element from the floor of the display and the curves of the panel sides with a motion blur treatment of images of bark and stone from around the park and local area. A photo of a Wedge-tailed Eagle features prominently as Bunjil, the aboriginal Kulin nation’s creation spirit. Spatial Vision worked closely with the ALHMP Secretary Lesley Dalziel, enhancing imagery for large display and sourcing some stock photography to illustrate some of the interpretive text.

The Australian Light Horse Memorial Park now has an eye-catching and informative display as a gateway to encourage visitors to explore the Park.

Demonstrated Capabilities

• Ability to prepare conceptual designs for display layouts.
• Ability to prepare artwork of  well presented and appropriately focused interpretive displays.
• Extensive expertise in sourcing appropriate 3rd party photography and imagery.
• An extensive understanding of the client’s requirements and working with volunteer organisations.
• Understanding of how to address complex signage products in relation to size, colour and layout.
  

Resources

Roger Heeps designed and prepared the displays for this project.

Technologies Applied

• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Illustrator