Exhibition: the River
by Jana Winderen
natural history museum
Completed 2024
“The River" is a temporary exhibition that showcases the captivating sound-based artwork produced by Jana Winderen. In the first 10 days of its opening, it received 50,000 visitors! Located inside the Jerwood Gallery at the Natural History Museum, this 360-degree audio experience features underwater recordings from the River Thames. Greenway Associates were the Quantity Surveyor, Contract Administrator and Principal Designer on this installation.
"The River" - A sound Installation by Jana Winderen at the Natural History Museum.
OUR ROLE
Jared Mensah and Asher Mehmet from Greenway Associates served as the Cost Consultant, Contract Administrator and Principal Designer on this epic sound installation by Jana Winderen.
Over the years, we’ve enjoyed working alongside the Natural History Museum on a range of exciting projects, and this was certainly one of them.
THE INSTALLATION
"The River" presents a captivating 360-degree audio composition that envelops the gallery in a rich tapestry of sounds. Created by renowned artist Jana Winderen, in collaboration with spatial audio expert Tony Myatt - this innovative installation features underwater recordings from the River Thames. Visitors can relax on beanbags and benches inside the Jerwood Gallery, as they let the immersive soundscape wash over them.
This experience takes you on a journey into the river’s depths, unveiling a soundscape that has evolved over millions of years. By highlighting the crucial role of sound in the river’s ecosystem, the installation also addresses the growing impact of human-generated noise. It sheds light on how this intrusion disrupts the natural balance, an issue with far-reaching and still-unfolding consequences.
Visitors are invited to sit on beanbags and benches to fully immerse themselves in the audio experience.
PROJECT CHALLENGES
Due to its relatively small size and modest budget, one of the project challenges was in preventing inflated prices, especially during a particularly busy period for specialist exhibition contractors. To prevent inflated prices, we implemented a rigorous tender process. After selecting the preferred contractor, we carried out a comprehensive evaluation of scope versus cost to ensure the client received the best value.
Greenway Associates is happy to assist its clients with procurement on a wide variety of projects, and we take all budgets types under consideration.
PROJECT DETAILS
Client: Natural History Museum
Designer: Natural History Museum
Contractor: Exib
Cost Consultants: Greenways Associates
Completed: July 2024
For more information on this exhibition, or to talk about any other cultural project, please contact our Cultural Projects Expert, Jared Mensah.