The design strategy for this exhibit of books was to turn the gallery inside out—to invest all visual activity in the insides of the display cases, at the scale of the book. We chose to exploit the two main restrictive factors in the display of rare books. The low light levels took the emphasis away from the ambient brightness of the gallery and allowed the glow of the vitrines and the reading room to illuminate the gallery. The restricted access for inspection of the objects was overcome by creating special stations that allowed closer scrutiny of the books through facsimile, or video views into the book or audio readings.

“Informative and engaging. The books are interpreted in a new way, and that’s not easy to do.”