Revamping the House of Life

Exciting developments took place at the Egypt Centre during the final week of July. Thanks to income raised from donations and course fees over the past twelve months, we were able to purchase a new case for our House of Life gallery to replace the smaller one displaying our Writing, Maths, and Measuring exhibit. The new case was produced and installed by Glasshaus Displays, who had previously designed other cases for the Egypt Centre. It doubles the amount of display space compared to the previous case. The case will be divided into two parts: On the left, the theme of Writing, Maths, and Measuring will be maintained, with the objects previously on display already having been redisplayed (fig. 1). On the right, the additional space will allow us to put on temporary exhibitions for the first time. To coincide with the Sixth EES Congress, which is being hosted by Swansea University, the first display will be of objects in the Egypt Centre originating from the excavations undertaken by the Egypt Exploration Society. The exhibition will be installed over the next three weeks ready for the in-person element of the conference taking place at the university over the weekend of the 1st–2nd October. At the conclusion of this exhibition, the case will be used by students enrolled on the CL-M77 module (Reaching the Public: Museums and Object Handling), who will have the opportunity to curate their own display!

Fig. 1: Redisplay of the Writing, Maths, and Writing case

Additionally, we also retrofitted eleven cases previously installed by Glasshaus in the House of Life over the past fifteen years. New LED lights have now replaced the fibre optic lighting. This has several benefits: long lifespan; energy efficiency; improved environmental performance; no heat of UV emissions; and instant lighting with the ability to withstand frequent switching on and off. The most noticeable difference, however, has been the greatly enhanced lighting conditions. Since the fibre optics were fed by a single 100-watt bulb, this meant that the amount of light dispersed throughout the larger cases was particularly low. This was most evident in our Stone case, which made it difficult for visitors to adequately see the objects on display. The new LED lights have suddenly improved the visitor experience with vibrant lighting throughout. A comparison to the Stone case before and after really highlights the difference (figs. 2–3).

Fig. 2: Stone case with fire optic case lighting

Fig. 3: Stone case with new LED lighting

New ERCO track lighting was also purchased and installed in both galleries, which is a great improvement. The previous track lighting used halogen bulbs, which consumed a lot of energy and generated considerable heat, the latter being particularly harmful to many objects. The new track lighting use LED lights (fig. 4), which reduce the heat, while also cutting energy consumption by up to 80% compared to the previous system.

Fig. 4: Lintel and stelae illuminated by new LED spotlights

Interpretation panels were added in each of the cases in the House of Life, a practice first introduced to our Metals and Predynastic cases. As is the policy in Wales, the panels are bilingual (Welsh and English), which means that the text is rather limited by the space available. However, the panels help to give the displays more context (fig. 5). Over the coming months, bilingual labels will be added for each of the objects, which will further enhance the displays for visitors.

Fig. 5: Pottery case with a new interpretation panel

The feedback we have received from staff, volunteers, and visitors has been very positive. Many have remarked how the new lighting and interpretation panels have enhanced their experience. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Egypt Centre over the past twelve months. These improvements could not have been made without you!