Wizard of Oz-themed library graphics.
We get lots of different starting points for the projects we work on. But maybe none come stranger than the idea that sparked this library refresh at Race Leys Primary School: a tornado. This was the creative kernel that the headteacher gave us one day. She wanted to create a show-stopping Wizard-of-Oz theme at the centre of her library.
Concept design
Inspired by these amazing murals painted on buildings in Dorchester and LA that capture an amazing sense of presence through the use of scale we created our designs to feature larger-than-life characters that would cut through the busy room along the main wall. The yellow brick road would become a character in its own right as it weaves between the walls and floor.
We created a full-colour montage-style background design to work with the large black and white characters, could tie the main walls together and provide a consistent backdrop to areas that would need to be filled with bookcases.
The existing space was full of difficult-to-use spaces and showed no clear route to a major installation. Following on from our recent Harry Potter and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed creations, we set to work planning how we could make our designs work with the room's shape and restrictions, not to mention how we could make a large hanging tornado in the unusual ceiling space. In fact, finding a treatment that would have the desired impact and still allow for bookcases, student circulation, and study spaces were one of the biggest challenges in this project.
In addition to designing graphics for the walls, we covered windows and doors and created two large features; the iconic swirling tornado that started the whole project and a large 3D book that will sit in the library space entrance.
Our design team worked closely with the school to ensure that every detail was right, from the material choices in the finished installation to adding some red glitter to Dorothy’s red shoes in one scene. And from making green bubbles floating above the witches cauldron to designing the yellow brick road to weave in and out of the walls and become a road the pupils can indeed follow as they traverse the space.
This project was completed during the half-term break, in time for the school to celebrate World Book Day, and although students haven’t yet seen it (due to lockdown restrictions still in place at the time of writing) it has been heartening to see local excitement build. We look forward to returning when it is in full use.
“When I first saw the finished space I was literally speechless, and that doesn’t happen very often! The end result is so much better than I thought it could ever be. I LOVE it! ”
— S. Lamb, Headteacher