Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Location6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Type(s) of establishment
Type Permanent exhibit
Collection Cinema-related artefacts
The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum opened in the Fall of 2021 © Academy Museum Foundation
Designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a real 7-story temple of cinema presenting the diversity and talent of artists collaborating in the creation of films.
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Exterior Rendering ©Renzo Piano Building Workshop/©Academy Museum Foundation/Image from L’Autre Image
About the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Located in Los Angeles, the 300,000 square foot museum is a 484 million dollar project that combines the renovation of an existing building originally constructed in 1939 with the creation of an ultra modern spherical building made of glass and cement overlooking the Hollywood Hills.
Visitors can walk through a variety of exhibits spread over approximately 50,000 square feet. Several thousands of artefacts are on display to showcase film technology, costume and make-up design, awards, and film history.
Our Scope of Work
Among the firms involved in this large-scale notorious project, Zone Display Cases was commissioned to design, fabricate, and install some 130 custom-made conservation cases to display and protect some of the greatest cinema-related collections.
Collections on Display
Among the items on display in our cases are the red shoes of Judy Garland worn in the movie The Wizard of Oz, the famous R2D2 robot from Star Wars, the real figure of ET created for the Steven Spielberg film, the miniature model of Cobblepot Manor - the penguin's refuge in the Batman classic, and many more.
The Academy Awards History gallery
Not to be missed is also a gallery dedicated to the Oscars with 20 wall display cases, each displaying an Oscar statuette dating from 1927 to 2016.
Challenge
The Encounters Gallery in particular was an ideal opportunity to consolidate our mission – to prove that display casework can be both technically efficient and visually unobtrusive, even invisible.
The gallery also prompted an interesting technical challenge: a wall case 56-foot long and 6-foot deep. Our objective was to create the impression of a seamless glass wall, while also creating the necessary supporting structure and integration of sophisticated lighting and other accessories to maximize the impact of the display.
Solution
Through a process of careful material resistance calculations and CAO simulations, we were able to considerably optimize the structure and obtain an interior volume which met and even exceeded expectations.
Also, the preconceived configuration and casework layout created the ideal setting for our frameless showcase, fitted with risers that give the artifacts the appearance of floating within a void.
We’re very pleased with the result, especially given that there wasn’t time to make a prototype within the tight turnaround time. A testament to great teamwork!”
