Digital Wallpaper
Because big spaces need big pictures
The science corridor needed a facelift and I was asked to paint a science-based mural. I was completely on for the challenge but realised that it would probably take six weeks of non-stop round-the-clock work which wouldn’t fit with a teaching timetable and lots of people walking past going in and out of lessons. So I designed a big wallpaper display instead:
Using a list of Biology, Chemistry and Physics concepts I gathered images which were blended together on Photoshop. I made sure there was enough diverse representation away from the old white men of Science so whilst Einstein and Newton inhabit the top and bottom right corners so Jane Goodall, British anthropologist and leading chimpanzee expert, occupies her space along with Marie Maynard Daly, the first African-American woman in the US to receive her PhD in Chemistry. The Chinese invention of gunpowder is also referenced as well as Schrodinger’s cat.
In terms of resolution and image size, 1 metre equals 1000 pixels on Photoshop. The wall dimensions - 9m x 3m - led to an image size of 9000 pixels x 3000 pixels at 300 dpi, which resulted in perfect print resolution. Woohoo! Nerdy but necessary info.
I then created another wallpaper display for a primary school corridor and this time the brief was to make it interactive with the projects for the year group. Again, I decided not to paint a large mural for the reasons mentioned above but instead designed a wallpaper which ultimately could be relocated or reprinted if needed.
Designed to be a prehistoric landscape on which to chart the footsteps of early mankind, the vista features a mountainous central section, trees, a cave located beneath the surface within sedimentary rock and a cross-section of water.
As the year group progress through the project learning about the water cycle and cave dwellers, so they add their drawings and visual research, interacting with the display and bringing their landscape to life.
Such a joy to see a design on a large scale and evolving in real time!
If you have a wallpaper design request, send me a message!