An Interior Design student at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) was given a project she could really get her teeth into – designing the Dracula-themed centrepiece of an exhibition of Hammer films’ monsters.
Chelsea Walker came up with the design for the diorama which is featured in the main display case of Hammer: A Screen Bestiary which opened at DMU Heritage Centre this week.
It tells the stories of the inspirations and the cultural significance of the studio’s films, which held audiences around the world in thrall during the 1950s and continued to enjoy success in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Chelsea’s design is based on an original film poster for Dracula starring Christopher Lee in the title role and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, which was owned by DMU’s Professor of British Film, Professor Steve Chibnall. Chelsea created a 3D Gothic world which resonates with the feel of classic Hammer films.
She said the experience had been “amazing” and had given her the appetite for a career in exhibition design. She was able to work closely with experienced museum fitter Jim Birch, whose career has taken him all over the country.
Chelsea, who has just started her third year at DMU, said she had chosen the exhibition pathway offered to her on the Interior Design course when the chance to work on the Hammer project came up.
She said: “I have really enjoyed it, you have more freedom on a project like this. There’s less formality and that was something that appealed to me. You can have fun!
“It was great working with Jim, I learned so much from him because he has so much experience. It has been amazing to work with people from the industry and see how the whole process works.
“The design was quite a challenge because the space is a lot smaller than it looks, so we had to be ruthless about what to leave out – less is more.”
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The diorama includes items from DMU’s Hammer Horror archive, gifted to the university by the film studio in 2012. Objects were chosen by discussion between academics from DMU's Cinema and Television History research centre, museum curator Elizabeth Wheelband and Chelsea. They included the original 1958 script, an X-certificate poster for the film and a rare vinyl recording of the film – as well as the word Dracula with “blood” dripping onto the floor beneath.
She said: “I really like horror films, although I had not seen any Hammer films until I started working on this project. Watching the films was part of my research homework!
“All my friends have been asking when they can see it. I’m very pleased with how it turned out.”
Chelsea is planning to include the work in her portfolio when she graduates in the summer.
Elizabeth Wheelband, museum curator, was full of praise for Chelsea’s work. She said: “We have all be so impressed by what Chelsea has come up with for the exhibition.
“It brings it all together and creates a world which draws in the visitors."
* See Hammer: A Screen Bestiary at DMU Heritage Centre which is open Tuesday to Friday, 12 to 5pm and every Sunday of the month.
Posted on Thursday 3 November 2016