Studio Wignall and Moore have unveiled a transformation of the Royal Cornwall Museum’s Mineral Gallery showcasing 3500 years of Cornwall’s mining history with over 1000 mineral specimens on display.

Designed, Fabricated and Installed by the studio, the refurbishment of the Mineral Gallery celebrates the museums internationally significant mineral collection and presents a skillful upgrading of the space whilst retaining its original essence. Iconic elements have been retained such as the Edwardian cases which have been sympathetically renovated with new lighting and baseboards. The cases have also been carefully lowered in height to make the displays accessible to children and wheelchair users. Audio stories have been integrated into some of the cases with the lighting transitioning to a single object focused spotlight when the audio cup is lifted, highlighting a collection item relevant to the story. Where required, new cases were crafted to match the style of the gallery including the 3.7m tall ‘Wow wall’ which greats visitors with a spectacular mineral display as they enter the gallery.

The internal space has been entirely renovated and redecorated with a new bespoke wall paint crafted from Cornish minerals. Studio Wignall and Moore commissioned specialist pigment maker Lucy Mayes of London pigment to manufacture the specialist pigment which Rose of Jericho used to produce the finished paint.

A new state of the art ‘digital lab’ showcases immersive content celebrating the gallery’s handling collection while also being equipped for presentations and live streaming. The immersive content, produced by Maximo Recio, focuses on 4 minerals within the handling collection, taking viewers on a journey from an aerial perspective of each mineral’s origin to an abstract, microscopic interpretation of their formation process.

Bryony Robins, Artistic Director for the museum: “The Mineral Gallery is the first exhibition space in the museum to undergo an upgrade as part of our transformation project and we’re delighted to be re-opening its doors. This gallery holds a special place in many people’s hearts, in part not just because so many of the minerals are beautiful, but also because it’s an important collection for understanding Cornish mining and minerals and the role that mining continues to play in Cornwall. Our goal is to ensure that these improvements protect our collections and Institution, so future generations can continue to learn, explore, and visit us for another 200 years.”

“Minerals are the building blocks of the earth, with the unique geology and minerals of Cornwall having shaped the history of this region” commented Frances Wall, Professor of Applied Mineralogy at the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter. “We probably don’t think about minerals very much and yet everything we do, every day relies on minerals. Humans do two things- we grow plants and nurture animals, and every other material we use comes from the minerals in the earth. Phones, gadgets, high-tech renewable energy devices, cars, trains, machinery – all rely on minerals, so we should care about them very much.”

See the project page here.

Watch ITV coverage here.