WW1 Tunneller Mannequin Display Contract For NAM

This WW1 Tunneller, nicknamed 'chalk man', was part of the Tunnellers diorama which the team at HRD (Heritage, Research, Display) designed and created for the National Army Museum's exhibition Going Underground.

The tunneller figure used in this display was made up of some unwanted pieces of mannequin which NAM had in storage and some new limbs we created in the studio from resin. We adapted and posed them considerably, to fit within the confines of the partially collapsed tunnel created by us to complete the claustrophobic feeling we were conveying with this section of the model. The Museum provided suitable clothing and the chalk man was painted and detailed on the bench at HRD before being finally fixed into his tunnel. 

The large outer box was to be a structural component in the total display. The box supported the smaller scale tunneller model modules. The Museum has some access issues in the area the exhibition was to take place, so size and weight was to be kept as low as possible. The actual full scale diorama of the tunnel was able to be slid in and out of the housing box, which enabled easier movement and also allowed it to be accessed on all sides to some degree during the construction of the set.

The set was largely constructed from actual materials, with some surfaces carved foam, which were then rendered with texture, painted, and resin water added. The display had LED lighting which was chip controlled in set places, as the feel was to be gloomy and close. Visibility was purposely restricted to add to this illusion.

The module was covered with painted MDF board and chalk man was locked in. A poem entitled, The Tunneller, penned by Lynda (Researcher at HRD)  was fixed to the display above the viewing window and added some dialogue to the scene.