DJ WILLRICH
Strawberry
Fields Forever .
The iconic 1860 ’ s Victorian House transformed by the Salvation Army .
In 2019 DJW were asked to work closely with exhibition designer Cubit 3D to deliver the AV hardware design , installation and software production of the digital interactive element and the finale show for the new Strawberry Field Exhibition , on the famous site in Liverpool .
The exhibition tells the story of the 1860 ’ s Victorian House , and its transformation by the Salvation Army from 1936 , into a safe haven for some of Liverpool ’ s vulnerable youths , and onto its connection to John Lennon and the Beatles song ‘ Strawberry Fields Forever ’.
John Lennon ’ s home backed onto the field behind the house , and he often played there with his friends as a boy , which is how the connection came about . Those days , playing in the grounds , moulded him and later inspired him when writing his songs as an adult .
The concept behind the exhibition layout , according to designer Russell Stewart of Cubit3D , is “ imagining you ’ re inside the head of John Lennon , with sounds , pictures and moving images mixed together with abstract thoughts .”
The original 1860 ’ s Victorian house demolished in 1973 .
When visitors enter the exhibition , they are given headphones and a tablet , which is used as a tour guide and prompt for the content . The idea being to try and mix up moving images and still images and keep the amount of printed text to a minimum . There ’ s close to two and a half hours of material on the media guide , so the visitors can really immerse themselves .
Within the exhibition there are a total of 13 projection systems , 14 LCD screens , and background ambient audio all of which are linked to the Tour Guide .
Software production involved ambient audio reflecting the original garden and bandstand , so featured a mix of bird song , children playing and Salvation Army bands playing in the distance .
One of the more complex elements of the production was a 5-projector finale show synchronised to the famous song , Strawberry Field Forever , using a mix of archive images of John Lennon and the manor house .
Do you remember the introduction to the song ? This major feature of the original song sounds like an organ , but was
58 experienceuk . org