Experience UK Guide 2023 | Page 59

It was a pleasure to be part of such a dedicated team , with such a fantastic history and legacy to match going forward •
material called Hi-macs ; and a Displax Ultra skin 60 ” touch foil was bonded on the underside . An Epson video projector was mounted above the table , projecting the image of the Mellotron down onto the table .
“ Working with John Bradley allowed us to use pictures of a Mark II model , actually situated at his home , which was the exact model used for the song ’ s introduction ” commented Josh Miller one of DJW ’ s Directors overseeing the project ; “ The big breakthrough was finding John and Martin . They ’ ve got all the original tapes that were used by the Mellotron company , so being able to use those samples gave us a really authentic sound .”
The interactive Mellotron allows the visitor to either follow a tutorial , teaching them how to play the introduction to the song or if they are more confident , they can have free rein to play whichever instrument or tune they wish .
The iconic gates of Strawberry Field .
October 9th 2020 would have been John Lennon ’ s 80th birthday , so to celebrate , the exhibition has been loaned the
New exhibition entrance explaining the Salvation Army story on this site , with John Lennon as a boy on the right .
actually a Mellotron ; an electromechanical musical instrument invented in Birmingham in 1963 , which was effectively a keyboard tape sampler .
DJW were challenged to create an interactive to represent the Mellotron , something which hadn ’ t been done before , allowing visitors to actually play this unique keyboard instrument , which became the AV highlight of our project and a labour love for all involved .
John Bradley , whose father originally manufactured the original instruments , and Martin Smith , from leading restoration specialists Mellotronics were brought onboard to assist in bringing this idea to life . A local joiner was chosen to make a full-size projection table using a world-famous piano which John used to compose and record one of the great peace anthems of the 20 th Century , ‘ Imagine ’; courtesy of the estate of the late George Michael .
DJW were asked to tackle the small addition of a screen directly above the piano , which needed to be installed before the piano was put in place , but could then be folded out of the way . This was to allow the piano and its large see through cover to be positioned , before the screen could be lowered back to its final location .
Strawberry Field fulfils three missions for the Salvation Army ;
1 ) To provide sustainable employment opportunities for young people with learning difficulties .
2 ) To keep the famous gates open for good , to the public 3 ) To provide a Christian Community of spiritual exploration

It was a pleasure to be part of such a dedicated team , with such a fantastic history and legacy to match going forward •

Contact us Please find us at www . DJWillrich . com or T : + 44 ( 0 ) 1590 612603 . Email : djw @ djwilrich . com
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