One of the great things about Jesmonite is the wide variety of projects it is used for.
Aivaf based in Sheffield carried out a project to create a range of stunning new displays at Winchester Cathedral.
Aivaf has been in business 30 years creating exhibits all over the world including models, props, full scenic and film sets for visitor attractions like zoos, theme parks and museums. Their aim is to create the ultimate visitor experience.
Bruce Davies, managing director of Aivaf, said:
“Around Christmas 2018, Aivaf Ltd was commissioned to produce an array of different displays for Winchester Cathedral including a Pepper’s Ghost interactive located within a replica shrine.
“After some extensive research and development, we found that the perfect material to make all our displays out of was Jesmonite. The material was easy to cast, fast setting, cold to the touch and cost effective.
“In order to produce the shrine we had to provide full 3D Computer Aided Design drawings showing all the intricate parts and detailing for the client to approve.
“With this digital model we were then able to CNC cut all of the parts out of model board. These elements were then used to create silicon moulds and finally cast in Jesmonite.
“The fabrication of the shrine took around six weeks from start to finish for two of our team to create and bond together. The shrine was shipped down to Winchester as panels then fixed together and finished on-site.
“One of the benefits of using natural Jesmonite was the consistency of colour when bonding panels and touching up which would be extremely difficult if a dye was added.
“To accompany the shrine, we were also asked to produce a large amount of wall panels out of Jesmonite to hang ancient artefacts on. This may sound like a simple task but the panels had to have an almost mirror finish and had to have a direct digital print applied meaning they had to be perfectly flat.
“Through experimentation, we found the best way to achieve this was to cast the panels between toughened glass sheets and then give it a light buff back.
“The Winchester Cathedral project certainly tested our skills and the versatility of Jesmonite. In total we had to create: Textured finishes, mirror finishes, natural colour, pigmented colours, direct digital printing to the surface and engraving text into the panels
“The results speak for themselves, we have a great project in our portfolio and an extremely happy client.”
For further information about this and other exhibitions Aivaf have produced, visit www.aivaf.com
Product used- Jesmonite AC100
Original source www.jesmonite.com