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I still can't figure out the *why* of this venture. They have a really expensive PR agency on board. The council seems, if not supportive, resigned to letting it happen.
I am in the process of making a museum. It is such a complex, expensive thing. What, or who, is driving this? https://twitter.com/alisapower/status/1338968314270408706
I am in the process of making a museum. It is such a complex, expensive thing. What, or who, is driving this? https://twitter.com/alisapower/status/1338968314270408706
It's not gonna be eligible for SCIL funding (unless the new developments at Atlantic Wharf are somehow tied in to it), it looks to go against so many council policies, and symbolically it is SUCH a large space to put the military, right next to our parliament.
It's a *completely* new build, not part of a larger development, and its visitor projections and business plans are WILD. I've spent a long time looking at footfall/museum visitor numbers for the same purpose and it just doesn't seem to be based in reality for me.
There are obviously HUGE socio-cultural, and racial issues to bringing this institution into the heart of the Bay. There are also massive environmental issues. Most of all, the plan presented to @cardiffcouncil, which they have recommended for approval - seems to be based on sand
I'll elaborate: the standard tool for audience devt in the cultural sector is the arts council's arms-length service, audiencefinder. It's an English project and until a few months ago, there were *no* Welsh datasets on there - info that would enable you to project eg visitor nos
I am eating my dinner (I *know*) but I'll have a look at the data now...
OK, according to @walesonline they project 225k visitors (YES YOU HEARD) by 2024. This seems to be based on a benchmarking figure for Cardiff Castle of ~400k visitors annually, ~200k visitors to paid attractions like NMC and Techniquest.
These are established visitor attractions with a huge amount of formal and informal learning programmes. The proposed museum's closest attraction, however, noted a 'record number' of 49k visitors on a bumper year - the Senedd and its 'weeping window' installation, in 2018.
