Moogseum Timeline Environmental Designs

By The Silent P | June 20, 2019

Here at Pfahlert Creative Labs HQ in Asheville, NC, we love all things synth. As an adolescent in Toledo, Ohio I had a subscription to Keyboard Magazine (thanks Mom & Dad!), and loved all New Wave that spoke to me, ala Depeche Mode, New Order, Joy Division, Devo… you get the idea. Like it was yesterday, I can remember an article in one of the issues about synthesizers written by a certain Bob Moog. The magazine issue was a special edition, with Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones and Devo on the cover. The article seemed to be written by a man so intertwined with the world of synthesis, that I pictured him perhaps made up of wires, knobs and plugs himself, but who definitely had a similar love & appreciation for keyboards and synthesizers, and the musicians who create music with them.

Fast forward some 30 years or so, and here we are thrilled to be working with Bob’s daughter Michelle, who has been the executive director of the Bob Moog Foundation for the near 13 years since it’s inception. We were asked to help create designs for two sections of the new Moogseum space, both would be timelines and need to compliment the already established look and feel of the Moogseum brand. The project took over 30 hours and included concepts, sketches, design, creative direction & typography. The timeline designs are titled ‘The Bob Moog Timeline’ and the ‘Timeline of Synthesis’, both feature lots of great photography and details that MUST be seen in person. Part of the visual inspiration came directly from actual Moog synthesizer schematics, the circuit board details helping tie together clusters of time in Bob’s life & his accomplishments, as well as connecting all the developments in synthesizers over the course of many decades.

The Moogseum and the Moogseum Store is located at 56 Broadway Street in the heart of beautiful downtown Asheville, NC. Moogseum will bring Bob’s pioneering legacy to life through unique experiential historical exploration and multi-sensory educational exhibits.

It includes:

A beautiful, multi-media, Interactive Timeline of Bob’s life and work, including never before seen personal documents that lend great insight into his thinking. Over 700 archival items will be accessible through the timeline’s touchscreen kiosks.
The all-important story of Leon Theremin and his seminal invention, the theremin, both inspirational forces in Bob’s life and work (three of Bob’s rare, early theremins will also be on display!) which will lead to a bay of interactive theremins, providing easy instruction on how to play the theremin and understanding waveforms.
The “How Electricity Becomes Sound” immersive visualization dome invites guests to step inside a circuit board and trace electricity as it evolves into sound, delving into the very heart of Bob’s work in sound synthesis.
Re-creation of Bob’s workbench, and an exhibit on modular synthesis, featuring a legendary modular that includes prototype modules from the late 60’s.
The one-of-a-kind “History of Synthesis” Interactive Timeline honors 34 historical and contemporary developments in the field, bringing many fascinating but little-known instruments to life and giving a context to Bob’s work.
The Learning Synthesis exhibit provides a hands-on, immersive opportunity into the basics of sound synthesis for the novice and advanced learner.