Exhibition Design - Avci Architects · 2016-07-19 · exhibiton design and including film script writing and creative writing for theatre drama and radio enable her to approach any

Sanja Jurca AvcıExhibition Design

“ Stories are powerful because they transport us into other people’s worlds but, in doing that they change the way

our brains work...”

Paul Zak

Sanja Jurca Avci is an architect who fell in love with storytelling.

Storytelling is what scenography in theatre is, as is exhibition design, both in their own ways and to their own public. Clarity and legibility with which this is done rely on Sanja’s ability to balance the use of colour, form, material and light with the story told. The process of reaching clarity, which she calls “combing”, is ultimately what finds a fine balance between these elements, working and reworking it until the message comes through.

Sanja is sharing her time between Ljubljana, London and Istanbul. Her exhibition designs can be seen in Ireland, where she designed the permanent exhibition in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Book of Kells exhibition and the Museum of Chester Beatty as a project designer for Event Communications, as well as in Slovenia, where her independent work includes large scale exhibitions like the new Lipizzaner Museum Lipikum or Reflections of Distant Worlds in Slovene Ethnoghraphic Museum, The Knight, the Lady and the Dragon in Slovene National Museum and also small boutique private exhibitions like Our Fathers’ Footsteps at the Pule Estate.

Sanja has designed for theatres in Slovenia and in the UK, for clients ranging from Royal Shakespeare Company to Edinburgh’s the Traverse Theatre and from London based Lumiere and Son to Slovene National Theatre.

For her work in theatre and museums Sanja has been awarded national and international awards.

Sanja Jurca Avcı

It is human nature to love a good story. From fairy-tales in childhood to books, theatre plays

and movies later on – it is a story well told that gives us all a big pleasure.

STORYTELLINGWhether working in exhibition design or in theatre Sanja enjoys telling stories in and with space. She strongly believes in legibility, boldness and conveying a clear message. In her designs Sanja tries to use every possible means as a carrier of content and message, be it colour, shape, material, light. Reworking the totality until it is finely balanced is for her a challenge and a pleasure.

An exhibition is not a book. It has three instead of two dimensions and visitors experience it by moving through it in time – the fourth dimension. It is not enjoyed sitting down, in peace, on our own, but rather by walking at a slow pace and often among other people. This calls for a different concept and a different balance of visuals and text and allows for the inclusion of multimedia.

We start each exhibition design project with a process of content interpretation and we try to find the best spatial expression for every new content.

An idea for a museum or an exhibition needs an initiating spark. This can be a collection of art or objects, a theme, an occasion, etc. This spark is developed into an exhibition through an intense process of project development. Many parametres play their part in this process, such as: space, budget, target audience, client’s intention, contemporary relevance, etc.

However, what the visitors are ineterested in is: the experience of a story told in a space. Sanja’s extensive experience with theatre scenography, exhibiton design and including film script writing and creative writing for theatre drama and radio enable her to approach any exhibition with an inventive approach and insight. Bearing in mind the target visitors she devises the best angle from which the content should be approached in collaboration with specialists for particular content.

As a part of the team, Koray Tokdemir, with his extensive experience in museum and cultural projects, concentrates on the process and creation of a systematic approach for each specific content.

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

From a spark to an exhibition – the creative process from scratch is for Sanja a challenge and a pleasure.

Interpreting content is a process of translation. We translate what usually begins as very professionally and dryly written content into a form that will be understood and enjoyed by the target public.

Emona 2000, Slovene National Museum, 2014(Visualization)

“Exhibition design is storytelling in space”

The Knight, The Lady and The Dragon

Carefully conceived sightlines offer surprising layering of views.

Visitors’ path through the exhibition is directed by expressive spatial elements of sheet metal and chainmail that are used consistently and as such enable easy legibility of space and content.

Permanent exhibitionSlovene National MuseumLjubljana, 2013

Each theme of exhibition storyline found its expression in space.

Beautiful names of six horses, the ancestors of all Lipizzaners, are given the utmost importance on this sculpted architectural partition

Lipikum

Lipikum is a museum of experience. The story about the Lipca Stud Farm and Lipizzaner horses is told, beside by the exhibits, also by color, projection, sound, interactives, and even by architectural elements.

Permanent ExhibitionLipica, 2011

The colours, all taken from Emona’s frescoes, surprised the visitors with

their brilliance.

Roman forum, created by columns, concentrated on the public aspects of life in Emona

Emona: From Myth to Reality

The exhibition spaces carefully follow the storyline of everyday life in Emona, Ljubljana’s Roman counterpart and, in another part, the myth of Argonauts.

Temporary exhibitionLjubljana City MuseumLjubljana, 2010

Colour coding of respective cultures and consistent use of graphics provide clarity and legibility throughout. Wall panoramas and a band of small photos contextualize foreign objects.

Contextualisation was the key when designing the exhibition of these precious and rare collections for Slovenia.

Reflections of Distant Worlds

Permanent Exhibition Slovene Etnographic MuseumLjubljana, 2006

The design of the space is clean and simple in order to let the content of the workshop, the interactives and the art samples to stand out and enhance children’s experience.

Colours and materials are also kept simple and consistent. A special and more playful element is provided by

cardboard boxes, which, like Le-go-blocks create anything from the castle, the cave, storage, partition,

etc.

Ülker’s Children’s Art

Workshop

Ülker’s Children’s Art WorkshopArt International FairHaliç Congress CentreIstanbul, 2015

Visitors today expect to have multimedia in exhibitions. When it is done to support the storyline it gides depth and enrichment to the content.

Water in the Ottoman Culture

Permanent exhibition(Concept Stage)Istanbul, 2012

The design takes the lead and is inspired by the colours of the wall frescoes, the artefacts, the views, the gestures of the statues, the architecture of the spaces.

Intentional modern interventions stay clear of the historic building out of respect.

Christianity in Slovenia

Age-old and recent artefacts resonate in harmony with this historic building that smells honey-like of old timber ceilings and echoes of its meditative contents within thick stone walls.

Permanent ExhibitionSticna Monastery Sticna, 2001

Long Live Evolution!

Dolore cus. Ex endus, quia nimet ut optatur? Caectur sum nisinverciis imusda siminis exernatum fugiandic tecus am, solupta consequia volum quissumQuiat re nobitiae ipsusam

Permanent exhibitionSlovene National MuseumLjubljana, 2013

In Pursuit of a Theatre

We tried to show as many examples of old theatre technology as possible, for instance: these facades can fly up or down, just like in theatres backdrops used to. We are using the system of periaktoi – a well-know device of triangular prisms on which scenographic painting changes from side to side.

Permanent exhibition SGM Ljubljana, 2013

To ensure the seamless translation of the idea into reality, after drawing it up in great details, a close relationship with the contractor(s) is developed.

Exhibition design implementation is, similarly to interior design, achieved through collaboration with: joiners, metalworkers, painters, graphic and lighting contractors, and, on top of that: with multimedia production companies.

For all these to come together into a seamless whole, quality supervision is needed which Sanja always provides for her projects.

Construction and Quality Supervision

MetrelHorjul, 2005

Rake’s Progress, London, 1999

Slovene Hunting MuseumConcept Design, Bistra, 2007

AB Slovene Stand Ministery of Foreign Affairs, Ljubljana, 2001

Slovene Fishing Museum, Concept Design, Bistra, 2003

The Book of KellsDublin, 1998*

Pivka Military History Museum, Pivka, 2013

Arpad ve Stefa’nın KökenleriBistra Castle, 2010

St.Patrick’s Dublin, 1999*

Slovene History Museum,Ljubljana, 2002

Maja Gspan Retrospective Jakopic, MGML, Ljubljana, 2009

Gateway to IstanbulConcept Design,Londra 2013

Living MuseumKonsept Tasarım, Istanbul, 2009

Emona 2000, Concept Design, Ljubljana, 2014

1987/ Zlata Ptica National Award for Young Artists

1999 / St Patrick’s Cathedral *Shortlisted for Glenn Dimplex Award 2000 Shortlisted for Living Dublin Award 1999

1999 / Chester Beatty *Glen Dimplex Award 2000European Museum of the Year 2000

2002/ Slovenya’da HristiyanlıkValvasor Award (National Museum of the Year Award)

2007/ Uzak Dünyaların YansımalarıValvasor Award (National Museum of the Year Award)

2011/ Pozoriste Zvezdariste Best Theatre Design Award, Belgrade Interna-tional Festival

2013/ Şövalye Leydi ve EjderhaValvasor Award (National Museum of the Year Award)

2013/ Şövalye Leydi ve EjderhaQuarterly award for excellence by Slovene De-signers’ Association

2013/ Şövalye Leydi ve EjderhaNomination for Plečnik medal (National Architec-tural Award)

Our Fathers’ Foodsteps, Pule, 2006

EXXA Textile Showroom, London, 1999

Chester Beatty,Dublin, 2000*

Nomadic Roma Museum, 2012

* Sanja Jurca Avci as Project Director for Event Communications London

Awards

AVCI ARCHITECTS

Avci Architects was established in London in 1989 by Selcuk Avci and Sanja Jurca Avci. In 2006 it opened its Istanbul office. Whereas Sanja concentrated on design of spaces that tell stories – in theatre and exhibitions, Selcuk practiced architecture, interiors and urban planning.

The two directions complement each other, with architectural practice offering technical and logistical support with theatre and museum projects. Istanbul office also provides local knowledge with projects in Turkey.

AvciArchitects practice has always followed three main principles:

Multidisciplinary approach to Design

AvciArchitects value and profess collaborative working, Selcuk Avci having been educated in the ethos of integrated design teamwork. Working closely with Structural Engineers, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Landscape Architects and other Consultants, a high degree of seamlessness is achieved and innovation encouraged.

Sustainable Design

The importance and acceptance of sustainability is growing in many areas, including architecture and design. AvciArchitects have been at the forefront of these developments, in both the UK and Turkey and have become the sustainability specialists in Turkey with TMB HQ Building in Ankara awarded with LEED Platinum Certificate.

Interactive approach to design

AvciArchitects’ valuable asset is a desire for perfection and “owning” their clients’ issues as their own. This comes through in the practice’s interactive approach to design which delivers integrated thinking by involving the whole design team as well as the client in the design process through “design workshops”. Continuous interaction with clients ensures their final “buy-in” of the design as well as holistic and complete process.

Selçuk Avcı

Architect, Founding Partner

What is your story?

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