In the Name of Craft

City:

Moscow

Year:

2023

Location:

Moscow, All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts

Team:

Curator: Nina Gomiashvili
Project architects: Alexandra Razina, Sergey Meshalkin
Development: Art-Project LLC
Equipment: ALEDO

‘In the Name of Craft’ is a flagship project of the Russian Museum of Decorative Arts.

The exhibition brings together the finest examples of decorative arts from the 1920s to the 1980s, representing regions from the Russian North to the Far East. The arts and crafts here represent a dialogue between the five classical elements of nature, with each hall reflecting one of them.

We treated each hall as a standalone project, attuning our lighting strategy to the character of the objects and architecture within.The goal was to stress how each craft tradition reflects the identity and culture of its region of origin, while also conveying that they are a part of a shared national heritage.

Main exhibition in a museum gallery with a centrally lit display case and shelves of cultural artifacts highlighted by directed lighting

Wooden shelving unit with display niches, individual artifacts highlighted by warm ambient lighting that creates depth and contrast against dark

We adjusted temperature, brightness and color to intensify the emotional and visual narrative. The variety of textures, like the fabrics and wood in the first room, supported warm, cozy lighting with glowing, flickering highlights that enhanced the ambience of a legendary ‘samobranka’, the magic tablecloth.

Passage into the red hall through wooden doors with carved medallions, red wall fill contrasts with black and white information panel on the right

Russian decorative arts exhibition with objects in display cases and illuminated ceramic pieces on shelves

YELLOW ROOM

Side view of a gallery with decorated crafts displayed on yellow background, accent lighting on vitrines and wall panels creates spatial depth

Display case with warm yellow LED lighting illuminating silver pitchers and plates with niello, highlighting their texture and ornamental details

Glass cabinet with golden background, lighting highlights silver objects and décor

Museum exhibition with display cases and decorative plates on yellow walls, lit by warm overhead light and accent lighting from inside the cases

RED ROOM

Museum exhibition with red walls and illuminated shelves displaying figurines

In the hall featuring artwork made of glass and bone we used flowing light patterns and graphic projections that danced across surfaces, echoing the shapes of the artworks.

Illuminated display case with blue lighting at center, surrounded by red glass panels and glowing horizontal shelves

In the hall featuring artwork made of glass and bone we used flowing light patterns and graphic projections that danced across surfaces, echoing the shapes of the artworks.

Display cases with porcelain and glass items on a red background with contrasting yellow-red lighting

Four horizontal shelves on a black background with red base, softly lit with directional lighting that highlights each row of miniatures

CARPET ROOM

Two illuminated cabinets with ceramic and copper pieces, red carpets with yellow patterns to the right

Gallery of Russian crafts with Pavlovo Posad shawls in illuminated glass display cases

Display cases with ceramics and porcelain illuminated from within, with a central niche where a carved partition glows with soft diffused light

Cabinets with porcelain figurines, carved icons on top, white walls contrasting with brown wood and backlighting

Dark ornamental doors with floral pattern opening into a museum gallery with yellow lighting and display cases of decorative objects

Display of Pavlovo Posad shawls and red scarves in illuminated display cases

White hall with sloped ceiling, geometric skylighting and large text on wall, minimalist lighting design emphasizes the room's architecture

Photographer: Vasily Bulanov