FORMA
St. Petersburg Biennale of Museum Design
14/11 – 14/12/2014
Organizers:
The State Hermitage Museum
The St. Petersburg PRO ARTE Foundation for Culture and Arts
Supported by:
The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation
Museum design implies architectural and design techniques and solutions that are meant to arrange museum
environment. This broad notion comprises architectiral concept for museum space, as well as design of permanent
and temporary exhibitions, new types of museum navigation, design of the museum’s printed matter and a host of
other things. Making museums accessible for the visitors with disabilities is an important part of contemporary
museum design.
St. Petersburg’s new Biennale is a unique event; it presents samples of Russian and international museum design via
exhibitions and comprehensive educational program.
Biennale program features exhibitions and displays in the St. Petersburg museums. Among the participants are the
Museum of City Sculpture: its New Exhibition Hall and the Narva Gate; Gatchina Palace and Estate Museum, Museum
of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad, Raznochinny Petersburg Museum, Museum of Bread, Feodor Chaliapin
Memorial Apartment (branch of the Museum of Music and Theater). Museum of Political History of Russia, Mikhail
Anikushin’s Studio (branch of the Museum of City Sculpture), World War I Museum in Tsarskoye Selo – Ratnaya
Palata.
Short guide to the Biennale provides the visitors with a map and information about exhibitions and designers.
Biennale’s exhibitions and displays were developed by Russian and international designers and design firms, such as
Kvorning Design&Communication (Denmark), Barnbrook (UK), Ralph Appelbaum Associates (US-Russia), Intro
Design (Finland), «Svoya Shkola» (St. Petersburg).
Biennale’s special program in the Hermitage features open lectures by the world leading designers and architects. The
Biennale’s audience will get a chance to visit new display at the Oriental and the Antiquities Departments and the
Department of Archeology of Eastern Europe and Siberia.
Biennale’s comprehensive educational program took its start in December 2013. Lectorium of the Hermitage General
Staff Building hosted lectures by the world-famous museum designer, creator of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington Ralph Appelbaum (US); graphic designer, designer of exhibitions for the V&A and creator of popular
typefaces Jonathan Barnbrook (UK); museum designer and architect Arne Kvorning (Denmark), who did projects for
museums in 40 countries; an expert in museum lighting, Stephen Cannon-Brooks (UK), who designed lighting for the
Hermitage and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum; conservation architect and expert in museum restoration Abha
Lambah (India), whose firm has won 8 UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards.
Jean Michel Wilmott (France), designer of the renovated Rijksmuseum; legendary director of MAK – Museum of
Applied Art in Wien Peter Noever (Austria); Elisabeth Topsøe (Denmark), designer and exhibition designer are the
speakers for November-December 2014.
In collaboration with the Shchusev State Architecture Museum (Moscow) biennale presents 'Museum Cluster'
exhibition at the Central Museum of Communications, that shows the projects created for the open architectural
competition of downtown Moscow rehabilitation plans.
Museum experts and designers will discuss problems of the contemporary Russian museum design in round table
talk. Students and young designers will have a chance to attend master-classes and participate in the international
poster competition creating posters for museums. Special training course is designed for young Russian journalists,
who write about museums and exhibitions. Department of Arts at the St. Petersburg State University also runs a
special course on museum design.
A catalogue with information about all the museum-participants and projects, as well as interviews with designers and
museum curators will be published.
Contacts:
St Petersburg PRO ARTE Foundation
Tel/fax: 8 (812) 233 0040; 233 0553
email: press@proarte.ru
www.proarte.ru