jí architects’ colorful exhibition in chengdu pairs modernist geometries with furniture craft

step inside the immersive ‘a modern moment’ show in chengdu

 

Jí Architects, entrusted by Forge Curates, a curatorial agency under Marie Claire, has designed the space for ‘A Modern Moment’ — the debut exhibition for MC House at Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu, China. Located on the B1 floor, the project steers away from conventional shows by paying tribute to masters of modernist architecture and furniture designers through multimedia installations, colorful compositions, and spellbinding space replicas. By resorting to new media technologies, the studio provides the audience with an immersive, poetic journey throughout. 

all images © MC House

 

 

a theatrical composition from start to finish

 

Originally a blank, roughcast space with a gray cement surface, the B1 floor quickly acquired a theatrical backdrop composed of abstract geometric forms coated in a palette of bold colors. Jí architects (see more here) and the curatorial team replicated those geometric elements within the space to celebrate the beauty behind their simple architecture. Besides serving as a background, the geometric forms also serve as spatial boundaries within the ‘A Modern Moment’ show. 

 

Meanwhile, different colors reinforce the distinctive theme set in each exhibition hall, keeping visitors’ curiosity and emotions alert every time they walk out of a room and step into a new one. 

 

 

Moreover, in the narrow space between Hall 2 and 3 and between Hall 3 and 4, two mirror corridors composed entirely of reflective materials are set as special sections along the visiting line, breaking the monotonous composition of the exhibition ‘boxes’ by projecting a sense of infinity on both sides. ‘The kaleidoscope-like corridor provides a momentary detachment for the audience,’ shares the studio. 

 

 

industrial aesthetics, geometric forms, and craftsmanship

 

For the display system, Jí Architects was inspired by Le Corbusier, who once placed a handicraft sculpture on a hollow brick as home decoration. The studio adopted almost the same approach, exhibiting the posters and furniture on stands made of hollow bricks, revealing a balanced contrast between the finely crafted products and rough, industrial blocks. ‘The rationality and logic embodied in the geometric forms, the industrial aesthetics oozing from the bricks, and the gentle craftsmanship defining the furniture are all presented to the audience in the same space, at the same time,’ concludes the team.