Nissen Richards Studio recently completed stunning exhibitions for two different clients at two different venues: MUNCH in Oslo and KODE in Bergen. play pieces is a joint exhibition organized by the charity Sparebankstiftelsen DNB and featuring the extensive art collection of DNB, which together with the teams from MUNCH and KODE also played a curatorial role in this project.
Nissen Richards Studio was commissioned to create a single concept exhibition that would be instantly recognizable in both venues, yet uniquely fit into the different spaces and graphic identities of each facility. Playing Pieces is currently open at his MUNCH in Oslo and will move to KODE in Bergen upon completion in late August.
The brief calls for “an exhibition experience that engenders broad audience participation, reflection, and inclusivity,” and “displays a diverse, world-class art collection and encourages critical thinking about art and the stories we tell each other through art.” The aim was to ask the following questions. It characterizes Norwegian cultural life. ”
The concept proposed for the exhibition of 167 works is based on the new Munch Museum, designed by architect Estudio Herreros and opening in October 2021 as the world’s number one destination to experience the art of Edvard Munch. It had to work well within the new construction of the building. A variety of modern and contemporary art is also on display. Secondly, the concept had to work just as well inside his subsequent KODE venue in Bergen. KODE Art Museum and Composer Homes is one of his largest art, craft, design and music museums in the Nordic countries, occupying four buildings in Bergen city center.
The specific location for the first show is the entire third floor of MUNCH, an L-shaped floor space divided into a large hall and a small hall. The KODE exhibition hall, also located on the third floor of the museum, consists of three rooms: a central atrium space, two adjacent wings, and an introduction space on the first floor.
“The key to this unique challenge is to create a spatial design that works in both spaces, with a clear exhibition identity created by the bold use of a range of colors and textures typical of a particular artist or group of artists. Our aim was to design a simple approach to design, which forms the focus of each major segment of the exhibition,” commented Pippa Nissen of Nissen Richards Studio. “We went through a long and careful collaborative process with both clients to ensure equal ownership of the direction and suitability of the results. Another key difference is that “At KODE, we have purpose-built a new exhibition wall.Finally, we have created a graphic treatment for each exhibit to reflect the graphic identity of the host museum. had to change.”
The concept behind the show is the presentation and thematization of Sparebankstiftelsen’s art collection, focusing on the organization’s activities as an art collector and its role in Norwegian artistic life, as well as the culture of the artworks in each section. shed light on the relevance of The collection’s priority areas, including paintings, graphic works, photography and sculpture, constituted his eight thematic sections of the exhibition. Nikolai Astrup, German Expressionism, putting Munch into context, pioneering women, Kurt Schwitters and his friends, Warhol’s later Munch, American street photography, and new playful works.
Although the eight themes are the same for both exhibitions, in the KODE exhibition the order of the Kurt Schwitters and Friends/American Street Photography sections is swapped to suit the space available, The area will be exhibited on the ground floor. KODE forms part of the exhibition’s introduction. All the small elements of the display, from plinths, benches and tables to physical interactive and digital installations, move with the works of art, from MUNCH to his KODE.
The design concept was to create a paced journey with tying threads and moments of reflection for a change of pace, allowing one to fully absorb the amazing works of art on display here. Each of his eight main themes is separated by color and texture, while sections on Nikolai Astrup, Pioneering Women, Kurt Schwitters and Friends, and American Street Photography feature his four “intervals”. There will also be installations to further draw the audience in. Nissen-Richards Studio also aimed to create visual interest through connections and thresholds, always taking into account perspectives beyond the immediate, while the contextual material of the artwork It is displayed in a clean and calming manner on each wall and in the front and outside of the room.
“We had a lot of fun using colors that resonated with the theme and the changes throughout the gallery space,” Nissen added. “We wanted the colors to emotionally engage the audience and tie together the content of each section. The composition of the walls and space then reinforced these thematic variations. I also enjoyed creating patterns and textures that speak to each section, a subtle underlayer to the interpretation. These puzzle pieces appear as a collage in the intro and outro sections.”
The textured introduction space is followed by the first Nikolai Astrup area. Here, the work is underpinned by sub-narratives about art and its themes and processes, and in the reflection area, the artist’s ‘local to global’ story is told through text panels with an integrated collage of press headlines. You can The digital interactive area creates a space in the form of an immersive multimedia installation in which fragments of Astrup’s art are integrated into a dynamically changing natural environment. Nissen Richards Studio worked closely with Danish digital design company York, his AV specialist on this project, on the sound that would accompany this immersive work, just as Astrup himself did in the piece. , aims to evoke a sense of place.
As the exhibition progresses, the spatial approach to each theme changes slightly to emphasize the content. From angular views to the use of textures and open spaces, each area gently reflects its content, taking care to ensure that the construction always follows the art. German Expressionism continues with its geometric emphasis, such as angular walls with lighting that emphasizes the angular drama, placing Munch in the background in a graphic atmosphere, but differentiated by different color choices. Masu. Moments of rest are also provided by benches with tops printed using a special textured design created by his team.
Next is the pioneering women’s section, where large-scale works are exhibited, whether paintings or sculptures, and Soundpoint is also an addition to this section. This is followed by a green painted cart Her Schwitters and friends section. It also includes a large-scale, fun interactive in the form of a “create your own collage” wall, using photos as backgrounds, colored shapes and pin boards. The Warhol section after Munch is a shock of bright color, while American Street Photography is a rich dark blue, flanked by images arranged on hangings in the salon and even more immersive multimedia installations. Here, photographs from the exhibition are projected on a large scale on walls and mobilized through sound and video, conveying the art of photography in American urban space as an embodied, lived experience.
“Pause spaces are an opportunity for visitors to engage and reflect on what they’re seeing in a different way, inviting them to look again and dream and imagine about the content they’re viewing,” Nissen said. I am encouraged,” he explained.
The final “New Playing Pieces” themed area features five works, and the entire exhibition concludes with the first painting of Sparebankstiftelsen DNB’s brand new collection. It embodies the idea that collecting never ends and forever begins again. A final interactive wall and table asks visitors about the art of collecting – “What do you think should be collected and preserved?”
photograph: Gareth Gardner
