MVRDV was commissioned by Design Society Shenzhen to design the main gallery of The Sea World Culture and Arts Center, a new cultural hub and gallery founded by London’s V&A, now open to the public in Shekou district of Shenzhen, China. MVRDV’s spatial design for ‘Minding the Digital’ exhibition is a labyrinth over two floors that create different experiences and synergies between the various display environments.
The first floor is designed as a maze of rooms that each show of designers and designers are contributing the making of a new world. They all have individualised foucs so need individual rooms to reflect on this. Visitors however can go from room to room to get further acquainted with their works and understand them. All of the rooms have black interiors to give central focus products on display.
On the second floor and above the individualized display spaces below, stairs lead to an upper level with a glass floor showing off the makers, products and designers below. It becomes akin to a ‘dance floor’ where visitors can experience walking over (hi)stories. Here the visitor can interact with what goes on below as well as encountering a space for future products. It is a beautiful space illuminated from below. This exhibition typology makes the audiences’ experience more transparent, whilst demonstrating how designers and products continue to contribute with new ideas to the fast-paced digital world and technological advancements that are evolving.
“We have created here a labyrinth, a mini-village for all the digital artists with each room adaptive to the art, ideas and products,” says Winy Maas, MVRDV co-founder. “Both levels form a plinth with a series of openings and glass floors on top that creates an overview of this explorative parametrized world showing histories, as well as futures in a beautiful space illuminated from below.”
The exhibition ‘Minding the Digital’ is open through 3 June 2018.
all images © Zhang Chao