Permanent Exhibition for Zoya Museum Complex



The design team was approached with the task of designing a memorial museum for Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, a legendary hero of World War II, whose story is rich with emotion and impact: she was among the graduating class of 1941, the teenagers who literally left their school benches for the front lines. The team was responsible for developing the concept, creating exhibit design and content and producing all media
programs for the museum. By developing nine immersive zones the team brought Zoya’s story to life.

Agency

Lorem Ipsum Corp.

Practice Area

Client

Ministry of Culture of the Moscow Region

Industry

The Challenge

One of the main challenges in developing the design for this exhibition was finding a way to tell the story so that it would feel relevant and close to heart to the museum visitors, especially to modern-day school children, one of the key target audiences.

Another challenge was to create design throughout the exhibition which would translate the dramatic emotional narrative into the physical space: the story starts with hopes and dreams, which are crudely interrupted, and followed by the tragic death of the main protagonist. Then visitors need to feel the ring of Nazi troops closing in around Moscow. Then comes the somber feeling of remembering the war heroes. And finally, the story end with gratitude and, again, hope.

Zoya’s Feat tells the story of Zoya’s mission through immersive design, sound and lighting. The set is a recreation of the village where she completed her mission and heroically died.

In The Battle of Moscow multimedia programs, recreated environments and original artifacts
create one of the exhibition’s main climatic experiences dedicated to the most important WW II event of 1941.

A peaceful classroom transforms into a military training site through choreographed dramatic
lighting and soundscape.

Dugout gives a glimpse into a brief moment between battles in a soldier’s life. For visitors,
especially school groups, this space offers an opportunity to sit and talk about history.

Immortal Regiment is an interactive multimedia environment where visitors honor their own family members who fought and died in WWII.

Design + Execution

In every part of the story we provided visitors with references that would resonate with their own lives. For example, we talk about Zoya’s favorite subjects at school and her dream profession after graduation – topics that are as relevant to teenagers today as they were in 1941.

The team also created opportunities for visitors to literally take Zoya’s place, become part of the story: in The Classroom, they sit behind desks, designed to be historically accurate, and can leaf through the textbooks of the 1940’s. In The Battle for Moscow, visitors descend to a trench and can sit for a few minutes in a soldiers’ dugout, listening to the sound of approaching tanks.

Lighting and sound design were instrumental in building the emotional narrative. Enthusiastic soundtrack of pre-war Soviet film creates a sense of enthusiasm for the bright future, while the sounds of the battle field or the quietly read recollections of Zoya’s mother immediately evoke fear and sorrow.

The Wall of Heroes is deliberately minimalist, filled with air and light. Its design highlights its main purpose — to pay tribute to decorated war heroes of the Moscow Region.

The Country of the Young is the first zone the visitors enter. It is filled with optimism and hopes
for what tomorrow will bring.

  1. A peaceful classroom invites visitors to a Soviet school in June 1941. On the blackboard — documented hopes and dreams of Zoya
    Kosmodemyanskaya, the museum’s protagonist, and her
    classmates.

  2. Zoya’s Feat tells the story of Zoya’s mission through immersive design, sound and lighting. The set is a recreation of the village where she completed her mission and heroically died.

  3. A peaceful classroom transforms into a military training site through choreographed dramatic
    lighting and soundscape.

  4. Immortal Regiment is an interactive multimedia environment where visitors honor their own family members who fought and died in WWII.

  5. The Wall of Heroes is deliberately minimalist, filled with air and light. Its design highlights its main
    purpose — to pay tribute to decorated war heroes of the Moscow Region.

Project Details
Design Team

Abigail Honor (creative director), Adrian Castiniera (exhibit designer), Betta Bereslavskaya (architect), Pavel Erko (head graphic designer), Dasha Khandzhi (exhibit visual designer), Stanislav Miroshnichenko (scriptwriter), Ivan Korneev (researcher), Aleksandr Chubenko (technical director), Sveta Zvyagina (project director), Masha Pyshkina(head producer), Chris Cooper (head of post-production), Donsha Jones (post-production producer), Bruce Chilton, Stephen Maneri, Maks Zhura (editor), Anton Urkin (3d animation), Gevorg Manukyan (software developer)

Collaborators

MKS (fabrication, installation)

Croc (equipment, integration)

Photo Credits

Lorem Ipsum Corp.

Open Date

May 2020