SPATIAL FOLDINGS

The design of the exhibition ‘Masterpieces from the Lanckoroński Collection: A Story of Antiquity’ is an attempt to introduce unconventional, modern display methods into the historic architecture of Wawel. The concept is based on a stylistically cohesive arrangement of all the rooms, consistent in form but varied in the selection of colours and materials. This, in turn, creates an element of surprise and a gradual progression of impressions. The shapes used were inspired by ancient models of forms and details, as well as the rules of classical geometry – symmetry, divisions, and proportions; yet they have been reinterpreted using contemporary materials and technologies. The design also refers to selected examples of design and craftsmanship at Wawel, as well as the broader context of the history of architecture and art, including film. The curves, visible in the floor plans and details, serve to create a space where the boundaries between walls and floors are blurred. The design primarily uses natural materials (plywood, wood, and carpeting) to achieve the impression of a warm, atmospheric, tactile, and illusory ‘soft’ architecture.
The entrance hall is intended as a minimalist and somewhat enigmatic ‘prelude’ to the exhibition tour. Two curved walls almost completely conceal the existing interior and suggest a direction of movement towards the first exhibition hall. The dominant materials in this space – clay plaster, stone, and metal – refer to the artifacts on display and the basic building materials used in antiquity. The whole is enriched at its centre by an art installation based on an interpretation of the sun, an element associated with the Mediterranean cradle of the achievements of that era. A graphic, blurred, luminous circular form curves along the edges of both walls, and only from specific vantage points does it present a perfect image of two joined halves, much like in op-art works.
In the subsequent rooms, large monochromatic structures were placed, redefining the existing interiors. In the first exhibition hall, the material on the floor and walls is glazed birch plywood, which transitions smoothly on the upper level into a translucent, light-permeable veneer. This effect of indirect illumination brings to mind ancient experiences of filtering sunlight through various types of partitions. The folds in the surfaces where the floors meet the walls serve to create an apparent dematerialisation of the space and emphasise its ‘fluidity’, much like in the architectural trend of folding or fonction oblique by Claude Parent and Paul Virilio. In this room, the exhibits (mainly figurative sculpture) are placed on wooden bases protruding from the new walls; selected artifacts are covered with glass shades, and a separate space has been designated for a presentation on the sarcophagus with erotes. On one of the walls, a large-format photograph of the fresco hall at the Lanckoroński Museum in Vienna is presented (the new arrangement is, in fact, an attempt at a contemporary interpretation of this type of representative interior, where architecture and art form a coherent and expressive whole). Opposite, the only window visible in this room has been highlighted and covered with a brass sheet element integrated with a lamp simulating the effect of a flickering candle. This form references similar historical elements, lamps from the Royal Apartments at Wawel.
The arrangement of the next room is based on a similar compositional principle. The floor flows seamlessly into two opposite walls that conceal the existing windows and doors. This form provides a cohesive backdrop for the freestanding exhibits, mainly plaster casts on marble pedestals. The varying heights of the stone bases serve to maintain a similar height for the upper edges of the sculptures. The new structure connecting the floor to the walls was finished with textured flooring, thereby eliminating material transitions and creating the impression of a single, curved ribbon.
In the next room, a perforated plywood wall is placed. At eye level, there are circular openings displaying photographs of objects that could not be acquired for the exhibition, as well as niches for four smaller exhibits. The individual openings are numbered in a legend, which can be interpreted using the information sheets available at the entrance to the room. This monochromatic space is dominated by a warm brown color (similar on the walls, floor, and ceiling), providing a neutral backdrop for the photographs and exhibits, while the varied perforation of the new structure helps to visually reduce its scale. The whole may resemble a modern interpretation of a stereoscope.
In the last room, there is a single curved wall with a circular display case for smaller objects. It is finished, like the floor, with burgundy carpeting that echoes the color of the existing stone stairs. The soft material shows handprints left by visitors. The interior of the circular window –a display case for five valuable exhibits – is filled with concentric brass forms and illuminated by soft, diffused light. A similar form and material define the freestanding pedestal with artifact descriptions (with a base in the form of an irregular stone block).
The entire arrangement is an attempt at a balanced and suitable architectural intervention within the historic context of Wawel Royal Castle. Organic forms, subdued colours, and discreet lighting are intended to create a distinctive, yet not necessarily neutral, backdrop for the works of art. The five exhibition spaces represent five different worlds, integrated through the themes and coherent arrangement of the exhibition. The ‘spatial foldings’ referenced in the title of this design may bring to mind visual effects from Christopher Nolan’s films, ‘Inception’ and ‘Interstellar’, associated with the deformation of three-dimensional reality and time travel. The exhibition’s design is intended to be precisely such a journey through time, connecting history with the present.

Masterpieces from the Lanckoroński Collection: A Story of Antiquity
Wawel Royal Castle, Krakow, Poland

Exhibition design: NArchitekTURA – Bartosz Haduch
Author: Bartosz Haduch
Co-author: Magdalena Marasik

Curators: Joanna Winiewicz-Wolska, Bartłomiej Makowiecki

Coordination: Maria Tarnawska

Photographs: Adam Golec / Wawel Royal Castle

Investor: Wawel Royal Castle

Design: 2025 – 2026