Design team: Nata Tatunashvili, Ekaterina Aulova, Petr Kopylov
Photo: Ilya Ivanov
A space hosting an exhibition of 100 of the most important documents in Russian history is a two-part structure comprised of two large exposition halls facing each other. The first hall accommodates the documents, while the other displays rare artifacts of archival practice from the 17th century on, as well as several multimedia installations.
All the historical documents in the first part of the exhibition are placed in individual niches and spread along the perimeter of the hall. A few ledges have been added to increase the exposition area and create alcoves allowing for a close meditative study of each exhibit.
The second hall is divided into small rooms dedicated to the developmental stages of archival practice in Russia. This comprises photographs, furniture and stationary dating back to the XVII century. The two halls are connected by a passage mocking the archetypal archive, with endless storage boxes. The passage pierces the second hall all the way through to abut — like the light at the end of the tunnel — a multimedia installation representing the future of all archives, in the form of an omni-connected neuronetwork: the archive of all archives.