“100 x Styria” showcases the Austrian cultural heritage at History Museum Graz, housed in an 18th-century palace. The exhibition´s sculptural mirror – glass – light installation and display placed in the baroque mirror hall is inspired by the chamber´s historic use in aim to create a multidimensional experience. The cultural artifacts become a canvas of the future and represent a milestone in the transformation of this museum: allowing visitors to explore the historical content and space from an unexpected and unpretentious perspective.
The exhibition, “100 x Steiermark” placed in the outstanding historic mirror hall and three connected rooms, articulates spatial intervention in both functional and artistic ways. Relating to the concept of a “laid table of history,” the furniture-like installations made of glass or mirror reflect the historic use of these chambers. The main challenge was to showcase 100 objects, which represent 100 episodes throughout the last 1000 years of the country’s history. Since the interior of the hall is exceptional itself, the display required subtle and most “reflective” solution for the objects as well for the space - so the team fabricated a large, one piece, sculptural mirror - glass - light installation.
Precisely optimized furniture blocks with integrated lighting beneath created a floating stage for diverse content. The mirrored display composition allows multiple observation perspectives of the objects, contains all technical requirements and acts as an art piece itself, a metaphoric and formal reflection of the space, time and existence.
The space, furniture, objects, and visitors easily merge into one another and simultaneously maintain one exhibition medium. The space, furniture, objects, and visitors merge into one another, as one medium and raise questions: “What is forthcoming? What remains?”