The preliminary entry spaces sets the context for the visitor, giving history to the Cartier studio as well as establishing the massing of the spaces. A very large case cantilevered between two gallery spaces provides a didactic surface while also serving as a case for the objects.
A sophisticated and magical space of projected images from the Ballet Russes reveals costumes (from which Cartier drew inspiration) behind switchable glass.
Reference books were also on display, highlighting sketches from Cartier as well as patterns the studio studied and used as inspiration. “Pixel” cases highlight hero objects, and provide the visitor closer access to certain pieces.
In order to allow the visitor to more fully understand the intricacies of the patterns in the jewelry, large animated projections were cast in the spaces, bringing balance to the scale of the jewelry and the spaces.
The coordination required to ensure safety of the objects as a first priority while also meeting design intent was an intense collaboration between the contractor, designer, art handlers, and DMA design team. Weekly construction meetings were held, while on-site supervision kept the CA team in the space to address challenges or issues that inevitably arose.
Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity
The Cartier exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art represents a major coup, both in terms of content, and in design and planning. The exhibition was conceived of by the directors of the DMA and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro for wildly different exhibition spaces, the show opened in a Beaux-Arts building in Paris before transforming for an installation in a white-box space in Dallas. Centered on design concepts of light/dark and pushing/pulling, the exhibition design employed dramatic lighting and video components to explore the themes of the exhibition. The design also made use of dramatic structural acrobatics, which necessitated many coordination meetings during pre-planning, design development, construction drawings, and during construction itself. With a tight timeline for construction, troubleshooting in the field was a daily exercise, and quick thinking and coordination between international parties was mandated. The result was a stunning, unique, and highly detailed exhibition that cleverly hid many construction secrets inside its walls, floor and ceilings.
