Client: Shanghai Film Group
Design: Coordination Asia
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Size: 15,000 sq m
Completion time: Two years
Shanghai’s first film museum was created by Coordination Asia – which not only created the design of the four-storey building, but also the concept of the exhibitions inside.
The Shanghai Film Group wanted a landmark film museum, giving Tilman Thurmer (art director and founder of Coordination Asia) the freedom of design and content. The design team visited studios, film parks and workshops to collect information about Shanghai’s film industry, and translate that into a unique destination.
The Shanghai film industry past and present is displayed in a variety of exhibit spaces displaying memorabilia, artefacts and props
Knowledgeable in museum design, Coordination Asia has also created the Shanghai Museum of Glass, Jining Science Centre, and Otto Bock’s travelling exhibition for the London 2012 Paralympics.
For the setting of the Shanghai Film Museum, it took advantage of a former film studio, turning it into the new home of 70 interactive installations, 3,000 historical film exhibits, a 4D cinema and a collection of DIY workshops for animation, postproduction and live broadcast. ‘Visitors – no matter what age, nationality or gender – will come to the museum with high expectations, as film is a popular subject’, says Thurmer. ‘Everyone has favourite films, actors, directors and stories that are linked to memories and emotions. A film museum connects to people’s personal lives, and this was something I had to keep in mind every step of the way.’
Coordination Asia decided to make its museum as interactive as possible. This starts on entry. A lift takes visitors to the fourth floor, where the exhibits begin. Before the doors open to the museum, a media installation in the lift counts down from 10, like in old movies.
The Shanghai film industry past and present is displayed in a variety of exhibit spaces displaying memorabilia,artefacts and props
Then visitors are met with the Carpet of Lights. Referencing the red carpet at a premiere, red bulbs are installed underneath translucent flooring, while photographers’ cameras flash at the visitors walking through the otherwise dark corridor.
Lighting was also used throughout the museum to put the focus on the exhibits in a cinematic style: visitors are put into a dark environment and their attention directed by lighting to the exhibits. For example, the Unforgettable Faces exhibit embodies cinematic lighting: the black floor and ceiling are lit up only through the backlit images of Shanghai’s old and new movie stars that cover the walls.
The River of Dreams exhibit consists of blue raised blocks winding around its space, making a 50m-long interactive ‘river’ from which visitors can command projections of film productions dating back to 1949 in a touch-and-play application. The National Anthem (first used in a Shanghai film, and later promoted to China’s national song) is celebrated here in a combination of sound, objects and videos, all incorporating the lyrics of the anthem.
The Shanghai film industry past and present is displayed in a variety of exhibit spaces displaying memorabilia,artefacts and props
Equally the Personalities exhibit contains interactive displays that light up as they are approached, enabling the visitor to learn about individual professionals within the industry, in the style of a 4D photo album.
Coordination Asia incorporated aluminium wall panels, tinted glass, stainless steel, rubber and wood into 70 interactive installations across the museum.
The practice is currently designing its next Shanghai creation: Ocean and Glass, an aquarium which combines the ocean’s creatures with glass sculptures, in association with the Shanghai Glass Museum.
Words by Emily Black
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