Loading …

800 Years Diocese Graz Seckau

Communication Design & Exhibition Design

Something that seemed so traditional and not really progressive caught our curiosity. Because a self-critical catholic church that openly and seriously initiates a dialogue about the future promised to be interesting at least. How can you design and communicate an anniversary – 800 years of a Styrian diocese – in a sacral context? This challenged and motivated us to realize a project that was based on burning contemporary questions as a principle.

Hands hold the open exhibition catalog, yellow pages on which an illustrated map of Styria shows the various venues of the anniversary year

A different kind of anniversary

The five exhibitions were centered around 8 different questions which mediated between church and art, the sacred and the profane. The questions reinterpret traditional clerical places and open a dialogue between the history of the Styrian church and a perspective for the future. Many different events all over Styria complimented the main events.

 

Hand holds open brochure with illustration of scissors from which grows a bouquet of flowers

They are amazingly topical, the questions that people have been asking themselves again and again for more than 2000 years.

Self-reflective and open

A lively and local discussion setting was established on eight stages in eight different Styrian villages. Interested people were invited to comment, criticize and philosophize around the eight key questions and there possible answers on location, as well as on the according website that featured a question each week.

 

Hand holds an exhibition catalog with orange pages and an illustration of a peeler peeling a piece of sky

Editorial design

Hands holding open exhibition catalog with blue pages, with an illustration of an ice cube from which a coin melts out

Interactive dialogue

The mobile website was accompanied by social media activities. The intense participation of users – not only from within the church – confirmed the general social brilliance of the topics.

Hand holding a cell phone with the homepage in the given corporate design

Webdesign Mobile First

Exhibition „Burden and Inspiration"

The exhibition architecture within a heritage-protected Jesuit college from the 16th century reacts naturally and puristically to the place. The plain material – raw and directly imprinted MDF boards – perfectly integrated displays and furniture of the exhibition into the historic architecture and at the same time underlined the contemporary character of the exhibition. It was spread throughout the whole building and followed along the central 8 questions of the anniversary. The exhibition design connects the historic retrospection with contemporary art interventions, and at the same time it allows a direct view of unique baroque spaces.

 

Exhibition view of a bright room, with erected MDF boards carrying the content directly printed on
The erected MDF panels photographed from behind, their back was used, for example, as a coat rack
Plan graphic of the premises of the seminary with the division of the premises for the contents of the exhibition.
A directly printed on MDF board leaning against a wall with exhibition text and illustration on yellow background
Exhibition view of an arch room of the seminary with illuminated objects and the scenography made of MDF boards
Exhibition space with an expansive typographic installation through which people walk
Archway corridor through which a woman walks past standing MDF panels of the exhibition scenography
Exhibition space with objects and a screen embedded in MDF panels, in front of which a man stands
The seminary's baroque dining room with several set tables, a red and white tiled floor and pictures on the walls
Archway in daylight with a view of colorful stained glass windows and an MDF board leaning against the wall showing the exhibition graphics
Woman standing in front of two colorful stained glass windows with MDF board with printed text between them
The logo of the jubilee year with an illustrated hand stretching out its thumb, index and middle finger and bearing the inscription "Seeding the future - 800 years of the diocese of Graz Seckau" surrounding it.

Muh!