The first UK exhibition of iconic French shoe designer, Christian Louboutin, at the Design Museum is a retrospective of 20 years of design celebrating and capturing the artistry and theatricality of his craft. Working closely Christian Louboutin and The Design Museum, we were asked to design an exhibition to realise a brief that explores the designer’s collections through his key creative inspirations, in partnership with Curator Donna Loveday.
Drawing on Christian Louboutin’s assertion that ‘every woman wants to be a showgirl’, we took the concept to create a ‘show’ experience examining the curated themes of Transparency, Travel, Architecture, Entertainment and Handcrafted, all flowing from the central ‘showgirl’ installation of a 17-metre long signature red sole. Feature experiences include:
Shadow Theatre
Through the brightly lit entrance the visitor moves into the shadow theatre where silhouettes are employed to examine the purity of line within the shoes form.
Fairground Attraction
A moving carousel, illuminated helter-skelter and oversized spinning top act as dynamic displays for the exhibits.
Fetish Collection
A dark immersive exhibition room houses shoes from the 2007 Fetish collection, with accompanying photography by David Lynch. Here, the environment changes pace and appearance through skillful lighting and sensuous fabric walls.
Paris Atelier
A recreation of Mr Louboutin’s Parisian atelier achieved through full-scale photographic panoramic wall graphics with objects from his studio bringing the creative hub to life.
Centre Stage
A hologram of Dita Von Teese performing takes centre stage at the pinnacle of the giant red sole and plays intermittently.
We’ve moved far away from a prescriptive linear display to draw the visitor through the space on an unforgettable experiential journey that embraces theatre, landscape architecture, film, graphic design and interactive technology. We also translated the spirit of the show across all elements of marketing collateral including bespoke ‘collectors’ invitations.
Christian Louboutin said on selecting Household, “Because this is my first time showing my designs in an exhibition, I needed to work with someone I trust and have full confidence in.”
The Guardian says..."It's hard to pick a highlight from this slick theatrical show"
Dexigner, 13.05.12
A detailed look at the 'show' experience - charting 20 years of shoe design
