Falconier

The temporary exhibition was dedicated to the history of the invention and use of the original building material - Falconnier glass bricks. The brick was named after its inventor, the Swiss architect and engineer Gustave Falconnier (1845-1913).

The overall conceptual solution was inspired by the image of a refracted sunbeam from Falconnier’s glass bricks. Wall bevels, sloping surfaces all play into the form of distorted glare or falling shadow. Contrasting to the historic interior of the museum, the sculptural and minimalist exposition accentuates the translucent glass bricks. The walls are arranged so that the familiar nave layout of the Ruin with its strict division of space takes on a dynamic spirit.

The exhibition «Falconier. Architecture of Light» showcased more than 100 items: glass bricks made in Europe and the Russian Empire, Soviet glass blocks - all from the collection of the Museum of Architecture and private collections, as well as archival documents and photographs. The key exhibits of the exhibition will be modern glass bricks of the Falconier system, assembled in multicolored masonry in the Ruina wing.



Authors: Agniya Sterligova, Natalia Zhernakova.
Curator: Elizaveta Likhacheva.
Co-Curators: Anna Kistanova, Nikita Andreev.
Modern falconiers: NWGlass.lab, Tamara Kovaleva, Polina Bokova, Alexandra Sumkina.
Lighting design: THE VIEW Valeria Gorelova, Olga Smirnova, Kamilla Toropchina.
Graphic design: Natasha Genieva, Alisa Greenberg, Anna Stoyko.
Media content: Vladislav Ladygin