Sanja Jurca Avcı, “Design Identity” Exhibition

On September 5th, Sanja Jurca Avci of AVCI+ , opened an exhibition of her work as part of The Society of Designers’ Exhibition Cycle ‘Design Identity’ in Cankarjev dom Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Although her exhibition is centered around her recent projects in exhibition design, it also gives a round image of her work in theater.

Rok Žnidaršič held the opening speech for the exhibition.

When Sanja asked me to hold the opening speech for this occasion, I first thought about how I rembember her exhibitions. What I realized was, that more then the design itself (which so often dominates contemporary exhibitions) I remembered the exhibits, the storylines, the atmosphere. The atmospheres that she creates evoke those very emotions that correspond to the theme of the exhibition, and this is so either despite or beacuse of the way she uses contemporary means of expression. The concepts of her exhibitions are based on the structure of the story of the exhibited material and on the understanding of it, where the design is present because of its very absence… When I studied Sanja’s biography, I realized that I knew more of her works then I had realized, since, besides her exhibitions that I saw in Stična, Lipica and Emona, I followed her work, without knowing it then, also in the prime exhibitions abroad, like in the case of St.Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity College in Dublin.

Sanja’s exhibitions could be described as theatre productions that invite the spectators to experience them by themselves with the help of typical scenographic elements, such as the light, the sound, the colour and time. This comparison is only possible because Sanja is at home on the stage of the theatre. Dramaturgical concept and structural logic of her exhibitions reveal the wealth of her expertise as theatre designer and her collaboration with some of the best directors and theatres in Slovenia and abroad.

Sanja always approaches a new design task by shaping a firmly structured storyline that she then transfers into space with precisely measured design address. While shaping legible thematic units and logical progression of the story, Sanja makes masterful use of her architect’s knowledge of how to design space, details, colour sheme, lighting, sound and knows where to introduce appropriate interactivity. This she can do well even within modest budgets, since the conceptual value of her design is often independent of exagerrated materiality.

The integrity of her exhibitions is reminiscent of architectural design, however, with the inclusion of theatrical means of expression it is actually creating a new line of design in Slovenia.

Rok Žnidaršič