Teotihuacan
Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, France
Client: Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac
Completed: 2009–2010
Curator : Felipe Solis
THE CITY OF TEOTIHUACAN. The exhibition design is conceived as a large-scale model of the Teotihuacan site, occupying the entire temporary exhibition space. This model is positioned to reflect the actual orientation of the site. The project thus aims to physically immerse visitors in the heart of the city, within the space-time of Teotihuacan. The city’s main axis—the Avenue of the Dead—around which the citadel, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Sun, and the Pyramid of the Moon—Teotihuacan’s principal monumental structures—are organized, forms the heart of the exhibition space. The city extends all around this axis, with the silhouettes of the mountains visible in the distance. Thus, on the periphery of the exhibition space, platforms overlap and serve as display supports for the objects. This creates a layered effect—geographical layers, layers of the pyramids... It is a very fluid scenography that offers great freedom of movement while allowing for an orderly and educational visit to the exhibition. The entire monumental city of Teotihuacan is organized according to the cycle of the sun.
Light and shadow are key elements of the project that enhance its dynamism. The exhibition lighting recreates the cycles of the day—from a soft, cold, bluish-purple dawn, through a strong, warm-white azimuth, to a glowing twilight.