Blake and His Era: Exhibition Design for the Reggia di Venaria
A
theatrical installation that
interprets William Blake’s mystical and visionary language, featuring
curved materials,
suspended structures, and
immersive atmospheres.
Translating a symbolic imagery into a physical space
Curves, lighting, and details come together to create an exhibition experience with a powerful evocative impact
For
Saglietti Group,
exhibit design is a
concrete and technical discipline: interpreting the
vision of
architects and curators to transform it into
coherent,
functional, and
visually striking structures.
The Exhibition
“Blake and His Era: Journeys Through the Time of Dreams”, held in
the Art Galleries of the Reggia di Venaria, gave us the opportunity to
explore a powerful and multi-layered world of the imagination, where
poetry,
art, and
spirituality intertwine.
Designed by Officina82 with scientific consultation from Alice Insley (
Tate UK), the exhibition
design required
extensive work in all the galleries, with a focus on
three main areas:
the entrance, the
tunnel between Gallery B and Gallery L, and
Gallery C, which is dedicated to screenings.
In all the galleries, the
color schemes for the walls were
coordinated with the curators to
reinforce the exhibition’s visual identity. The selected shades interact with the works, evoking
contrasts between light and shadow,
matter and vision.
For each
thematic section, we installed
narrative panels made of 19 mm MDF (chapters) and
8 mm MDF (headings and text),
lacquered white and
laser-cut for a
crisp and
uniform appearance.
A Journey Between Dream and Reality: Design Solutions
The
entrance features
two curved, suspended MDF elements covered with
fire-retardant HP wallpaper, inspired by
the fluid shapes found in the painting
Oberon, Titania, and Puck with the Dancing Fairies (1786). The curves are made
of poplar plywood and
Multiflex—
lightweight, flexible materials—
and are suspended by
steel cables and
hidden structures, without any fastenings to the ceiling or floor, in compliance with the Reggia’s preservation requirements.
The
vertical silhouettes, inspired by
the visionary figures of William Blake and Henry Fuseli, are
freestanding and mounted on
wooden bases designed to ensure
stability and
lightness. The title of the exhibition,
“Blake and His Era”, is composed of
3D letters hand-upholstered in white faux leather—a handcrafted detail that enhances the entrance.
In
the tunnel between Room B and Room L,
fifteen fabric curtains shaped like Gothic arches create an immersive passageway. The
prints featuring petrol-blue gradients enhance
the sense of depth and frame the
backlit reproduction of *L’Iscrizione sopra la Porta*, crafted from
fire-resistant panels with
LED backlighting.
The
Hall of Hell, decorated
entirely in
red, heightens the
drama of the most powerful works.
In
Hall C, dedicated to
screenings,
suspended veils and
wooden beams frame the work
Pitt’s *The Spiritual Form* guides *The Behemoth* (c. 1805), creating a
multi-layered immersive environment, emphasized by
three-dimensional effects and lighting effects.
The exit echoes the structure of the entrance through
curved, contoured panels and the figure of
Hecate (Enitharmon), which symbolically brings the exhibition journey to a close.
Supporting the architectural vision, bringing the design to life
Every element
of the installation is the result of a
precise architectural design. Our task is
to make it a reality: to translate the design into a
tangible structure that
remains faithful to the original vision.
Curves, fire-resistant materials, suspension systems, graphic and structural elements: each component has been
engineered to ensure
high-quality craftsmanship,
stability, and
narrative coherence.
Our collaboration with the
Officina82 studio —represented by
Lara Sappa and
Fabio Revetria —continues to prove to be a highly valuable
design partnership.
Special thanks to
Silvia Marassi for her design support and to
Federico Verdi,
the technical manager of the installation, for his expertise and attention to detail.
Contact us about an exhibit design project
From
design to
completion,
Saglietti Group is
an operational partner for architecture firms,
curators, and
cultural institutions.
We bring
technical expertise,
craftsmanship, and
ingenious solutions to enhance every exhibition space.
Contact us to turn a design concept into a tangible installation.
