StudioBasel Wins Golden Award of Montreux Exhibit Design
June 1, 2020
Studio Basel was recognized in the “Permanent Thematic Exhibition” category of the annual Golden Award of Montreux (Switzerland) as a winning finalist for its museum exhibition design by architect and creative producer Basel Almisshal. The design project which also included architecture and interior design by StudioBasel was commissioned by the International Museum of Muslim Cultures (IMMC) for its 2019 production of Muslims with Christians and Jews: An Exhibition of Covenants & Coexistence.
The Golden Award of Montreux is an international award recognizing design excellence chosen by an international jury from 16 countries that evaluate entries in the categories of film, print, outdoor and digital media, direct marketing, and event/spatial communications which includes museum exhibition design. Competition participants included Sony, Mercedes Benz, and Swarovski.
The winning exhibition design was based on over a decade of academic research on the historical covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with Christians and Jews by Dr. John Andrew Morrow and the curatorial leadership of IMMC’s President/Co-founder Okolo Rashid, working along with exhibit consultants Jeanne Luckett, Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, IMMC & StudioBasel’s Lina Ali, and IMMC’s Chairman/Co-founder Emad Al Turk. As a text-heavy subject matter, the project posed challenges to create an experience that would interest, engage and inspire audiences to discover the commonalities between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The design concept relied on vivid color themes, dramatic lighting, motion picture, and interactive graphics meant to transport the visitor to another time and space where diverse peoples lived side by side in peace and harmony.
The exhibit also explores the historic and current relationship between Islam and America, highlighting the positive views of our Founding Fathers on Islam, and the continuous struggle for freedom in America as seen through the lens of African American Muslims. The goal of the exhibition is to educate visitors and to build bridges of understanding and respect.
Over the last ten years, StudioBasel has brought life to thought-provoking research, creative subjects, and the built environment with exceptional design quality. The 2020 Golden Award of Montreux is Basel Almisshal’s second design win, with the first award recognizing the design excellence of the Embassy of the State of Palestine in the Sultanate of Oman.