1945

1945 is a temporary exhibition project for Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Poland.

The centerpiece of our exhibition proposal is a platform situated within the exhibition space, symbolizing the dislocation, rootlessness, and instability experienced by Jews following the Holocaust. This platform, designed without a predetermined path, empowers visitors to navigate the exhibition at their discretion, echoing the post-war dilemmas confronted by the Survivors. Elevated above the exhibition floor, which is envisaged as a dark, 'black lake', the platform metaphorically represents the pervasive anti-Semitism that Survivors had to navigate, an omnipresent backdrop to their reality. At the heart of the exhibition, a visually striking, three-dimensional map details pogroms and anti-Semitic outbreaks, with the intensity of the incidents reflected in the physical protrusions on the map. This feature serves as a crucial narrative anchor, emphasizing the scale and impact of aggression towards Jews. The arrangement of exhibition content—encompassing items displayed on desktops along the platform's edges, within showcases, on free-standing displays, and against the hall's walls—aims to maximize spatial openness. Particularly at eye level, we strive to maintain an unoccupied vista, mirroring the emotional void felt by Survivors post-conflict. Moreover, the inclusion of disposable outerwear for visitors not only complements the exhibition's thematic arrangement but also integrates them into the setting. As they move through the space, visitors add a dynamic layer of transient presence to the scenography.