Museum of Contemporary Art Erarta, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design of Norway and the Consulate General of Norway in St. Petersburg present an exhibition of the internationally acclaimed Norwegian architectural bureau, landscape and interior design "Snøhetta» (Snøhetta).
Snøhetta is an architecture bureau which does projecting and designing of interiors and landscapes. It was established in Oslo in 1989 and in 2004 the company opened up a new office in New York. The bureau’s design is notable for its complex and innovative approach, its fusion of international concepts with truly Norwegian architectural philosophy and principles of the organic interaction between architecture and its surrounding environment.
The bureau achieved its first recognition after the two victories in the international competitions for the best design of Alexandrian library in Egypt and Opera and Ballet House in Oslo. These buildings were created based on the designs from Snøhetta and became the major landmarks of the two countries.
In 2009 the bureau celebrated its 20th birthday and the Opera House project was awarded Mies van der Rohe prize. At the same time Lars Miller published the book “Snøhetta”. Later on, the exhibition of Snøhetta was opened in the National Museum of Architecture in Oslo and it was visited by 27 000 people.
Mobile exhibition at Erarta Museum and Galleries of Contemporary Art is a smaller version of the exposition that took place in Oslo in 2009. It will consist of 8 parts and will include films, computer animation, visualisation, photographs, drafts and texts describing the works of Snøhetta. First part will be dedicated to the New York and Oslo offices of the bureau. Five parts will illustrate the most well-known projects, such as National September 11 Memorial in New York (USA), King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture (SA), Ras El-Khaimah Gateway project (UAE), Opera and Ballet Haouse in Oslo (Norway) and Alexandrian Library (Egypt) and will include their design models. The last two parts will be dedicated to the rest of Snøhetta projects, among which are the buildings of three museums in Norway. The exhibition will be equipped with an interactive sensor device which will provide in-depth information regarding 100 Snøhetta projects.