Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center

Visualizing Poetry: An Immersive Journey Through the Worlds of Creative Legacy

Museums and Exhibits

In 2018, The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow commissioned Lorem Ipsum to create a tribute to the legacy of Vladimir Vysotsky, one of the most revered poets and performers of 20th-century Russia. Lorem Ipsum designed and built “Corridors: Seven Worlds of Vladimir Vysotsky,” a multi-sensory experience that combines immersive elements with cutting-edge multimedia technology.

Each of the seven spaces in the exhibition is envisioned as a frozen cinematic frame, dedicated to specific themes in Vysotsky’s work and distinct periods in the history of the Soviet Union.

A Soviet beer kiosk from the 1970s, capturing the recurring theme of the drinking problem in Vysotsky’s songs, often portrayed with humor.
Mental institutions are a major theme in Vysotsky’s narratives, often serving as an allegory for the madness of the Soviet regime.
A typical Soviet communal apartment from the 1940s and 1950s frequently serves as the setting for many of Vladimir Vysotsky’s songs.

The exhibit spaces are populated with archetypal Soviet characters, whose heads are replaced with objects from Soviet life, providing visitors with allegorical insights through recognizable synecdoche.

The theme of death and his own funeral, often portrayed in a macabre or fairy tale manner, is a recurring motif in Vladimir Vysotsky’s songs.
Vysotsky often placed his characters in prison settings, drawing subtle parallels to the lives of Soviet citizens behind the Iron Curtain.
World War II had a profound influence on Vysotsky. Growing up in the post-war years, he was deeply affected by the stories of soldiers who returned from the front.
The world of hooligans, bandits, prostitutes, and marginalized men of the post-war generation, who dwell in the back alleys of Soviet cities, is a recurring motif in Vysotsky’s songs.

Visitors navigate the exhibit spaces with headphones attached to an ultra-red pointer that activates songs by triggering hidden sensors throughout the experience.

Visitors use headphones with an ultra-red pointer to activate songs via hidden sensors throughout the exhibit.

The project, conceived and creatively directed by Yan Vizinberg, has been honored with an SEGD Global Design Award in the United States and was a top winner at the German Design Awards in the Immersive category.

Date
2018
Location
Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center
Square Footage
3,800 sq. feet
Creative Director
Yan Vizinberg
Production Designers
Andrey Ponkratov
Producers
Anna Libkin
Project
Corridors: Seven Worlds of Vladimir Vysotsky
Commissioned by
Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center
Concept, Design & Implementation
Lorem Ipsum