The installation of the Museum of Transport “Iron Ladies” at the Northern River Terminal is dedicated to the heroines of the history of the Moscow underground: female metro builders and tunnel boring machines (TBM)
It is no coincidence that TBMs ended up in the company of women workers: in Russia, it is customary to give these complex machines female names. This unusual tradition was formed by Richard Lovat, the founder of a Canadian company producing tunnel boring machines. He has initially started naming Lovat shields in honor of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners and engineers. In Moscow, the Canadian “Barbie”, which began its work in 2002, was renamed “Klavdia”, along with “Tatiana”, “Lilia” and “Alexandra”: all of them are named after female metro workers.
The leading image of the exposition design was the structural elements of underground tunnels. The display cases and niches are stylised as tubing mounts and are divided into modular sections depending on the parameters of the exhibits.
Their rhythm breaks down at the top of the installation cylinder: the metro is a living structure that is constantly evolving, and its history is yet to be continued by new generations of builders.
The cylindrical exhibition space is crowned with a ring of translucent fabric. We were inspired by classic postcards for March 8 — this holiday of equality and solidarity celebrates the achievements of women in all spheres of life.
Green and red shades became the coloristic solution of the project, and the installation itself resembles a pixelated image of a tulip.
Retro aesthetics are embodied in the sign on the outer circumference of the installation and in the graphic design of the texts. A monumental and at the same time elegant object is a harmonious union of opposites, on which the concept of the entire exhibition project is based.