EXHIBITION "CHRISTIAN DIOR, LE GÉNIE D'UN CRÉATEUR"

Perched on the cliffs, the birthplace of Christian Dior is not only known for its beautiful pink façade and its rose garden, but above all for housing a museum dedicated to his life and his contribution to fashion. Its three-floor house reopened this summer after a complete renovation. I.C.O.N. created the lighting for the exhibitions scenographed by Sandra Courtine, a delicate mission to be up to the works of this great creator, especially since it was moving to work in his own house. The exhibition recalls his life history over the floors: his childhood, the opening of his boutique, then flying over to far countries. The lighting followed this dynamic movement with different color tones.

The journey of his life begins on the ground floor, with toys, paintings, family photos, clothes etc. inherited from his childhood. Many symbolic influences on his design could be found such as bourgeois heritage, fashion of his mother or the variation of familiar objects, visible even on the current collections. On the 1st floor, it’s the beginning of the fashion brand with a series of significant silhouettes displayed in backlighting, varieties of fabrics in colors materials, in addition to essential accessories such as perfumes, cosmetics, jewels... Some of which are presented as a reminder of shop window atmospheres.

The 2nd floor explains international vision and flying travels emphasized by blue painting, an audacious choice for a museum. The lighting design reinforces this scenography and these atmospheres while giving attention to the luminous sensitive pieces. They are enhanced without denaturalizing shapes, colors etc. and of course within the limit of 50 lux for preservation.

Childhood is bathed in a warmer, in another word “classic”, light (2700K) and as the climb goes up the white becomes colder (it ends at 3500K) to mark the passage of time. A small challenge because the goal was to reuse the museum's devices for eco-responsible purpose. All the tips of the museum lighting technics were therefore “very useful” to create good ambiance and highlights.