The KaDeWe Myth
For the celebration of the centennial anniversary of Germany’s largest and legendary department store, Triad Berlin devised an exhibition titled “The KaDeWe Myth”. The exhibition depicted the Berlin department store’s history in an unusual scenography and icongraphy. The production not only included the actual exhibition in the store´s centre atrium, but additionally the special staging of KaDeWe´s ten shop windows along Tauenzienstraße as well as the large corner window.
Production
The best way to communicate the spellbinding fascination of the store was to tell the stories that are at the basis of the store’s legendary character, such as “100 years of celebrity” or “100 years of exoticism”. Historical exhibits, images, film clips and sound samples brought the subjects to life. Underneath a sky of images, suspended from the ceiling as a huge mobile of picture frames, a time stream told facts and anecdotes about the KaDeWe.
Design of Shop Windows
The ten large shop windows along Tauentzienstrasse explained the KaDeWe myth with the help of ten thematic constellations, telling quaint anecdotes. One product per shop window told a story about the respective subject. This product was shown as a large-scale background image and also as an exhibit in a golden frame. Several historic photographs illustrated the story told in an info caption.
Exhibits from 100 Years
A total of 26 stages provided an overview of the highlights of the past century. A time stream meandered through the atrium and guided the visitors through the chronology of the KaDeWe’s history. The time stream itself included figurines in historic costumes marking the individual decades. Picture frames in different positions, video screens and glass cases with original exhibits illustrated the store’s history in various ways.
Project map
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