Cultural Centres
Avesta Group is an international planner and operator that caters for the culture and leisure industries. Avesta Group has a clear vocation: to connect culture and people in a sustainable manner by planning unique experiences and operating world class facilities. Committed to excellence, we aim to provide sterling services and to develop sustainable and innovative cultural solutions adapted to the needs and situation of each client, for both new or existing cultural projects and leisure activities. As a firm we help clients, including Ministries of Culture, Cities, Regions, Communities, Real Estate Developers, Private Collectors and Foundations to realize their visions for cultural development. Our collective experiences of working with major actors in the fields of culture and leisure industries such as national museums, private organizations and persons, architects, real estate developers, scientific institutes, libraries, aquariums or commercial entities all over the world enable us to envision and create world class results for each and every project we are involved in. Avesta Group offers a complete range of integrated services needed to plan and manage cultural and leisure facilities effectively. Our practice that embraces Strategy, Finances, Architecture, Project management, Institutional and Operations, Marketing and Communication, Human Resources, Cultural Programming gives us the proficiency required to create and develop institutions that can take a place on the world stage taking into account all areas of development of the project.
HEYDAR ALIYEV CULTURAL CENTRE BAKU, Azerbaijan 2010 / 2012 Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects Size: 56,000 sq.m Opening date: 2010 Website: www.heydaraliyevcenter.az Concept Branding and marketing Communication strategy Strategic planning Facility planning Exhibition planning Cultural strategy Institutional plan Operational plan Financial plan Partnerships strategy Training An architectural landmark of modern Baku and Azerbaijan The construction of the Center was launched in 2007 and completed on May 10, 2012, to celebrate the late National Leader s 89 th anniversary. Recognized as one of the world s masterpieces of architecture, the Heydar Aliyev Center has immediately grown into a signature architectural landmark of modern Baku. Zaha Hadid, the author of the building s design, is a worldwide recognized architect and the winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. The Heydar Aliyev Centre is not only Azerbaijan s first cultural centre but, with its 50,000 sq.m it is also the largest centre of its kind in the Caucasus and Middle-Asian region. A unique cultural complex Named after its most famous statesman Heydar Aliyev, this world-class centre is a major venue for Azerbaijan and its capital, Baku. The institution encompasses the following 3 sections: 1. The Heydar Aliyev Museum 2. The Exhibition Halls. This section occupies 9 floors with exhibition halls, administrative office, restaurant and a cafeteria. 3. The Auditorium. This section of 4 levels embraces 2 multifunctional conference halls, meeting rooms and the media center. The Heydar Aliyev Centre fosters learning, inspiration and the exchange of ideas whilst respecting a common cultural heritage. The centre is under the patronage of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
UDARNIK CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM One of its goals is to maintain the growing appetite for contemporary art and support the development of quality Russian contemporary art. It will fuel creativity, ignite minds and provide inspiration. This includes the creation of a Contemporary Art Museum with a strong collection, the development of outreach cultural programmes and the expansion of the existing publishing programme. The Museum of Contemporary Art is to become one of the most important centres of cultural attraction in Russia and a major player in the Russian Contemporary Art field. moscow, russia 2012 / ONWARDS GENERAL Information Architect: Robrecht en Daem Architects Size: 5,000 sq.m Opening date: 2016 Website: www.kandinsky-prize.ru Concept Cultural programming Governance structure Operational and financial plan Architectural brief Facility planning International Architectural competition organization Udarnik, a Constructivist Treasure Udarnik is a former Soviet cinema, built as part of the project of the residential complex known as the House on the Embankment, planned by the famous Soviet architect Boris Iofan. It s one of the oldest Moscow cinemas, the actual first movie-theatre featuring a sound system. For a long time it was the city s major cinema, projecting all the latest Soviet movies. Completed in 1931, it is located in the Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow, the historical and cultural heart of the capital. The Udarnik is a timeless monument of Russian Constructivism which remains an important and iconic building for Muscovites. Today, the former cinema is to be transformed into a Contemporary Art Museum upon the initiative of Shalva Breus, founder of the Shalva Breus Foundation and Kandinzky prize. A museum dedicated to Russian Contemporary Art The overall statement of the Udarnik project is to offer to Russian Contemporary Art the attention and recognition it deserves. Its main mission is to help the public to understand and enjoy the Russian Art of our time. Udarnik museum aims to engage artists and audiences through an ambitious programme of exhibitions, collection, education, publication and art prize.
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS A new building for the NCCA Moscow by Heneghan Peng Architects On July 24, 2013 the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Medinsky, announced the start of international contest to design the new museum and exhibition complex of the National Centre for Contemporary Art. The contest has been running 6 months and was held in three stages. moscow, russia 2013 / onwards Architect: Heneghan Peng Architects Size: 40,000 sq.m Opening date: 2018 Website: www.newncca.ru/en Concept Cultural programming Opening strategy Governance structure Operational and financial plan Architectural brief Facility planning Collections Analysis Strategic Plan The NCCA network is a unique clustering of contemporary art centres around Russia Initiated by the Russian Ministry of Culture, the first Russian state-run institution for contemporary art was established in Moscow in 1994. Before 2001, the NCCA occupied a small building in Vorotnikov Lane. Despite its modest size, the center managed to become quite a dynamic institution. The NCCA implemented a wide range of exhibition projects and created a national network: the Saint Petersburg Branch was opened in 1995, the Nizhny Novgorod and Kaliningrad Branches in 1997, the Yekaterinburg Branch in 1999, the Vladikavkaz Branch in 2010 and the Tomsk Branch in 2012. It is an original and essential tool to support the creation, regional cultural development and public awareness of contemporary art. Display of works, their touring and presentation through exhibitions, visibility through publications contribute to the dissemination of Russian contemporary culture in the territory of the Federation of Russia. The overarching aim of the network is to promote Contemporary Culture and to become more visible, viable and valued according to the following mission and goals: Mission: Support the development, promotion and popularization of contemporary art for the benefit of individuals and society. Goals: - Create a favorable environment for the development of Russian contemporary art. - Integrate Russian contemporary art in an international cultural context. - Develop a platform for cooperation with local and international institutions, artists, curators, theorists and critics and other experts in the field of contemporary art. - Sustain interest in contemporary art as a prerequisite for improving the quality of life and development of a modern civil society. Over 900 companies and individuals attended the first stage of the contests. By the end of the first stage (20 August - 20 September), the jury had chosen 10 candidates: five participants were selected after portfolio and experience review and five companies were selected after preliminary architectural concept assessment. 3 finalists were chosen in December 12 and on December 23 2013 the Board of Trustees made the final choice by selecting Heneghan Peng Architects to design the new National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) at Moscow s Khodynskoe Pole.
THYSSEN BORNEMISZA ART CONTEMPORARY VIENNA, Austria 2014 GENERAL Information Architect: N/A Size: 6,000 sq.m Opening date: 2012 Website: www.tba21.org Strategic Plan Market Study Founded in 2002 by Francesca von Habsburg in Vienna, Austria, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21) represents the fourth generation of the Thyssen family s commitment to the arts. The foundation is dedicated primarily to the commissioning and dissemination of ambitious, experimental, and unconventional projects that defy traditional categorizations. This approach has gained the collection a pioneering reputation throughout the world. The foundation s projects promote artistic practices that are architectural, context- and site-specific, performative, and often informed by an interest in social aesthetics and environmental concerns. In addition, TBA21 shares its collection and commissions with numerous museums and public institutions. Most commissions, initiated and produced by the foundation, form an integral part of major contemporary art exhibitions, such as the Venice Biennale, the Istanbul Biennial, and documenta, where new works are very much on the agenda. In past years, crossover performative projects were realized through a number of collaborations, notably with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Artangel in London, and the Wiener Festwochen. Since May 2012, Vienna s Augarten park has been transformed into a revitalized center for the arts under the aegis of Thyssen- Bornemisza Art Contemporary.The aim of TBA21 Augarten is to fill its project space with complex and critical programming, as well as to breathe new life into the Augarten as a social and cultural meeting place. Since June 2013, admission to the exhibition venue has been free.
DOHA CULTURAL FORUM DOHA, QATAR 2010 Architect: John MacAslan + Partners Size: 47,000 sq.m Opening date: 2015 Website: www.msheireb.com/projects/ msheirebdowntowndoha.aspx Facility planning Cultural programming Operational plan An anchor-piece for the city centre redevelopment project The Doha Cultural Forum is currently under construction at the centre of an ambitious $8 billion regeneration project by Msheireb Properties to develop the historic heart of Doha. The Cultural Forum is the anchor-piece of the original Heart of Doha masterplan which began the process of defining the sensitive redevelopment of the city centre. The design of the Cultural Forum, developed by the British architect John MacAslan+Partners, is rooted in Qatari and Islamic urban and domestic tradition. Its cultural and architectural references are dovetailed with the more innovative design of a new generation of international cultural buildings in Islamic countries. An ambitious cultural complex The Cultural Forum of 47,000 sq.m due for completion in 2015 will contain two theatres, two cinemas, two large scale visual arts galleries and an academy education centre providing drama, music, visual art and media studios for participation and training as well as retail and restaurants. The Forum will bring together Qatari and international artists, performers, and the public in a place of shared encounter.
ART STATIONS poznan, poland 2007 Architect: John Pawson Size: N/A Opening date: 2008 Website: www.artstationsfoundation5050.com Facility planning Architectural supervision and review A contemporary art centre in a shopping mall Art Stations Foundation by GK is located in the heart of the Old Brewery, which is the embodiment of the Idea of 50/50 Grażyny Kulczyk s innovative philosophy for combining art and business. Art Stations Foundation by Grażyna Kulczyk is a signature project initiated by its namesake, a renowned businesswoman and art collector. The Foundation s activities are focused on two key programmes: exhibitions and live performances. The starting point for the exhibitions presented in the Art Stations gallery are works from the Grażyna Kulczyk Collection, which over the years has inspired various innovative curatorial strategies. The performance programme is carried out under the name Old Brewery, New Dance in the Studio Słodownia +3. It promotes innovative trends in the art of dance, and includes actions to support the flourishing of Polish choreography. A common denominator in all the Foundation s projects is education.
musee du luxembourg paris, france 2010 Architect: N/A Size: N/A Opening date: 1750 Website: www.museeduluxembourg.fr Audit of the museum s activities Negociations of new delegation agreement The first French museum opened to the public in 1750 Initially housed in the Palais du Luxembourg the Musée du Luxembourg was the first French museum to be opened to the public, in 1750. At that time, visitors could admire twenty-four paintings by Rubens celebrating Maria de Medici and around a hundred paintings from the Royal collection (Cabinet du Roi) by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Veronese, Titian, Poussin, Van Dyck and Rembrandt. After these works were transferred to the Louvre, the Musée du Luxembourg was designated in 1818 a museum for living artists, or in other words, a museum of contemporary art. The Musée du Luxembourg was closed after a national museum of modern art was built in the Palais de Tokyo in 1937, and only reopened its doors to the public in 1979. In 2000, the Senate decided to take full responsibility once more for the Musée du Luxembourg, in order to introduce an integrated cultural policy for the Palace, Gardens and Museum. The Musée du Luxembourg has since become one of the leading exhibition spaces in Paris, enabling its numerous visitors to enjoy the masterpieces of Botticelli, Raphaël, Titian, Arcimboldo, Veronese, Gauguin, Matisse, Vlaminck and Modigliani. A museum for all The Senate and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Grand Palais are committed to developing an ambitious cultural policy for the benefit of the general public. Carefully put together, the popular programme of the Musée du Luxembourg appeals to every type of audience, not only regular museum visitors but also children and young people, schools, families and those who are not normally interested in cultural activities. Various formats for educational visits and workshops are proposed with something to suit everyone, and at rates that are in keeping with the public service objective of the museum.
centre pompidou paris, france 2006 Architect: Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers and Gianfranco Franchini Size: 103,000 sq.m Opening date: 1977 Website: www.centrepompidou.fr Exhibition touring In 1969, President Pompidou took a decision to dedicate the Plateau Beaubourg area of Paris to the construction of a multidisciplinary cultural centre of an entirely new type, injecting new impetus to a series of projects that had hitherto failed to come to fruition: the plan to build a major public reading library in Paris, with the biggest visitor capacity for any such initiative since the Liberation. And beyond that, the rehabilitation of the National Museum of Modern Art, back then housed in a wing of the Palais de Tokyo that was in a state of semi-abandonment for lack of resources and space. President Alain Seban, appointed to the Presidency of the Centre Pompidou on April 2 2007, encouraged the institution to adopt a strategic approach, unique among major cultural institutions. This would reaffirm the mission and priorities of the Centre Pompidou as a platform for exchanges between society and contemporary creation, in pursuit of a vision outlined directly by President Georges Pompidou. A popular venue designed for the entire French populace, the Centre Pompidou closely follows the world of contemporary design and establishes links with a number of artists, particularly those on the French scene. In response to these challenges, the cultural programme of the Centre Pompidou has been designed around three dimensions (exposition of the history of art, multidisciplinary thematic exhibitions and monographs of contemporary designers).
paris, france 2007 Architect: N/A Size: 1,300 sq.m Opening date: 2007 Website: www.lelaboratoire.org Concept Strategic planning Facility planning Operational plan Financial plan le laboratoire A place for the reconciliation of art and science The idea of creating a place where art and science confront was born in a laboratory conference room which discusses the transformation of stem cells at the prestigious Massachusset Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge in the United States. An artist will put stem cells at the heart of one of his creations. The idea delighted David Edwards, teacher at Harvard University in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and core-founding member of the Harvard Wyss Institute of Biologically-Inspired Engineering. Soon the dialogue between science and art became David Edward s thinking space and Le Laboratoire its tangible expression. Le Laboratoire opened its 1,300 sqm in central Paris in 2007 as the core-cultural lab of the international network, Artscience Labs. It is a contemporary art and design center in central Paris, where artists and designers experiment at frontiers of science. 2 to 3 temporary exhibitions per year are presenting to the public the works-in-progress from these experiments and confrontations between art and science that are frequently first steps toward larger scale cultural humanitarian and commercial works of art and design. A place of experimentations In the Laboratoire, David Edwards works closely with artists and designers, including chefs, composers, and contemporary artists, to conduct experiments at frontiers of science. These experiments lead to public exhibitions of works in progress and often translate as cultural, social, and commercial innovations. Among David s commercialized innovations since the opening of Le Laboratoire in 2007 are Andrea (a plant-based filter that accelerates filtration of toxic gases by plant matter), Le Whif Chocolate (chocolate without calories), Le Whif Coffee (coffee without the cup), Le Whaf (a generator of flavor clouds for fine dining), CellBag (a cell-inspired bag for carrying water in the developed and developing world), the AeroShot (aerodynamic caffeine,) and WAIHH Quantum Sensations with designer Philippe Starck. All inventions can be shopped at the Labstore, the concept store of the cultural centre.
QASR AL HOSN EXHIBITION CENTER ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates 2010 Architect: N/A Size: N/A Opening date: N/A Website: N/A Market Analysis Concept Artistic Strategy Cultural and Educational Programme Audience Estimate Operational and Financial Plans Governance Structure The anchor activity for the creation of a cultural quarter The planning of the Qasr Al Hosn exhibition centre is an important step in the effort to achieve the ambition of making the new quarter into a real cultural and leisure destination. As such, it aims to be the heart of the new quarter and to compete for the coveted cultural tourists among the best museums and cultural centres in Abu Dhabi and the Emirates. The Exhibition Centre will be the cornerstone and energizing centre for Qasr Al Hosn and its cultural development. It will be the driving force, in collaboration with the other institutions, through a mutually reinforcing mix of activities. The exhibition centre will take advantage of the support of the different partners and the exceptional site to offer: 1. A place of high quality entertainment 2. A concept accessible to all, an alternative to traditional museums 3. A place to learn about Contemporary Art and increase awareness on Contemporary Art 4. A location for displaying Arab art 5. An ideal location for receiving blockbuster exhibitions 6. A place where commercial and private events can be held. Qasr Al Hosn Fort is partially open to public and already used as an exhibition centre and hosting cultural events on a regular basis.
AVESTA GROUP LLC SAN FRANCISCO / AVESTA EUROPE PARIS / AVESTA CIS MOSCOW / AVESTA MIDDLE EAST DUBAI contact@avestagroup.eu www.avestagroup.eu connecting culture & people