1st Place · Russian Lighting Design 2024Light Installation · Completed Project

Kuskovo: Two Perspectives

When historic architecture becomes a setting for storytelling through light.

Kuskovo Estate Museum, Moscow2024

About the project

Two perspectives on Kuskovo: architectural heritage and artistic imagination brought together through light.

Kuskovo: Two Perspectives was a temporary artistic lighting installation presented to visitors during Museum Night in May 2024.

The project brought together professionals in lighting design, theatrical lighting and cultural heritage. ALLPROJECTS specialists participated as members of the collaborative Light Landing creative team.

The concept explored two ways of experiencing the estate: as a historic architectural monument and as a place of celebration, theatricality and imagination associated with eighteenth-century culture.

Light revealed the architectural details of the palace and park while creating a sequence of scenes in which visitors became part of the experience.

Kuskovo — visitors at the evening presentation of the light installation

The brief

To create an artistic lighting route within a protected historic environment while respecting heritage conservation requirements.

Working within a cultural heritage site required particular attention to equipment placement, the interaction of light with historic surfaces and the preservation of architectural elements.

Another constraint was the fixed number of lighting fixtures available. The visual expressiveness of the installation therefore depended on precise beam direction, the selection of accents and carefully considered viewing positions.

The challenge was to connect several parts of the estate through a shared artistic concept while retaining the distinct character of each location.

Kuskovo — the ceremonial palace facade, stairways and lion sculptures in the installation lighting

Lighting solution

Architecture, shadow and visitor interaction

The palace as a stage of light

The palace facade became the main architectural stage of the installation. Coloured light connected the extensive facade surfaces, while lighter accents highlighted the central portico, stairways and sculptures. The composition evoked the atmosphere of an eighteenth-century estate celebration, transforming the evening view of the palace into an artistic scene.

Shadows and historical characters

Light projections created silhouettes of imagined historical characters on architectural surfaces. The shadows appeared on the walls beside the ceremonial stairways, interacting with the palace sculptures and inviting visitors into an imagined story. Handmade stencils and projection lighting were used to achieve these effects.

Light as a form of interaction

Interactive elements invited visitors not only to observe the installation but also to engage with light. Along the tree-lined avenue, lighting offered a new perception of the landscape. In the sculpture area, visitors could change the colour of light and observe how the appearance of objects shifted. These interventions transformed the route through the estate into a sequence of distinct visual experiences.

Kuskovo — a historical character shadow on the side wall of the ceremonial stairway

Realisation

The installation was developed as a practical project of Laboratory of Light by an interdisciplinary team.

It encompassed four connected locations: the main and courtyard facades of the palace and their surroundings, the sculpture-lined avenue and the Dutch House by the pond.

The team studied visitor routes and viewing positions, carried out on-site lighting mock-ups and conducted luminance measurements.

The artistic tools included autonomous luminaires, optical filters, handmade stencils and gobo projection.

The limited amount of equipment required precise allocation of lighting effects across the architectural and landscape features.

ALLPROJECTS participation: ALLPROJECTS specialists contributed to the creative development and implementation of the installation as members of the wider project team.

Expertise in this project

01Artistic lighting.
02On-site lighting mock-ups.
03Work with cultural heritage sites.
04Light projections and interactive solutions.

Kuskovo — a lion sculpture in directional light

Kuskovo — architectural lighting of the palace against the night sky

Result

The historic estate became a setting for an artistic interaction between light, architecture and visitors.

The evening lighting revealed the composition of the palace, highlighted architectural and sculptural details and connected historic spaces through a coherent visitor route.

Light projections, shadows and interactive elements offered visitors new ways of experiencing the familiar architectural ensemble.

The installation was presented to the public on 18 May 2024 during Museum Night.

The project subsequently received first place in the Light Installation — Completed Project category of the Russian Lighting Design 2024 competition.