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Marilyn: The Exhibition | London, UK
Lighting design for the new temporary exhibition at the Arches London Bridge that offers an unprecedented insight into the private world of Marilyn Monroe.
The design for Marilyn: The Exhibition aimed to transform the 1,100m² industrial brickwork space into an environment that reflected Monroe’s legacy — intimate, vibrant, and glamorous. The lighting not only enhances the exhibition’s narrative but also honours the architecture of Arches London Bridge.
This unique collection reveals the woman behind the bombshell, showcasing love letters, satin robes, timeless outfits, vintage shoes, and make-up items. Curated with great detail, the exhibit displays Monroe’s personal possessions in a way that highlights her as never before.
These belongings, originating from Monroe’s private estate, were locked in storage for nearly 40 years before appearing at prominent auction houses such as Julien’s in Los Angeles and Christie’s in New York. Their worldwide dispersal makes this collection an extraordinary and rare experience. Michael Grubb Studio collaborated with lead exhibition designer studioshaw to create the exceptional lighting design.
Lighting The Story Of The Iconic Enigma
The concept behind the lighting was to evoke warmth, elegance, and a touch of glamour, celebrating both Monroe’s story and the objects on display. The design strategically illuminates key elements to guide visitors through her life and career, starting with the Walk of Fame. This section highlights each star along the pathway, drawing attention to a framed poster of Monroe at the end of the corridor and subtly directing the visitor’s journey.
Additional layers of light within the display cases spotlight iconic items from Monroe’s life, enhancing the depth and detail of each exhibit. This approach ensures that historic dresses and other artefacts are displayed with impact and reverence. Moreover, each archway within the venue represents a phase of Monroe’s life. The lighting scheme supports the exhibit’s theme while allowing for future functionality:
Hollywood — the lighting simulates the grandeur of the iconic sign, illuminated from below.
New York — here, cooler tones evoke the effect of rain against the city’s skyline.
California — a concealed circular fitting projects warm light through gauze, reminiscent of the sun on a West Coast horizon.
The overall design balances subtlety and sophistication, weaving a cohesive narrative while ensuring the exhibit’s practical adaptability. This thoughtful approach respects Monroe’s legacy while enabling the space to be reimagined for future displays.
The lighting scheme focused on the dual objectives: to create an engaging visitor experience and ensure the longevity and adaptability of the equipment. To achieve this, the team selected adjustable luminaires that could be reconfigured and reused. As a result, discreet, smaller fittings were integrated directly into the display cases and vitrines. This allowed to enhance the immersive quality without distracting from the artefacts.
Reducing the Environmental Impact
The wall panels showcase a visible softwood frame, drawing inspiration from photos of Hollywood film sets from the 1950s. The panels are clad with pinned an eco-friendly and carbon-negative board created entirely from waste. In addition, the display cases are constructed with a fully recycled and recyclable cast acrylic. Each display case follows standard sheet measurements, which greatly minimises material waste, facilitates efficient off-site construction, and streamlines the process for dismantling and reusing materials in the future.
Marilyn: The Exhibition is designed to be disassembled after its 4-month run. Then, the materials will be donated, reused or recycled. Similarly, the lighting components will be preserved and repurposed for future installations, supporting sustainability and practical reuse within the venue.
“In this huge, cavernous brickwork, it’s all about lighting, these small, complex things – evoking the smoky, moody interiors of the period, and the lighting is subtle, creating intimate pools of light, which refracts beguilingly off the aluminium display tables.”
Mark Shaw, Founder of studioshaw
“I am very excited to see how well the project and the lighting have been received at The Arches. Working on the project with studioshaw and Mitre & Mondays was a fantastically collaborative experience and seeing the lighting enhance the space through the smaller details and through the light supporting the ambiance of the exhibit has been a real pleasure.”
Michael Cascarino, Head of London Studio of Michael Grubb Studio
This project is featured in the articles below
Design Week | Cultural Union | The Telegraph | Country & Town House | BBC | The Handbook | Secret London
Marilyn: The Exhibition is on from 18 October 2024 until 23 February 2025
Client
Kilimanjaro Live
Lead Designer
studioshaw
Location
London, United Kingdom
Display Cases
Mitre & Mondays (Exhibition Producer)
Photographer
Ed Reeve (Photographer), Rich Southgate (Videography)