BISJ Poles exhibition

IDSA

BISJ Poles exhibition

Gold Award
Category: Environments
Client: Tropenmuseum Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Design: Design Team Kossmann.dejong (Netherlands)

This temporary exhibit presents a collection of 58 Bisj Poles. The wood sculptures, some almost 40 feet high, were made by the Asmat people from Papua, Indonesia. In the museum's Light Hall, a "magic forest" of Bisj poles is surrounded by a large cloth with projections of Asmat people and fragments of the Bisj ceremony. Visitors can investigate the unique sculptures, which tell the stories and heroic deeds of the ancestors, while a 30-minute theatrical performance of documentary clips and sounds, together with colors and shadows, bring the Bisj poles to life.