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Letters to Turkestan dedicated to the initiatives of the Jadids in the field of education and enlightenment. The exhibition tells the story of students from Turkestan who were sent to Germany to study.
Especially for the exhibition ‘Jadids. Letters to Turkestan’ exhibition, a separate space of more than 1,400 square metres was allocated in the complex commercial centre.

‘The new multimedia exhibition project promotes information about Jadidism through modern technology, in a new, understandable and accessible format for young people. We aim to make the history accessible and interesting for all generations, thanks to which visitors will be able to learn about the significance of Jadidism and its impact on the modern world,’ - Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation.

The exhibition features several sections accompanied by visual and sound installations in three languages, presenting visitors with a unique experience of immersing themselves in the past through archival materials collected by Bakhrom Irzaev, PhD in Historical Sciences.

‘The exhibition presents rare historical documents and materials that show how the ideas and actions of the young generation of Jadid contributed to the formation of modern Uzbek society. I hope that visitors to the exhibition will be able to appreciate the contribution of the 73 students of the Jadid generation to the cultural and intellectual heritage of our region and be inspired by their pursuit of knowledge and progress,’ - Bakhrom Irzaev, Ph.D. in Historical Sciences.

The scenography and soundscape of the exhibition is presented through multimedia projections that showcase the history of the Jadidis and their quest for enlightenment and national independence. The stage design of the exhibition itself is divided into five chronological and thematic zones that tell the story of the students of the Jadidism era.

The exhibition will also showcase rare archival materials: letters, articles and photographs from the Jadid era. Many of them will be presented for the first time.

(From Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation website)

SHSH is honoured to have designed the scenography for the exhibition "Letter to Turkestan." We design the scenography to provide visitors with an immersive experience of the historical journey by using reflective and translucent surfaces to display unexpected routes. The exhibition design suggests rather than imposes a specific path through the space, with light shining through the projections. In addition to the visual elements, we incorporated tactile physical furniture, books, and natural elements such as smoke. The lighting and visual content were used to convey the different moods of the historical era, making the exhibition accessible to all generations.

It was a great pleasure to collaborate with the team of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation and once again with the artistic direction by Nick Hilell from YeastCulture.

Jadids. Letters to Turkestan
35 screen immersive video installation Commissioned by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
Curation, Creative Direction and Video Design: Nick Hillel (YeastCulture)
Scenography_Exhibition Design: Shin Hagiwara and Shizuka Hariu (SHSH Architecture + Scenography)
AV technical management: Samuel Jeffs (Blue I Group)
Hyper Partners Uzbekistan
Special thanks to the scientific curator of the exhibition – Bakhrom Irzayev

Organising Committee:
Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan: Saida Mirziyoyeva
Chairperson of Art and Culture Development Foundation: Gayane Umerova
First Deputy Chairperson of Art and Culture Development Foundation : Elmurod Najimov
Head of the Cultural Cooperation Department of Art and Culture Development: Azizbek Mannopov
Project Manager of Art and Culture Development Foundation: Salokhiddinkhuja Suratkhodjaev
Animators: Tim Grabham Flint Studio Monika Sieminska
Photos courtesy: Shin Hagiwara/ SHSH SRL