Cartier Design: A Living Legacy was presented at Museo Jumex with curation by Ana Elena Mallet and museography/exhibition design by Frida Escobedo.

International awards / recognition (verified):

Winner (“Ganador”) — V Bienal Iberoamericana de Diseño de Iluminación (Iluminet), category Museos y Centros Culturales.

Award of Merit (2025) — IES Illumination Awards (listed under Mexico: “Cartier Design: A Living Legacy” — Design Firm: Lightchitects Studio)

Conceived as a journey “back to the origin,” the exhibition’s spatial narrative evokes a mine/quarry—a dark, textured environment that frames the jewels as extracted “finds,” allowing the objects to read simultaneously as design, art, and historical evidence.

From a lighting perspective, the concept is built on high contrast—keeping overall room levels intentionally low to heighten the perceptual “glow” of each piece, while using light to activate texture and reinforce the quarry idea. A defining gesture is the raking illumination of the concrete wall panels, creating a continuous, tactile backdrop that “embraces” visitors through the sequence. At the object scale, display-case lighting was coordinated exhaustively so sources remain out of sight, supported by custom lighting details/accessories developed to fine-tune optics and intensity per case. Given the intentional darkness, anti-glare control becomes a core design requirement—resolved through concealed details and optical shielding—while the lighting controls layer enables adjustments without reopening vitrines, supporting both conservation/safety and operational flexibility.

Museography: Taller Frida Escobedo
Curatorial Direction: Ana Elena Mallet
Concrete Panels: Taller Tornel
Display Cases: Paris Mexico Design
Structure: CM2
Structural Engineering: Kaltia
Graphic Design: Estudio Herrera
Video Projection: Iconem
Client: Cartier Collection and Museo Jumex
Photography: Adriana Polo