RE:ECM
x Hyundai Card

RE:ECM, STORAGE by HYUNDAI CARD, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

In 2019 MMBP & Associates was selected as one of six featured artist collectives to interpret the German music label ECM’s impact on contemporary music. As such, we designed an immersive installation over two floors of the exhibition space Storage by Hyundai Card, featuring the artwork of hundreds of the label’s album covers. MMBP & Associates was also appointed by the curatorial team to oversee the creative direction of all branding and marketing efforts connected with the exhibition.

THE INSTALLATION

Murmuration

As well as referring to a low, subtle sound, murmuration is the name given to the phenomenon of nature where a flock of birds flies together in unison. Murmuration was also the title for this installation, created using ECM’s legacy album artwork. Hundreds of these covers were individually printed on semi-opaque scrims and suspended in the air. Although appearing to be in motion they remained fixed, suspended in time, inviting the audience to explore the space created within the installation – a physical embodiment of the power of music.

ALBUM ARTWORKS

ECM Records’ approach to album design is systematic – a rigorous combination of photography and typeface that has come to represent the label’s minimalist visual language. A selection of artworks spanning Manfred Eicher’s 50 years at the helm of ECM was incorporated into Murmuration. Chosen for formal considerations such as colour, or for intangible reasons such as the artist’s or album’s significance in the company’s history, the flock of albums was a tribute to works that have changed the path of music.

EXHIBITION DESIGN

From a facade covered in gridded visuals to the lenticular prints at the entrance of the venue, the exhibition design for RE:ECM celebrated the system employed by the company’s masterful album-making process. The exhibition’s identity graphically highlighted the venue’s brand identity while associated social media content teased the making-of process.