United 3D Labs: Interactive Installation about the Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda

The specialists of United 3D Labs has created an installation dedicated to the Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda (Old Tatar Suburb) in Kazan. Now every visitor of the Museum can immerse into the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary life of the Old Tatar settlement.

The Old Tatar Suburb is a historical and architectural complex located in the city of Kazan. In the XVI century, after the conquest of Kazan by the troops of Ivan the Terrible, the Tatars were forbidden to settle in the city, and their place of residence was the area to South-West from the modern center, which became known as the Old Tatar settlement.

That explains why one of the halls of the “City Panorama” Museum is almost entirely devoted to the Old Tatar settlement. It is divided into six sections on the principle of a labyrinth. Each sector is devoted to one topic, such as architecture, culture, merchantry, madrasas (educational institutions), mosques and charity.

All thematic sectors of the labyrinth are created by professional artists; we did our best so glass showcases with artifacts of that time also harmoniously complement each other and the background. But how much could you learn about past by just looking at the artifacts?

We believe that visual delivery is the best way to show people’s way of life in more detail, to reveal the religious, educational and social significance of the Old Tatar settlement. That’s why the specialists of United 3D Labs produced videos for each section of the labyrinth.

All the visual part is displayed on 55” monitors that are mounted on the walls. The video content is compiled from photos and newsreels of the previous years which were carefully stored in the Central State Archive of Audiovisual Documents of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Our specialists worked side by side with Kazan historians to make the installation visually engaging but authentic.Unfortunately, not so many materials of that time have been preserved till nowadays. Besides, it was technically impossible to record a sound. Therefore, photos, newsreels, and videos are duplicated by subtitles. Now these rare shots are available not only to specialists and employees of the State Archive, but also to each visitor of the “City Panorama" Museum.