Exhibition 'Kalashnikov: Trajectory of Fate'

About exhibition

The introductory part of the exhibition is located in a formal, ceremonial antechamber whose architecture belongs to the type of temple-like spaces. A video installation occupies the central position. The exhibition offers an original, non-militaristic interpretation of weapons. The history of arms development is viewed as part of the world’s technical culture; outstanding gunsmiths stand alongside the greatest inventors. Weapons are placed in the context of enduring values they are meant to protect: the homeland, the home, the family. The collection includes examples of firearms produced at the Izhevsk arms factories over 200 years: from a smoothbore firearm with a flintlock mechanism to the assault rifles of Kalashnikov and Nikonov. The permanent exhibition “Kalashnikov: Trajectory of Fate” unfolds the “external arc” of his destiny, traces the stages of M. T. Kalashnikov’s life path and outlines his biography as a soldier, weapons designer, deputy and public figure; it also emphasizes the “internal arc” of his fate: home, family and Mikhail Timofeyevich’s personal interests. The exhibition space is conventionally divided into several thematic blocks. Each concentrates information and helps to convey the period and events through documents, photographs and objects. Thanks to modern technologies the exhibition has become “smart” and more interactive.