CURTAIN TRACKS STAGED BY MAJA ZISKA
”MY STARTING POINT WAS LOOKING AT THE CHARACTER TRAITS OF THE TRACKS – SOME ARE DISCREET, ALMOST INVISIBLE, WHILE OTHERS HAVE A STRONG IDENTITY”
How do you translate something as technical as curtain tracks into a sensory, spatial experience?
Scenographer Maja Ziska explores exactly that in Transparency in Motion – an installation created for 3daysofdesign 2025, where textiles, movement, light and colour unfold in layered compositions. Curtain tracks and fabrics converge in a series of sculptural, spatial works.
While creating the exhibition, we spoke with Maja Ziska about her process and the ideas behind the installation.
Portræt Maja Ziska/ Foto: Johanna B
AP 9001 & HS 2000 Prestige/ Custom Coloured
A SCENOGRAPHIC APPROACH
When invited to create Transparency in Motion, Ziska didn’t begin with actors, dancers or costumes – but with curtain tracks and fabrics. Yet the inspiration still came from the world of performance:
“In scenography, you often work to frame and direct the audience’s gaze – and that became a guiding principle for the exhibition layout. Using curtain tracks and textiles, we created a sequence of spaces – a series of perspectives,” she explains.
BREDGADE AS BACKDROP
Stilling’s showroom is located on Bredgade 22, in the heart of Copenhagen’s design district. Set in a classical apartment with high ceilings and historical charm, the space lends itself naturally to theatrical transformation.
“We approached the showroom as a spatial sequence, exploring how curtains can frame, divide, and guide. Each room becomes a stage – each with its own colour, rhythm, and atmosphere.”
Visitors are invited not just to observe, but to move through the installation – to experience texture, light, and transitions up close. The result is a journey through layered spaces that invite both movement and pause.
TRANSLATING MATERIAL NARRATIVES
Instead of a script, Ziska began with materials: Stilling’s curtain profiles and Kurage’s fabrics. Each track varies in shape, finish, and function – some discreet, others expressive; some motorised, some with integrated LED.
“The exhibition explores the dialogue between materials – how the qualities of each textile and profile come together in light, colour, and motion.
Transparency in Motion refers not only to the textiles, but also to Stilling’s motorised tracks that set things in literal motion. At the same time, the fabrics themselves carry an inherent sense of movement – both visual and physical.”
”Curtain tracks have character traits – some are discrete, almost invisible, others have a strong identity.”
A PLAY OF LIGHT, COLOUR, AND FORM
The colour palette moves from clear greens to blue, yellow, and violet – airy, yet vibrant tones that shift in transparency and layering. The textiles filter light and create transitions, while the track technology adds structure and motion.
Together, they form a composition where design and storytelling meet – where technology and tactility speak to each other.
Through Maja Ziska’s scenographic lens, the showroom becomes more than a display – it becomes an experience.
“Creating Transparency in Motion has been an incredibly inspiring process. I hope visitors leave with more than just an impression of textiles and curtain profiles – but with a new sense of how space can be felt and interpreted.”
COLOUR IN SPATIAL SEQUENCES
The Yellow Room
At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a scenographic gesture, inspired by traditional stage framing techniques. A series of layered enfilade-style openings guide the eye toward the showroom, where a geometric motif reinterprets the classical drapery.
Our AP 9001 and HS 2000 Prestige tracks, both custom-coated in deep burgundy, create a striking contrast to the warm yellow Kurage textile. On the side wall, the discreet AP 0520 track, lacquered in a matching yellow hue, offers a subtle commentary.
The Violet Room
An intimate space enclosed in soft textile layers. Here, a ceiling-mounted, multi-layered suspension enhances the tactile ambience. The AP 1100 track, in the blue-violet shade Avalon, adds depth and tranquillity to the setting.
The Green Room
This room focuses on green hues, print details, and textile transparency. Curtain tracks appear in various geometries—both as structural elements and gallery-style hangings. AP 1100, in the vibrant green shade Comice, frames the space and establishes visual cohesion.
The Oval Room
Spatial geometry is disrupted here by a large oval structure, showcasing the potential to carve new volumetric experiences within existing boundaries—a room within a room. Integrated LED lighting within the curtain tracks highlights the rhythm of the wave heading and the textures of the materials. Motion within the track itself introduces a dynamic quality. The colour Dutch White is echoed across both the Motionblinds motor track and the AP 1170 CURTAINLIGHT system.
MORE ABOUT MAJA ZISKA
Maja Ziska works with scenography, spatial- and exhibition design, and is based in Copenhagen.
Among her most recent work is costume design for Tobias Prætorius’ staging of Trois Nocturnes at The Royal Danish Ballet and exhibition design for The Aviary at the Karen Blixen Museum.
Current projects include scenography and costume design for Josephine Opsahls newly written opera EKKO.
Alongside her practice Maja teaches at the Royal Danish Academy of Design.
3DAYSOFDESIGN
Stilling has participated in 3daysofdesign several times. Read more about our exhibitions and collabs here.
