The Art of Perception

Abstract

A museum is a home and a display for objects that society has deemed important and worthy of preservation. The museum is constructed to protect the object from wind, weather, and light. The museum is also a stage for which the object to set upon and a space for presentation. The space that is allocated for each object is usually very grand and large to add to the awe and importance that society has given the object. This also accommodates large groups of people to view the object. This object can be anything that holds historical value or artistic quality. Sometimes it is a utensil, maybe used for warfare that was rediscovered centuries later by another culture. After the utensil is studied and information is gathered, the object is displayed in a museum so that other cultures can learn from their ancestors. Other times, the object is a valued piece of art that has been passed on through generations and preserved until it becomes a historical piece placed in a museum. Most museums have space designed to be flexible and to allow for ‘moving installations.’ Light and space used together can create an atmosphere that is indistinguishable from the object placed there. The object and the setting should be intertwined so that the museum is not just a container but is an actual home for the object (part of the object?). The experience and the information that the object holds should be inseparable from the setting. The same object in a new home would not hold the same experience. This project is about experiencing the object in a way that doesn’t allow one to distinguish between setting and object. The object has a specific space, a home. With this in mind, the location and site of the building is critical to the housing of the object. Certain art pieces can not live in the same house as other art pieces. The object already has value; this project is about expanding the object’s identity through setting. Today the information that art and artifacts hold can be experienced through TV and internet. If the location holds significance and adds to the experience of the artifact, that is something that has to be visited in person. The objective is to create an intimate setting that becomes a memory and a different experience for each individual. This project will be about creating a space that is dedicated to the objects that are housed within it. The space will be molded to fit the object. Some of the parameters that will be used in distinguishing the space will be light and location. The site is very important in the design of this house of objects. Natural and artificial light will be used to highlight objects and to create atmosphere. Path will also be used to create this dedicated facility. The materials that surround each object will help to make the space unique by providing different sounds and textures. Through these mediums this project will create a dedicated and unique environment for the objects.