October 2011 Archives

Observations of the Hermitage museum made it evident that although it exhibits art both from different periods of history as well as from different continents, it seems as though the sheer size of the museum takes away from the prominence of the collection that it contains. 

In the image on the left, do you even notice the exhibit on first glance?

Large rooms with the artefacts spread out cause them to 'get lost' in the space. In some cases the awesomeness of the interior spaces completely distracts the attention away from the art that it exhibits. The disorientating Labyrinth that is the Hermitage also gradually diverts the visitors attention to a realisation of physical exhaustion.

Another issue is the separation between the collection and the building. The Hermitage is richly significant in Russian history and culture. The building alone stood witness to many landmark Russian historical and cultural events and in many instances has entirely no relationship with its collection for example the Islamic art collection.

Noticeably there are pockets of neutral areas scattered throughout the Hermitage which consist of no historical or cultural relevance and it is in these spaces - the attic, the basements, large storage closets where I will try to create explosions of excitement through a condensation of the exhibits into smaller spaces.

I will look at O.M Unger's essay in greater depth and attempt to understand, challenge and dismantle his theories by looking at the room as an entity and not merely a small component of the wider picture.  I will think about turning the hermitage into an extension of public space and of the urban fabric.

Hermitage basement where the art could be exhibited. This montage is a quick sketch and the concept needs to be refined.