In recent years the museum as an institution has been going through an identity crisis. Questions surrounding its programming offer as well as the audience it is servicing have been at the helm of discussion. Are they here to engage, educate and create experiences? Are they here to serve artists, academics and the greater community.
One of the must-see things to do when you are in Dublin is visiting the Guinness Museum. It was one of the best museum experiences I have ever done. Unlike most traditional museums which present a collection of artifacts, the Storehouse takes you through the brewing process of how this famous beer is made. The layout, the graphic design, the sensory elements, the overall presentation etc. really make this museum exemplary in terms of cohesive and immersive storytelling.
A fragment of the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate salvaged from the demolition site by London’s V&A museum is to be transported to Italy and displayed at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale. The V&A acquired a three-storey section of the estate last year in addition to the fragment it will take to Venice when demolition work on the brutalist social housing estate began.
If there is one new museum to see, it’s this one. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is by far the most impressive piece of architecture and culture in North America because it is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture.
Several months ago, I finally got to experience the Guggenheim in New York City. It was definitely on my bucket lists of architectural structures. After studying its architecture and interior design in school and seeing this epic building in person, all the small details and stories about came rushing back to me. What really surprised me was that I got vertigo. I was having such a hard time finding my level because of the constant slant. I also went up the elevator straight to the top and worked my way down (the way it was designed to show artwork) and then realized half-way that I was supposed to work my way up from the bottom.
On my recent trip to New York, I visited the newly designed Whitney Museum. Not really knowing how the collections were organized, I went to the top and decided to work my way down. There was a family in the elevator with me and they also had the same plan. I told them, I was going to do the same. Then, surprisingly, they asked me if I had seen another exhibit in New York that was getting rave reviews. I didn’t want to blow my cover that I was a visiting Canadian, and said, not yet.
Danish National Maritime Museum by BIG Architects
The Temporary Andy Warhol Museum designed by LIKEarchitects is a cultural space within a commercial space. It was designed to host the exhibition “Andy Warhol—Icons | Psaier Artworks and the Factory,” which was open between April 11 and July 11 at the Colombo Shopping Mall in Lisbon and included a total of 32 original works by the American artist. The museological space avoids the idea of having neutral white exhibition spaces and relates to the exhibited artworks through the creation of a strong visual context that uses the artist’s imaginary. Metal paint cans serve to recreate an environment that is both pop and industrial. The expository structure, set in the central plaza of the mall, features an abstract exterior that is extremely appealing and assumes an iconographic character with clear links to Pop Art. The interior was designed as an enclosed introspective space, entirely defined by continuous walls, benefiting from a transparent cover in plastic screen. This cover has the dual function of allowing light to enter from the exterior and assuring the visual relationship between the …
Iconic architecture illustrated by Andre Chiote
The previously restored warehouse showcases an exhibition area and open space suitable for events and gatherings centered around the culture of the roasted drink.