The Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore India, MAP plays on the tensions between the idea of collecting -collating, containing and storing - which is the fodder for curatorship, and engagement with communities that embed the work as part of lived experience in the city of Bangalore, from the mundane to theatrical, and exotic to equal.
The Museum design internally predicates art and its showcase over spatial dramatics to present generic gallery spaces, that insulate precious art and artefacts from ultraviolet light.
The hermetically sealed stainless steel imagery subverts the pristine iconic and exclusive by the election of a material and motif that is mnemonically relatable to the idea of containment - the stainless steel post-industrial watertank: The mundane-accessible also referencing Art's (and Architecture's) capacity to create the thrust for reflection and change if need be. Perhaps one day it would just be recognised as the local 'tanki' (local watertank) for artistic nourishment!
Long Section © Mathew and Ghosh Architects
Sectional model highlighting public spaces © Mathew and Ghosh Architects
Exterior view. © Iwan Baan/Mathew and Ghosh Architects
The idea of the 'veranda - plinth' off the street is a significant marker of social discourse both at dwelling as well as institutional scale in this geography: Its role allows a dialogic space to negotiate visual visceral and emotional engagements. The 'plinth of negotiations' may thus weave threads of fragility and humility as one traverses the landscape of discovery of the 'other' versus art.
… (related posts)
- Sunday, 30th April 2023 - Design Diagrams, Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore
- Sunday, 30th April 2023 - Design Studies for the Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore