This makes me feel Delighted Inspired Intrigued Satisfied at an Cultural / Public scale
The Veil and the Vault
The architecture at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles
The “Veil and the Vault” is the name and theme of the building that houses the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, California. Designed by the architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, the building is constructed of a glass square box-like building encased in a white porous facade. Described to look like a honeycomb lattice-like structure, it was intended to be an abstract reference and contrast to the adjacent Walt Disney Concert Hall, which also has a perforated exterior. The concept for this design was to serve as a reference to the museum’s functions. Typically, a standard museum houses all its storage collections and other artwork not on display in a vault usually hidden away from visitors. However, the Broad chose to highlight this aspect, setting its “vault” at the core of the building, where its structure is always in view. This sense of transparency allows visitors to get a glimpse of the museum process.
Contributor notes
What is surprising, refreshing, most interesting?
I think it really interesting to see the curatorial process and the functions of a museum that is usually not presented to the public. The museum created little windows and slivers of views that allow visitors to catch a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes work. While this doesn't entirely create the sense of transparency that it is trying to boast, it still reinforces the idea that this process is still very secretive.
Key Insights? What can we learn from this?
By setting the storage room, or the "vault" as something that can be viewed by visitors, it creates the idea that the functions of museum itself is in part a work of art. Similarly, it presents the question of why it is societally agreed upon that art not on display must be hidden away from view; it provokes the question: if the artwork itself is not on display, does it make it less of a work of art?