Essay #5

I feel like architecture does not significantly influence a museumgoing experience unless that is a specific goal of those who establish the museum. In general, it seems that most museum structures are fairly standardized and bland, as if their goal is just the opposite: to have little or no impact on the experience of viewing the collection, to not overwhelm the objects housed in the museum.

Occasionally, however, a museum will swing the opposite direction and actively work to incorporate the building's architecture into the museum experience. The most obvious example of this to me is in the Experience Music Project in Seattle. The EMP is a bold and arresting piece of architecture that hardly looks like anything a person has ever seen before, but in some strange way it still fits with other experimental structures in the area, such as the Space Needle. The architecture of the ESP, both inside and out, is so unusual and all-encompassing, that it is impossible (at least for me) to separate the “exhibit” aspect of the museum from the “architecture” aspect. From the outside the building looks like a combination between a sound wave and an acid trip, reinforcing the theme of the museum. Additionally, in the foyer area of the building there is a giant projection wall. This is not an exhibit, per se, and yet it is certainly not just a normal wall. In this instance, the architecture and the content of the museum really begin to merge together into one. Within the museum exhibits themselves, the architecture and decorative touches never allow the patron to disengage or to forget where they are.

The EMP is a very unusual example; the vast majority of museums never dream of approaching its scope. However, it is representative of how architecture can impact a museum experience when that is a direct goal.