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Art Ropolis - Redefining The Museum of (new) Art

Part 2 Project 2002
Victor Ng
Paul Adam Staniland
University of Hong Kong | China
Development of art and the impact of information technology has brought major changes to the traditional notion of culture and identity. A synthetic fusion of all arts; hybrid in discipline, form and concept.

The destabilization of the norms of arts creates a fundamental change that emphasizes art as a process and no longer just an object, elevating the Spectator- The concept of ‘SSpectating supercedes ‘llooking in assuming a higher involvement from the audience as meaning of the artwork is derived through a set of stimuli (art) and an encounter.

This requires a reinterpretation of meaning, the critical interaction between audience and art and the heterotopia of spaces. The broad spectrum of mediums from easel paintings to installation advocates distinct and generic challenging spaces. Their position rejects the Modernist ‘wwhite box as the absolute exhibition condition.

Redefining the Museum of Art - exploring an environment for the artwork through the heterotopia of spaces and virtual interaction. The amalgamation of traditional and new art mediums will be bridged through a dialogue with information technology.

A framework for interaction between the viewer and an internet virtual system will provide search access to digital archives relating to the physical art pieces within the museum. The experience will be non-linear and instantaneous allowing a greater degree of participation and involvement- A (re) interpretation of art.

Victor Ng
Paul Adam Staniland


Museums in the post modern age have temporarily positioned themselves somewhere between producers of spectacles aimed at tourism and the more traditional role of cultural promotion, very often with the related goal of urban regeneration. This position is highly problematic since the very existence; necessity and roles of museums are seriously challenged by the explosive accessibility of imagery and information through new technology.

The student elected a controversial position in his redesign of the new Hong Kong Museum of Art. His thesis addresses the conception of a contemporary museum in a modern city restructuring its exploratory / educational potential in a culturally indifferent society. In addition to redefining the spaces of exhibition, his design is in essence an attempt to mediate between the slowness of culture and the speed of technology.

2002
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