NEW TAIPEI CITY MUSEUM OF ART, 2011

CULTIVATING YINGGE'S ART INDUSTRY - ART DISTRICT VS MUSEUM

Our project for the New Taipei City Museum of Art is envisioned as a new type of museum that aims to function as a vibrant art district for Yingge, forming the art centre for the wider Taipei region.

The growth of the pottery industry in Yingge is similar to the formation of art districts in many contemporary cities. The project for the “New Taipei City Museum of Art” has the opportunity to kick-start an art industry that emulates the model of spontaneous aggregation which Yingge’s pottery industry has experienced. Rather than presenting the Museum as a single edifice, it can be “deinstitutionalised” to allow for the increased participation and congregation of artists from various disciplines and other related businesses.

Famous art districts such as “Chelsea” in Manhattan, 798 district in Beijing and Fitzrovia Art District in London, allows a wide range of artists to freely express, interact, debate and collaborate, forming artist-run spaces and cooperatives. These art districts, due to its inherent plurality, have also become the birthplaces and test beds of several contemporary art movements, attracting a wide range of public attention both local and abroad.

Another feature of the art district is the clustering of complementary businesses such as art studios, art schools, private art galleries, art collectors and dealers. This synergy between the production and trade of art not only provides the districts with a larger pool of artwork but also ensures that the district is constantly refreshed with new exhibits.

Such concentration of autonomous galleries has the potential of forming an open, museum-like environment. Unlike the prevalent “white cube” museum which inevitably represents all its patrons under a single institution, the “district” model is artist-centred and allows artists maximum control over their spaces and the presentation of their artwork. With the idea of the art district as museum, the New Taipei City Museum of Art can provide the spatial framework that cultivates an active art industry for Yingge.

MUSEUM AS COLLECTION OF GALLERIES

To increase the control the artists or collectors have on their exhibition spaces, the conventional “white cube” envelope of the museum has been omitted and the galleries within are being expressed and juxtaposed as separate entities. Laid out on an urban grid, the galleries form a district consisting of disparate “houses”, allowing the artist or the collector to express himself fully to his audience.

The museum hence ceases to be merely a space for the collection of artwork; it is imagined as a collection of autonomous art galleries each presenting a different artistic trajectory.

CONTEMPORARY FLEXIBILITY OF ART

Contemporary Art, a break away from past art movements and cultures is relieved from constraints of medium, contents and any previous categorisations. Hence, contemporary Art can no longer be judged purely for its craftsmanship but instead are appreciated for their commentary. This results in the unpredictability of not only the type of work produced but also its scale.

With art work becoming dramatically larger in recent years, perhaps the scale of artwork can only be limited by the size of the museum. To provide for this maximal scale, the plane of dispersed galleries is lifted above ground, creating a large sheltered space for extremely large sculptures. Open areas between galleries on the lifted plane also serve as outdoor exhibition spaces for larger exhibits.

The collection of galleries provides the flexibility of organising a multitude of art styles, disciplines and types, tangible or intangible, within the same district- to coexist without dissolving their important differences.

PARTICIPATION IN YINGGE’S ART DISTRICT

The proposal forms a new type of museum that combines the vibrancy of an art district and the flexibility of a Contemporary Art Museum. The New Taipei City Museum of Art will allow increased participation from the wider art community, extend its reach regionally as well as involve all sectors and age group of the public.

The proposal is a network of galleries raised on a public deck has the flexibility to either function as private galleries or as part of the Museum. This opens up the museum to more exhibitors, artworks and, consequently, more visitors.

The ground plane, shaded by the deck, allows members of the public to gather around large scale installations and exhibits in a naturally ventilated environment. Green shear walls supports and punctures the deck allowing natural light to penetrate to the landscape gardens on ground.