Natural History Museum (London)

I want to start with an incredible piece of art (installation-performance) "The Big Melt" commissioned to Event Communications by Magna Trust. The idea or the performance was to create the art work which will show the process of melting the metal. (they don't actually melt the metal, they just imitate the scene). I think the concept of that performance reflects my view of the Future for the Design Museum. (In one of my first posts I have been imagining the future museum as a "Staged Production", where people come to discover how the object was made, rather then the final result of the production) Dynamic light, spectacular scene, mesmerising process.

The other thing that caught my attention was one of the rooms in a lighting Design Fair. The lamps' presentation was very successful, as with the help of a mirror, the visitors could see the object from a different angle.

The Natural History Museum

I have noticed that the old Museums like : The Natural History, The Imperial War Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, all have a public garden on their territory. Seems like they are trying to attract people into a museum by providing them with a public space. There is a big ice rink on the right side of the Garden that belongs to the Natural History Museum. I liked that as well and the idea of attracting people by giving them a recreational public space. (such galleries as Pompidou and the National Gallery are situated near the public square)

The Natural History Museum separates the flow of visitors, so the people who are going to the museum and people who are leaving it do not collide. My questions are: Why do the visitors have to be divided? and Why did the Museum solved this problem in such an ugly fashion? They simply put the metal fence, therefore the entrance looks ugly and disorganised. (See the photo below)

The main Hall of the Gallery is made to impress. I am very happy that this museum has a big Hall where people can meet, relax, create the rout of their visit. The natural light comes inside through the huge windows on the ceiling. The windows are covered by a special filter, so the are no direct sun rays in the hall. From my point of view, this idea works for the main exhibition spaces, but the main hall should have been lit with the non-filtered sunlight. It would have made the space so much more dramatic and enjoyable. 

The Earth Treasury room has an open plan. All the artefacts are stored on top of the special tables, which are covered with glass, to project the objects from the dust. Some of the tables are lit with the side lamps, which is good, it gives visitors a better understanding of the colour and the structure of the artefacts. But, some of the tables rely exceptionally on the ambient lighting of the space, this should be changed.  

The atrium of a blue zone gives visitors an opportunity to see a life-size sculpture of a whale. It is breathtaking when you see the actual scale of the animal, it is a completely different experience rather then seeing a scaled drawing of a whale in comparison to a human figure. I loved that the Museum shows both, the sculpture of a whale and a skeleton of a whale. But I am very critical about the presentation. It is surrounded by smaller sculptures of other animals, which makes the room overcrowded and just too busy. In order to explain the whale's features the Museum uses : maps, videos, drawings, photos, experiments (interaction with people), etc.

I love the way the dinosaurs space in divided on two levels, so the visitors can overview the room by walking on a pedestrian bridge. The Dinosaurs gallery has a zig-zag plan, i am not happy with that idea as it leaves the visitor no choice, but follow the gallery's space without being able to leave until he/she walks through more than a half of the exhibition. At the same time, I like the idea that the space is able to control people's movements in the room. The skeleton of the Dinosaur creates a beautiful shadow on the wall, it helps to understand the shape of the skeleton better. 

What do people like about the Natural History Museum?-

 Life-size scarecrow and sculptures of animals, opportunity to touch the exhibiting items, clear narration and explanation of the nature of the artefacts.