What's in the Space?

Space.

It is so easy to manipulate a room to say exactly whatever you are thinking. It takes a little bit of planning and careful arrangement, but then BAM! You have a space that sends a message. Before this trip, I kind of understood the idea of space, but I only understood it's surface definition. I had never truly seen something that spatially affected as much as the placement of the Parthenon Marbles. Comparing the Acropolis Museum to the British Museum is almost like trying to compare water to fire, but I'm going to try.

vs.

First off, let's talk about the design of these two buildings. Which would you think was in Greece and which would be in London? If you said London for the picture on the left, that is incorrect. The new Acropolis Museum has a very bright, modern design as compared to the older architecture of the British Museum. Something we all thought was amusing was how very much alike the Parthenon the British Museum looks: pediment and columns and all. Also, the British Museum is massive, so you can't even see it all in this picture. The space these two buildings take up is interesting because in Athens, the museum is a modern beauty among a slightly run-down neighborhood whereas the British Museum doesn't stick out quite as much. The Acropolis Museum is surrounded by nature and there is color everywhere, and the British Museum is in a concrete jungle. The British Museum is definitely meant to inspire awe and is almost intimidating in its presentation, and the Acropolis Museum was obviously created without the intent to steal the show. It is just a shell casing for the treasures inside, but the British Museum is a tribute to the glory of England along with the treasures inside.

When you walk into the Acropolis Museum, it is immediately obvious that everything about this museum has been done with utter intention and absolute care. They built the museum where you can look THROUGH THE FLOOR to ancient ruins beneath your feet! How cool is that?? A little trippy at first, but you get used to it. I am a terrible person and walked past the little artifacts displayed on the first floor (pottery, figurines, etc.) and went straight to the next floor.

It is breathtaking.

You walk into a room completely bathed in light streaming in from the windows that make up the walls. Here lies many ancient statues. Marble statues only seen in pictures in textbooks are now right in front of me. It is a truly humbling experience. The design done in this room only heighten the experience because it is a complete white room filled with these marble statues flooded with natural light from the beautifully sunny day outside. You stroll through with these statues within reach (literally. There are no glass coverings).

Honestly no picture can even do the room justice, but being that close to these pieces of history was inspiring.

Up one more floor we go!

The top floor is where the magic happens. This is where the Parthenon Marbles are housed along with the remnants of the pediment; well, what's left in Greece's possession that is. it doesn't take much to realize that this room has been created to celebrate the Parthenon down to the spacing of the marbles up on the wall. They have taken the time to space them perfectly along the wall as they would have hung in the Parthenon. This entire room is an exact replica, spatially, of the Parthenon, which, did I mention, is right outside the window? Being that close to the temple as you look at these pieces is humbling and awe-inspiring. The theme of natural light and white walls is continued in this room as well. This portrays a very pure, soft Greece. It was truly beautiful to see.

The View

The Pediment

Placement

The Pediment

Something I thought was really interesting was that with the marbles, the museum took the time to recreate the pieces that are elsewhere and also hung those alongside the ones they have left. If there was an empty space, it was because that piece was "lost in history" as we called it. This space has obviously been designed to tell the Parthenon's story down to every last imperfection, and it is beautiful. They are telling the story of what was, what is, and they hint at a future yet to come. There was so much care taken in every detail of design, and having the Parthenon right there looking down on you as you wander through this museum was, as I said earlier, truly humbling.

Now, the British Museum is VERY different. It has a very ancient (Grecian *cough cough*) design, and then you walk in and the inside doesn't match. It is very modern and huge, and immediately I was overwhelmed with the immensity of this museum. First off, there isn't a set area to go first. You walk in and there are a couple different doorways along the walls of this center room, so pick a door. Luckily, Dr. D & Dr. V knew where we were headed! Off to Egypt!

Something I noticed fairly quickly was that this museum in all its splendor is not meant to celebrate any one object. Rather, it is there to celebrate England and its many conquests. Even if that is not what is implicitly stated, you can tell in how they present the art. The only way to distinguish between what is in a room (besides the style of the art, obviously) would be a little plaque somewhere on the wall usually. I managed to wander through three different exhibits without realizing I had been in three different ones until I saw a Assyrian plaque on the wall when I thought I was still looking at Ancient Egyptian art. That bothered me.

Then we get to the Greek section. The sculptures are breathtaking and the preservation incredible, but something was off. I felt disconnected, like I was just looking at pictures almost. These pieces have been taken out of context and plopped here in the British Museum, and I felt no connection to them anymore. I was almost forced to look passively rather than actively as I had in Greece. My connection had been removed just by a space. What? I tried to push that feeling away and continued back to the Parthenon Marbles exhibit and found that the feeling of disconnection deepened into disappointment. Maybe if I had started in England and then went to Greece the feeling would have been different, but here I am in this amazing exhibit in this amazing museum, and I am disappointed.

Parthenon Pediment

Parthenon Pediment Piece

Water Nymphs

In the British Museum, the marbles are all placed for the most enjoyment for the viewer. They are low on the walls, and are all just lined up on the wall side by side with no concern for what is missing. In Athens, they attempted to fill some of the holes (literally) with plaster or video displays that showed a more complete picture in order to help those who look upon these pieces understand a little more of the story, but in the British display, they almost seem to pretend that they are painting a complete picture. They tell a story, through their informational plaques throughout, of a broken Greece. A Greece that needed its beautiful things saved from them (not for. From.). The space communicates a sense of conquest and makes England look like the mighty heroes.

The space that all of these artifacts are placed in saddens me. The British Museum didn't seem to be designed with the content in mind. For example, the walls were powder blue with fancy English crown molding in the Egyptian exhibit. The rooms didn't communicate a sense of connection with the different cultures. The space was all very English...it was just filled with other countries' creations. This was why I felt so disconnected! Nothing drew me in and connected me with the culture. I was just looking at a pretty things in a big room. Where the Acropolis Museum was an exhibit based on respect and curiosity, the British Museum was an exhibit meant just to show off.

Maybe if I had seen the British Museum exhibit and then the Acropolis Museum, I would have just become more excited and passionate about the marbles returning to fill this beautiful museum. However, seeing what could be if the marbles were in Greece, and then seeing what is in England was saddening and infuriating. In Greece, the entire museum's design, space, placement--it's all there for the Parthenon. It is not about the "enjoyment of the viewer" or about the glory of Greece. It is there to tell the complete story of the Parthenon accurately. In England, the Parthenon Marbles have become yet another crowning jewel in their collection.