Unseen Museum

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Unseen Museum

perspectives of a simultaneous path in the underground of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens

CONTEXT

Our research first deals with the concept of museum, memory and archeology. The concept of museum is inextricably linked to the concept of memory. The museum not only preserves memories but is also able to redefine them. The property of memory is to preserve the past in the present.Collective memory is therefore located in the place where a society develops. It,thus,crystallizes a peculiar relationship between space and memory. The city of Athens has a strong historical interest, as within its territory, traces of past settlements and modern settlements coexist.

An essential tool of this science is the excavation, by means of which, the one that was once digested in the ground is therefore identified, rebuilt and revived. Archaeology was developed as one of the many cultural institutions on the side and operated in close association with the institution of the museum. These interrelated practices worked to make a field of objects, previously called, briefly visible, so that it could act in and on the present (while staying at a distance from it). We realize, then, that both are moving, creating friction points where areas of dialogue, continuity, and discontinuity are established. These points acquire a spatial existence within the institution of the museum. As a public space, the museum is an integral part of the city and its continuation.

concept diagram

SITE

We chose the National Archaeological Museum of Athens as a point of intervention for several reasons. The museum hosts the largest number of exhibits, which cover a period of time spanning from prehistoric years to recent antiquity. It is located in one of the most controversial areas of Athens, Excarhia. This area has been the subject of numerous national and international media outings that often tend to magnify the events taking place in Athens and enhance a sense of fear and doubt about visiting the area. This fact, combined with the nearest metro station being less than one kilometer away from the museum, makes access difficult. The underutilization of the institution in recent years due to a lack of resources is reflected in staff shortage and consequently suspension of basic exhibition collections. The site is a public place as well as a very important recreational zone for the wider area, but in recent years there has been stagnation that has led to a decrease in visitors. All the above raise concerns, for the future of the National museum, especially in comparison to the new Acropolis museum which is overrun with accessibility and infrastructure. Moreover, the building needs to be expanded with additional storage and showrooms because of the large number of exhibits.

National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Patision Ave. 44, Athens

photos of the external space and the internal spaces of the museum

1. map of the area / 2.map with green zones / 3.map with public spaces

INTERVENTION

In an effort to expand and enhance the museum's public character, we undertook a series of interventions that concern both the existing museum building and the open area in front of the building. The main design principle was inspired by the science of archaeology, guided by the basic tool of its practice, namely excavation. Therefore, we created vertical exploratory sections across the courtyard, imitating those of archaeologists, who end up receiving a three-dimensional spatial existence. We tried to explore the properties of this new underground space, aiming to create a dynamic relationship with the visitor. This results in an arbitrary succession of these underground, chain-shaped anchorages, creating a circular path between the new intervention and the existing basements of the building.

The geometry and the architectural composition of the spaces offer multiple qualities that can accommodate a variety of exhibition practices. For example, the recesses that create smaller showrooms and can accommodate video projections. Additionally, the carved wall surfaces and large open spaces can accommodate archaeological findings of all kinds. Alongside the exhibition grounds, there is an entrance to the new museum from the courtyard, at the level of the street (Patision), which is covered and has long stairs and can function as a lecture hall or theatre. At the end of the path there is a coffee shop and gift shop.

The courtyard is sloped which means that the spaces along the path are at different elevations. These spaces are connected by a series of ramps. Therefore, the ramp system bridges these elevations and makes the path uniform. These ramps also enter the lateral underground wings of the museum connecting the spaces to warehouse rooms of the main building. A new stairway in the middle of the route connects the underground space with the main showroom on the ground floor.

The outer courtyard was designed to encourage public use of the space. This is achieved by using soil, planting and maintaining trees and two ponds which act like a breathing point against the dense urban tissue of the wider area. This natural atmosphere provides contrast to the dense urban area surrounding the museum improving its attractiveness for public use. A free-flowing design is used including, seating along the patio rails with trees providing shading points. The ponds have aesthetic purposes and are cooling areas for visitors, especially during the warmer months. In addition, a path made of hard material leads visitors from both the central front of the road to Patision as well as the two side streets (Tositsa, N. Heraklion), thus securing the connection of the point with the city.

The new square has constant connection between the underground section and the basement through the patios and the vaulted roofs that cover the areas of connection of the new showrooms with the basements of the museum and the cafe. In a constant play between the natural and the artificial light, the visitor experiences an atmospheric stroll. Light plays a key role in the atmosphere, as there is a constant alternation between no light, restricted light and bright throughout the underground. In the basement of the museum, rows of prismatic surfaces are placed at the height of the openings providing different shades of light along the path.

1. plan of the basement / 2. plan of the yard (scale 1.400)

section across Tositsa str.

section across Patision Ave.

axonometric of the new yard

museum's plan, including exhibition areas and public spaces

renders

EXHIBITION

The final stage of our design is the "Unseen Museum" exhibition. This exhibition creates a new dynamic museum experience. By collecting and revealing fragments from the warehouse stockpile as well as exhibiting the museum's permanent collection, we challenge the visitor to perceive the hidden information using visual information.Taking into account the recorded information about each exhibits, we create a new dynamic archive that evolves with time and enriches the existing archive. We are collecting the different time and historical moments of 9 exhibits to date, proving the ever-evolving narrative of their existence.

The museum's curatorial report is divided into 3 phases.

Initially as the visitor enters the new entrance immediately he/she realizes the existence of an underground space.

In the next room the visitors are gradually rising to the museum’s warehouse. There, they have the opportunity to prepare themselves for the chaotic condition in the warehouses.

The second phase involves the visitor wandering through the museum's warehouses, where he/she comes in contact with invisible finds.

Finally, once the visitor has acquired the necessary knowledge of the archaeological practice and the archival record, he/she completes his/her museum experience by perceiving the multi-temporality of the material found in each fragment through the proposed exhibition, which brings to light the aspects of the life of the fragments.