Researching art galleries for my project II, I went through many many galleries to see which galleries ticked with the people? How circulation worked ? The relationship between the people and the displays? the relationship between the people? The various display spaces, the exterior and the interior spaces,.....etc.
Nothing tells us more about spaces than actually visiting them and experiencing the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery and the Wakefield Hepworth Gallery was an eye opener into the world of art and their spaces.
The Nottingham Contemporary sits on a corner of a completely Victorian setting architecture, with restaurants, a smallish plaza and a tram line on the side of it. Looking from the back side of the gallery, we see it sitting on a high pedestal along the skyline of the buildings as the site slopes downwards behind.
On the other hand ,the Hepworth Gallery sits on a quiet site that belongs solely for the purpose of a building that would act as a landmark for the city of Wakefield. As you approach the gallery, it looks like a angular sculptural monument that is framed by water and landscaped on the other side. It was like a beautiful piano composition with the right balance of harmonies!
Looking at the fascade of the Nottingham Contemporary , I got the feeling that the architect was trying too hard to make the building stand out. The green concrete texture and the gold glossy , shine metal created an odd combination that was further enhanced by the convex form of the surface. It looked like a last minute attempt to connect the gallery with the surrounding history. The lace pattern was barely visible unless standing very close.
Nothing tells us more about spaces than actually visiting them and experiencing the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery and the Wakefield Hepworth Gallery was an eye opener into the world of art and their spaces.
The Nottingham Contemporary sits on a corner of a completely Victorian setting architecture, with restaurants, a smallish plaza and a tram line on the side of it. Looking from the back side of the gallery, we see it sitting on a high pedestal along the skyline of the buildings as the site slopes downwards behind.
SOURCE : me
On the other hand ,the Hepworth Gallery sits on a quiet site that belongs solely for the purpose of a building that would act as a landmark for the city of Wakefield. As you approach the gallery, it looks like a angular sculptural monument that is framed by water and landscaped on the other side. It was like a beautiful piano composition with the right balance of harmonies!
SOURCE : me
Entering into Nottingham Contemporary, the entrance is emphasized by a projecting canopy, which leads into a lobby with the reception and a whole lot of books and other sale-able items....and leading to the galleries.
The first thing I noticed about the arrangement of the galleries was that the lobby leads to three gallery spaces named Gallery 1,2 and 3. I feel the problem with choice in a gallery is that, you tend to miss out or may avoid one of the galleries if you are bored and galleries are places where you come to see art and thereby visit all the displays. One more unavoidable fact was that , I had to keep coming back to the lobby space to enter into the other galleries.
SOURCE : me
The Hepworth Gallery has a clear circulation within.There is a main axis from the entryway to the stairs leading to the galleries above.It was simple and clear ,for me to know where to go from the entrance.The reception led to the other rooms like the shop and the workrooms,the toilets and the cafe etc which were all across from each other ,thereby giving clear sight lines between the spaces.I felt that the Hepworth was way easier to navigate.
SOURCE : me
The galleries in the Nottingham Contemporary had a main breakoff space (lobby) which connected to each of them individually. Some of the spaces were connected to each other while others could be accessible only by coming back to the lobby.The display spaces were huge rooms with white bland walls where, the only source of light was from the skylights above.There was no connection to the outside from the galleries except for one of them which had a glass wall looking through to the entryway and into the entrance outside.
SOURCE : me
While , in the Hepworth, there is a processional pattern of movement between galleries. There is only one entry and exit point, so you do not tend to walk into the same spaces again , hence, making sure you visit all the rooms. I really liked this passage , because there was a natural flow from one gallery into the other and I did not even realize that I had reached the end! There was also a variation in height of the rooms,giving me a feel of different quality of spaces from intimate to public.
There were also beautiful picture windows that framed the outside views at strategic points. The architect made sure that the magnificient surroundings were not wasted from the inside.
Looking at the fascade of the Nottingham Contemporary , I got the feeling that the architect was trying too hard to make the building stand out. The green concrete texture and the gold glossy , shine metal created an odd combination that was further enhanced by the convex form of the surface. It looked like a last minute attempt to connect the gallery with the surrounding history. The lace pattern was barely visible unless standing very close.
The Hepworth , meanwhile, was a monolithic block of sculpture made of grey concrete stone.
Overall,I felt that the Hepworth Gallery was a more ideal design for a gallery compared to the Nottingham Gallery , due to its easy circulation , its setting and the maximum use that the architect made of the surrounding context,therefore not overpowering the building with respect to its surrounding , but finding that right balance between the two.
what a nonsense
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