Dia Beacon Foundation

I was looking forward to go see the Dia Beacon Foundation since it was at the heart of my subject. I went there without reading on the actual building and what it was before the Museum, because I wanted to be free of interpreting it the way I truly saw it and felt it. 

When I entered the doors, the first thing I saw and felt was the kind of "Game" between natural lights and dark which I thought was interesting, the spacious rooms were welcoming and cold at the same time.

Throughout the visit, I had one thing that bothered me, in the rooms where the floor was made out of wood, the wood was so varnished that I could nearly see my self in it. My eyes were attracted to the floor and didn't let me enjoy the visit and the art fully. 

The outside space was really amazing, I like how the colours of the trees and flowers went well with the colours and the textures of the building. I liked a lot the mix of all the different materials (Wood, Metal, concrete etc...). I think it is a shame that the outside nature and the museum was not in complete harmony I had the feeling I could not enjoy both of them at the same time, I wish it could have been complementary. 

The art that was in the museum was sometime absurd to my eyes and didn't seem to fit, but other pieces were truly amazing and I felt they were in the "right" place.

Critique

I chose to look at two pictures of the Fondation  Beyler and analyse what I saw in term of balanced or distortion.

The annotations on the pictures are critiques of what is in my eyes not making the environment completely balanced and to maximize the experience.

Environment

I want to look at two environments and the way both of them could be experienced. The first set of picture shows Cultural Center designed by Renzo Piano in New Caledonia and the second set shows the Jewish Memorial in Berlin, Germany by Peter Eisenman.

The difference between both monuments is clear. I thought it would be interesting to look at what they both portray. 

It is clear to the eye that the Jewish Memorial evokes very strong and hard memories for all the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, the choice of colors and the massive block are direct. 

The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre was created to honor Jean Marie Tjibaou who was a cultural leader in Caledonia when France was occupying the island. To tell you the truth I had no idea what represented and what the Cultural Center stood for before reading about it, but for the Jewish memorial, even if I didn't know what it stood for, the shapes and the colors gave me this impression of sadness and the feeling of being trap.

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New Caledonia

  

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New Caledonia

                                                Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New Caledonia
 

                                                             Jewish Memorial, Berlin, Germany

                                                              Jewish Memorial, Berlin, Germany
 

                                                               Jewish Memorial, Berlin, Germany

Renzo Piano

Here are several pictures of different project Renzo Piano realized over the years. I thought it was interesting to see works from the same architect from around the world and look at the differences and similitude. What touches me the most, is the harmony I felt while visiting some of those places whether it was intended by the architect or not.

 

Fondation Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland.

Sketches of the Fondation Beyeler

                                        
                                                        Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland

    
                                                            Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland

                                                           Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland
 

                                                           Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas

                                                           Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas



 

Comparison

I asked some people to look at Giacometti's sculptures in two different settings

As much as I admire Giacometti's sculptures, I think the Fondation Beyeler in Basel gives the most credit to his work. I had the chance to see his sculptures and paintings in various museums around the world and Basel is the only place where they exposed l"'homme qui marche I" in an environment mixing contemporary architecture and pure nature. 

                                                             Fondation Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland

 At lacma, his art is displayed in a line as if they were some quick preview of Giacometti's work . Artificial light being the only one around, his most important  works being displayed closer to the visitor, and others in the background. I personnaly find Alberto's work should be spread in spacious areas. allowing the visitors to see ans analyze them one by one, not all together.

                                                                     LACMA

Alberto Giacometti

 I decided to gather several pictures of different settings where some of Alberto Giacometti's sculptures are exposed. I thought it would be really interesting to compare and see various backgrounds.

                                              Louisiana museum
 

                                            Louisiana museum

                    
                                           Fondation Maeght, Provence, France.

                                                     Fondation Maeght, Provence, France.