Img. 5.30 — Museum of London, United Kingdom

456 — european museums in the 21st century: setting the framework (vol. 2) img. 5.30 — Museum of London, United Kingdom. Children looking at cases in the World City Gallery, within the new Galleries of Modern London. © Museum of London. european museums in the 21st century: setting the framework (vol. 2) — 457 Galleries of Modern London, Museum of London London, United Kingdom The Museum of London was funded in the it examines London’s involvement in transat- 1960s by merging two earlier museums, the lantic slavery with interesting references to new Guildhall Museum (1826) and the London types of slavery in the contemporary city, rac- Museum (1912). The new Museum of London ism and the contribution of Africans and other opened in 1976 and since then has operated as communities to London’s culture and wealth. a social and urban history museum. In this sense, the museum building itself is part From 2000 onwards the museum has carried of the collection; the West India Dock and the out several major renovation projects both from warehouse complex which has been renovated a programmatic and architectural point of view, to host the museum are, in fact, a physical man- which have led the museum to rethink its mis- ifestation of London’s corner of the so-called sion, practices, narratives and communication “trade triangle.” strategies; widen its activities; refocus its objec- In these years, the museum’s contents, exhi- tives and reorganise and enlarge its collections bition design and spaces have been reviewed and spaces. The museum currently comprises and rethought in detail; as a final step, in 2010, two venues—the Museum of London and the the Museum of London was re-launched with Museum of London Docklands, as well as a the opening of the new Galleries of Modern commercial archeological service, the MOLA, London. Museum of London Archaeology. Overall, the museum attracts over 400,000 visitors per year æ openness as a way of working and holds the largest archaeological archive in Europe with the mission to “inspire a passion The Museum of London opened in 1976 in a for London […] through increasing public new building at London Wall within the Barbi- awareness, appreciation and understanding of can Estate. The museum was designed by Philip London’s cultural heritage, its people and its Powell, Hidalgo Moya and Partners, who also stories.” conceived part of the exhibition design with Higgins, Ney & Partners. Wtihin this renovation project in 2003 a new When the Museum of London was inaugu- museum venue, the Museum of London Dock- rated it was the subject of much debate and lands, was inaugurated. It is housed in a listed criticism. Critics agreed that the difficulty in early-19th-century sugar warehouse at Canary actually finding and getting to the museum was Wharf, and displays the stories of the port, the one of the major issues, a problem that earned it River Thames and the local communities of the the title of “the most retiring public building in East London riverside. It also develops educa- London.” In fact, the problem was mostly due tional programmes, activities, exhibitions and to the urban features of the site, which is char- workshops aimed at exploring and representing acterised by a system of high walkways created London’s East End, one of the most multicul- in the 1960s and ‘70s by the City of London tural and multilayered areas of the city. Among with the aim of separating pedestrians and cars, its 11 permanent galleries, the “London, Sugar supposedly for mutual benefit. Other common & Slavery Gallery” is one of the most notewor- criticisms were related to the exhibition design thy. Through historical objects and documents, and display, thought to be overburdened with as well as personal histories, works of art, music, objects and information, and conceived without videos and short movies created for the gallery, a hierarchical rationale. 458 — european museums in the 21st century: setting the framework (vol. 2) The building characterised by concrete struc- while the design of the new galleries was de- tures and a white ceramic tile façade, inter- veloped by an in-house team with an intimate rupted by a window facing onto the remains of knowledge of the museum’s collections. The the Roman and Medieval wall—unfortunately design team consisted of Leigh Cain (Head overwhelmed by the museum and the walkway of Design and Exhibitions), Gail Symington design. The exhibition developed around the in- (Head Designer) and was led by the museum ner courtyard, arranged along a spiral route on director himself, Jack Lohman, who studied ar- two levels connected by a ramp; it was organ- chitecture and is a professor of Museum Design ised chronologically and divided into ten sec- and Communication at Bergen National Acad- tions corresponding to specific historical peri- emy of the Arts in Norway. ods. The exhibits were mainly four-square brick A previous project by Wilkinson Eyre to roof showcases, with a base containing the technical over the internal courtyard was dropped by equipment, and a movable glass cabinet. The Lohman when he took on the position of Mu- overall exhibition design, the exhibit system and seum Director in 2002, in favour of a less iconic the architectural project, with its open-plan lay- and eye-catching but more practical project. out and free-standing columns, were conceived The final design respects and understands the to guarantee a flexibility of the interior arrange- original building and, at the same time, is aimed ments and the possibility to easily amend them. at enhancing it, reconfiguring and expanding its spaces, and increasing the museum’s connection The four-year renovation project carried out by with the city. Wilkinson Eyre scheduled the the museum, resulting in its re-launch in 2010, reorganisation of vertical and horizontal cir- needed to address this issue of context. The re- culation flow around and within the museum, launch was the final step in a long and complex including a new staircase tower and the design process of rethinking the museum’s narratives of the new museum entrance, whose canopy, and approaches, which lasted more than ten which projects over the existing city highway, years and led to the redesign of the museum’s is designed to improve the visibility of the en- spaces and the transformation of the lower floor trance, and so raises the profile of the museum. galleries. The project also provided additional space for Wilkinson Eyre Architects were entrusted with shops, exhibitions and other facilities, includ- the overall architectural renovation project, ing the new City Gallery. The City Gallery is a glass-wall extension added to the museum’s european museums in the 21st century: setting the framework (vol. 2) — 459 north wing, which contains the Lord Mayor’s Museum of London substantially informing its Coach, and is devoted to the contemporary subsequent work. city. This is a space conceived of as a kind of The new Galleries of Modern London depict “museum shop window,” facing the London the history of London from 1666 (the year of Wall, bringing the museum down to the street the Great Fire) to present days. They are or- and symbolically opening it up to the city. This ganised into three chronological sections —the architectural solution can be seen not only as “Expanding City” (1666-1850s); the “People’s a gimmick to signal the presence of the mu- City” (1850s-1940s) and the “World City” seum—the entrance to which is still hardly (1950s-today)—ending in the new “City Gal- visible—but also as an architectural metaphor lery” and then flowing into the “Sackler Hall” for the idea of openness characterising the new museum approach and its desire to establish a straightforward relationship with the city and The vision at the ground of the new galleries is its citizens. well represented in their entrance panel where In addition, the Wilkinson Eyre project also visitors can read: redesigned the Museum’s Weston Theatre as a “Two themes run through our story: London multipurpose location for cinema, performanc- and the world—For the past 300 years, Lon- es and talks, and connected it via a hanging don’s fortunes have been tied up with people, glazed staircase to the Clore Learning Centre, goods and ideas from overseas. This story is a new space completed in 2009 in accordance about London’s relationship with the rest of with the museum’s mission to further develop the world. People and change— People are at its educational outreach programmes and work the centre of the story. Through London’s past closely with schools. people have shaped the city’s fortunes and in turn have been changed themselves. Like any great city, London never stands still. Its build- The design of the new Galleries of Modern ings rise and fall. Its character evolves. The London is an important part of the major reno- choices Londoners made in the past affect us vation project which the Museum underwent all today—just as our choices will help shape and that has affected not only the museum’s London’s future.” spaces and its exhibition design, but also en- tailed a deep rethinking of the museum’s narra- Such an introduction declares that what the tives. The Galleries of Modern London are the museum displays is not the Story of London result of a long process of reflection on issues but one possible interpretation of London’s his- related to diversity, migrations, and the identity tory, in the light of the contemporary city and and history of the city of London, carried out looking towards its future.

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