Displaying historical artifacts and artworks, museums are temples of knowledge, respected as arbiters of culture and the arts. This image is reinforced by forbidding, majestic buildings. But in recent years, many museums and galleries are undergoing an evolution. They're leveraging design to become spaces that feel both fresh and intimate, bringing visitors much closer to their exhibits. Our presenters set out to learn more about this bold strategy. They visit a museum that's undergone a renovation to become a place for public relaxation, and another using the latest tech to change the relationship between viewer and object. Explore new ways to examine history and art, and discover the latest museum designs and what lies ahead!
Welcome to Design Stories.
Today, we're exploring Evolving Museums.
Like this art museum in Japan's historic capital of Kyoto.
It's recently undergone major renovations to provide visitors with a more intimate experience.
- You can have a beer.
- What a great space!
It really is.
Or this Tokyo museum, which is using the latest digital technology to offer a new way to experience artworks.
It's so detailed.
You never get so close
to the real thing.
Exactly.
Let's explore some evolving museums that are overturning stereotypes through design.
So our first location you can see right over there is the Kyocera Museum of Art in the city of Kyoto.
Now it opened in 1933 and I'm told that makes it Japan's oldest public art museum.
Now it reopened in 2020 after a renovation, which was the work of a very well-known architect.
And I've been wanting to visit this place for a while.
So let's go check it out.
- Great to see you again!
- Likewise!
- This is wonderful.
- How are you?
- I'm doing okay, and you?
- I'm very well.
Aoki and I actually used to live in the same neighborhood.
As an international architect, he's designed many museums.
But his first renovation was the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art.
It was funded by donations from people who wanted Kyoto to have an art gallery, and it's still loved by locals today.
Aoki lives in Tokyo, but works as the museum's director.
We'll get a good overview
from up there.
It looks old, right?
The central pillars
have a European feel.
But it has a very Asian roof.
An unusual design with
a pre-war feel to it.
Yes, a real mixture.
How did you approach the renovation?
The space itself was
already pretty great.
But it felt dark,
and rather stuffy.
I wanted visitors to have
a more pleasant experience.
But the new additions should
blend in and feel natural.
Less stuffy.
How do you make a museum less stuffy?
I'm excited to explore Aoki's changes to this historic building!
Oh, this is great!
This approach feels very natural.
Looks different from down here, right?
It does.
- The entrance is imposing.
- That's the original?
Yes. It looks nice but it's narrow.
These days museum lobbies need
all kinds of functionality.
So the question was
how to provide that.
We built a small basement
under the museum.
Now you enter from underneath.
This angle feels very new.
It should feel like
a smooth, natural approach.
- Interesting, I like this.
- The curve?
Yes, it's beautiful.
This is the new entrance.
We go in from here.
It feels a little familiar.
There was a cloakroom under
the old entrance.
That storage space is now the entry.
We turned it back to front.
I see, yes.
Wow. This feels a bit
like Milano Centrale Station.
The entrance has low ceilings
so it feels even more impressive.
This is incredible.
It was built as a space to
display statues and sculptures.
But we've turned it
into a lobby instead.
How extravagant.
The stairs are new.
So are the balconies.
They weren't there.
As a lobby, it needs to provide
access to other areas.
Sure.
- Feels natural, right?
- It does.
That's important.
New additions were designed following
the original design principles.
Right.
There are five exhibition spaces placed around the central hall.
The North and South Wings are opposite one another.
Each has a collection room on the first and second floor.
The Higashiyama Cube is an enormous exhibition space on the eastern side.
This is a hub. Visitors can
choose where to go from here.
I wonder how Aoki's designs have changed these historic spaces.
They're currently exhibiting famous modern Japanese-style paintings.
A lot of Japanese art
from the 1920s and 30s.
Lots of women subjects.
Yes, that's a major change that
began in the late 1920s.
- They feel very modern.
- They do, yes.
We put a lot of care into preserving
the atmosphere of the old museum.
The locations of the doors
are unchanged.
Although we've had to add fire doors
and so on to comply with regulations.
For safety.
But we tried to make them
look like they belong.
Kyoto has so much history.
Those layers add a lot of richness.
I didn't want all new,
or all original designs.
Next up, a courtyard in the South Wing.
What is this space?
It's a restored courtyard.
This space was blocked off
for machine storage.
We turned it back into a courtyard
and put sculptures here.
I see, yes.
Most exhibits are displayed inside.
But that gets claustrophobic.
I wanted a garden space.
A little fresh air.
There were so many fascinating nooks
and spaces that went unused.
- I did a lot of metaphorical digging.
- Interesting.
I thought about how to use those
spaces and it's a full house now.
I see.
There's another courtyard in the North Wing,
but this one has been given a roof to provide more indoor space.
Next, Aoki shows me the east entrance through the central hall.
Before the renovations, these doors remained closed to the outside world.
What a beautiful garden!
Previously, these doors stayed shut.
This was a dead end.
I was at an exhibition here back in 2015.
The doors happed to be open,
and I saw this wonderful space.
What a waste!
Right? So I opened the space up for visitors.
This was always part of the museum?
That's right.
But nobody paid much attention to it.
This is what we call
a borrowed landscape in Japanese.
The mountains east of Kyoto
are right there. It's stunning.
I see a dog walker.
Folks can just walk in?
There are no fences.
You can leave through there.
Which means people can come in.
I see.
It's completely free to move
between here and the main entrance.
Like a public space?
Yes, it's a public space.
I want people to use the museum
for more than seeing art exhibits.
Have a cup of tea, do a little
shopping. Exhibitions on the side.
That makes sense.
It raises awareness of the building
itself. Gives us more scope.
Maybe there's live music
in the central hall.
Or one or two items on display.
That's a good start.
The first, key step is having
people drop into the museum.
I see.
A museum that lets locals wander through freely.
It's an unusual approach in Japan.
Finally, we head to one of Aoki's favorite spaces.
This is the roof of
the Higashiyama Cube.
You added a rooftop space.
- Big, right?
- Beautiful.
- People come and eat lunch here.
- It's a great space for it.
- You can have a beer.
- What a great space!
It really is.
Another public space.
How beautiful!
What a view of the museum.
You can take it all in.
The Japanese garden below.
It's lovely. A new angle.
By making these free, open spaces
you've changed our view of museums.
It pushes these institutions
into a more public setting.
Unless they're part of daily life,
they lose a lot of their meaning.
I want people to reexamine their
established views of museums.
There are other approaches.
We tie ourselves into knots by
being too rigid about these things.
I agree.
A new perspective opens up the world.
That's the goal of all art.
I hope that visiting museums
can help people discover that.
They're places which can save us.
That drives our approach.
Say you hold five different
exhibitions at once.
You'll get an incredible mix of visitors
who would normally never meet.
Museums should be a place for
people to meet.
A bit like a station in that sense.
That was my first impression.
A railway station.
I was delighted to hear that!
The more people recognize that we
need museums, even after a pandemic...
...the better museums can become.
I hope all kinds of folks come
and make the most of this space.
This exhibition of animal specimens has toured three Japanese cities.
But what sets it apart is how the exhibits are displayed.
Mounted specimens are presented on a variety of fixtures.
A closer look reveals...
drawers.
Inside this one...
is a chipmunk!
What about this drawer?
A variety of striped shells and insects.
The exhibition is the work of designer Misawa Haruka.
How did she come up with the idea of these fascinating drawers?
I wanted to emphasize discovery,
exploration, and observation.
Spotting something out of sight
heightens our enjoyment of the find.
Taking an active approach
leads to discoveries.
Observation leads each person
to have their own experience.
The same items, but unique discoveries.
I hoped it would connect each person
to their past and future.
A deeper, more meaningful experience.
The specimens come from the 4.9 million-strong collection of the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo.
The museum held a design competition for an exhibition that would travel Japan,
and it was Misawa's proposal that emerged victorious.
One of the judges, researcher Kawada Shinichiro, praised the unique idea of using drawers.
Most museum exhibits just
lay out objects.
I liked that this idea
deliberately hid some items.
It was a very new idea for us.
It heightens the visual interest
of the specimens.
Misawa previously took part in an exhibition on insects.
She was inspired by weevils, a beetle with countless varieties.
Shadow pictures let visitors compare the size of body parts, or focus on individual aspects.
Misawa's design offered a variety of curiosity-provoking perspectives.
The new traveling exhibition also inspires visitors' imaginations.
It's a mammal exhibition. But the
drawers have insects and reptile eggs.
I chose what I wanted each drawer to say.
Then I picked mammals to fit that theme.
One drawer might feature spotted creatures.
Maybe that will be paired
with a leopard specimen.
Beside it will be wings, insects,
and shells.
This helps the pattern stand out.
Specimens on their own don't tell us
anything extra.
The drawers add depth. We're looking
at a planet, not just mammals.
These two have a food-chain
connection. Lynxes eat hares.
Why are they together? Open a drawer
to find out, then reexamine them both.
Maybe that will lead to another drawer.
It starts as a mammal exhibition
but ends by asking who we are.
I want to expand on that experience.
To enrich it somehow.
Misawa's traveling exhibition is endlessly reusable.
Opening drawers to reexamine our ideas about life on earth.
Meanwhile, I'm visiting my favorite museum - which also happens to be Japan's oldest.
Apparently, they're using cutting-edge technology for a new exhibit!
- Hello.
- Hello!
It's great to see you again.
- Likewise.
- Thanks for having me.
Fujita Chiori helped produce the exhibits I'm here to see.
She's giving me a special tour!
First, we're going to take a look at Japan's most valuable national treasures.
New digital technology will give me an astonishing perspective.
This is our Digital Gallery
of Horyuji Treasures.
Oh wow!
This is from the "Illustrated
Biography of Prince Shotoku."
It's a replica, so you can view it
directly under bright light.
Interesting!
So I can get up close to it?
Please do!
The original is drawn on real silk,
but this print uses artificial silk.
The texture and feel of it should
be very similar to the real thing.
Top-quality digital technology was used to make this as close as possible to the historical artifact.
It's the life of Shotoku, a Japanese
politician and imperial prince.
There's a legend he could follow
dozens of conversations at once.
Yes, there are ten pictures and
58 episodes from his life.
This one depicts the famous scene.
He is listening to
dozens of children at once.
The legend!
Do you see him in the center?
Prince Shotoku.
He's also up at the top.
Do you see him?
Oh yes, this is him!
Yes, the child flying in the sky.
Prince Shotoku flew?
He became a superhuman figure
soon after his death.
Many of the episodes show him as
someone with special powers.
It's astonishing that this is
1,000 years old.
In order to preserve it for thousands more,
we don't display the real thing.
We deepen our understanding and
enjoyment with replicas like this.
Now I'm even more curious about Prince Shotoku!
Use the tablet here.
Do you have any favorite episodes?
- The one with his friends?
- Let's start there.
Memorizing the words of 36 children.
You can enlarge the image too.
And move it around.
You can zoom right in!
And it's still so clear.
He looks very kind.
Yes, the close-ups reveal an
intelligent, gentle face.
There's also a little quiz.
Press the red button.
Okay.
A question appears.
Prince Shotoku's father is
spying on his son. Where is he?
Can you spot him?
Over here, maybe?
He's certainly looking up.
And he has a retinue, of course.
Shall we check the answer?
Congratulations!
- The questions are fun.
- They make you look closer.
And they give you more context.
I wondered who these people were
when I saw them in the panel earlier.
- It's nice to get context.
- Exactly.
These pieces were also made using high-resolution digital data.
But they don't just stay here in the museum.
We take the screens to schools
for outreach programs.
We look at these near-perfect replicas
and talk about how they make us feel.
Discuss details we've spotted
as we look at them together.
That's wonderful.
How do the kids react?
We might try and look at the screens
the way historical people would.
We darken the room and light them
from below like candles.
The kids are always astonished.
Some say they're old, but interesting.
I hope it inspires some of them
to go to a museum with their friends.
A projection on the wall shows a timeline from Japan's Jomon period all the way to the Edo period.
The museum has traditional crafts from each of these eras.
Which interests you?
They're all interesting.
The Edo period, maybe?
Let's go!
Please stand on the footprints.
Okay.
Oh! I saw this box on
my last visit to the museum.
Famous Edo-period creator Ogata Korin
made it to store brushes, ink, and paper.
It says 'try raising your right arm.'
Now you can see the box without
its lid, and the central layer.
There's a water pattern inside.
We can't display
the real thing like this.
- Of course.
- Not without the lid.
There's water on the inside,
and a black bridge on the outside.
Lots of water irises as well.
It's a waterside scene.
We can show the inner pattern and other
aspects we can't with the real box.
- Adds to the fun.
- It does.
When I was a kid, museums were never
really interactive like this.
You were just looking the whole time.
Reading the labels.
Which kids don't do very often.
But I feel like Japanese museums are
really starting to evolve these days.
Experiencing this interactivity
has shown me why that's so important.
It's so clear and detailed.
So much extra information.
Digital technology is so versatile.
It's a great tool for stirring
the imagination and our curiosity.
I can't wait to see how
it will continue to evolve.
I agree.
Japanese museums are evolving into more accessible, more intimate spaces.
I really hope art can become a closer part of our lives.