The object of experience : a phenomenological approach to exhibition space in the Ditsong : National Museum of Natural History

Abstract

The study will investigate the creation and manipulation of experience in interior space. With phenomenology as the premise, the object becomes secondary to the experience. The site will be an unutilized vault structure on the Ditsong: National Museum of Natural History grounds in Pretoria. To give expression to experience, the program chosen is an experience based exhibition that adds onto the current exhibition at the museum. The exhibition will change annually to ensure variation for yearly visitors. To facilitate changing the exhibition, the spaces will be designed with the senses as base layers. Each space will be experienced primarily through one of the senses, so that the user becomes more aware of the specific sense in that space. The exhibition that layers onto the sense layer can focus on that sense to convey facts about the subject. The chosen subject for the exhibition detailed in the project is the insect collection. The purpose of the exhibition will be to show how insects use their senses. The senses of the insect will layer onto the basis layer of human senses. Because everything we experience is through our own senses, we can only get an idea of what the insect would experience. There will always be the interlayer of our own senses. Hierdie studie ondersoek die skep en manipulasie van ervaring in die binneruim. Met fenomenologie as uitgangspunt word die objek sekondêr tot die ervaring. Die perseel sal ‘n ongebruikte gewelf struktuur op die Ditsong: Nationale Museum van Natuurlike Geskiedenis se gronde in Pretoria wees. Om uitdrukking te gee aan ervaring is die gekose program ‘n ervaring gebaseerde uitstalling wat toevoeg tot die huidige uit-stalling by die museum. Die uitstalling sal jaarliks verander word om variasie te verseker vir gereelde besoekers. Om die verandering van die uitstalling te vergemaklik, word die ruimtes ontwerp met die sintuie as basis laag. Elke ruimte sal primêr ervaar word deur een van die sintuie sodat die gebruiker bewus word van die spesifieke sintuig in daardie ruimte. Die uitstalling wat gebaseer is op die sintuigbasis kan fokus op daardie sintuig om feite oor die onderwerp oor te dra. Die gekose onderwerp vir die uitstalling uiteengesit in die projek is die insekversameling. Die doel van die uitstalling sal wees om te wys hoe insekte gebruik maak van hulle sintuie. Die sintuie van die insek sal bo op die basis laag van menslike sintuie gevoeg word. Omdat alles wat ons ervaar deur ons eie sintuie geskied, kan ons slegs ‘n idee kry van wat die insek sal ervaar. Daar sal altyd die tussenlaag van ons eie sintuie wees.