The first thing I thought about was space. I love Exhibition Spaces that have a lot of space. It was interesting that while I thought about this deeply I realized that I’m not a very hands on person when it comes to exhibition spaces. I get more exhilaration visually. The perfect example is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I could sit in the Open Ocean exhibit for hours looking at the grand tank and large aquatic animals swim around. At the same time, I hardly ever take the chance to explore or touch any of the animals in the exhibit where one is allowed to touch and feel the animals. It’s the same at science or tech museums at exhibits where one can build things or take things apart. I typically just walk past those types of exhibits until I see a visually stunning or grand exhibit. Lastly, my taste for grand spaces and structures bleeds into architecture as well. I’m fascinated by Roman and Greek Architecture, especially large domes. The Stanford Memorial Church is incredible, as is the Pantheon in Rome.
Another thing I appreciate about a great exhibit space is light. I like a really bright light. There’s a museum in Mexico City that I went to that had a wonderful exhibit of the Gates of Hell by Rodin. The Gates are dark but are in a space that is so bright and light that the contrast is stunning. To reference the Open Ocean exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium again, the blue light from the grand tank is arresting and I could bask in it for hours. The appropriate kind of light makes a huge impact visually. A similar exhibit that’s very close in the aquarium is the jellyfish exhibit, where the darkness of the space against the brightness of the jellyfish is visually powerful. Come to think of it, my favorite paintings - mostly by masters like Caravaggio - are plays of very dark versus very light.
Below are some examples of what I consider wonderful exhibition spaces and ideas. I don’t think I’d be completely against having a space where one can “get their hands dirty,” but I prefer a more visual exhibit.
