Description

MUSEUM – A THEATRICAL SPACE

Christof Cremer for MAMUZ

Project Description
As part of the preparations for the 2013 Lower Austrian Provincial Exhibition “Bread and Wine,” the attic of Asparn/Zaya Castle was renovated. The past two years were used to reposition the State Collection of Prehistory and Early History and to design a new exhibition layout across the castle’s three floors. The umbrella brand MAMUZ, which unites the Lower Austrian Museum of Prehistory in Asparn/Zaya and the Museum Lebenswelt Weinviertel at the Mistelbach Museum Center, was created. MAMUZ—the new interactive museum and knowledge center for prehistory, early history, and medieval archaeology. This expands the former collection presentation from prehistory through the High Middle Ages. The presentation of the so-called “Treasure of Wiener Neustadt” is an enrichment in the truest sense of the word. Matthias Pacher, Managing Director of MAMUZ, approached me and my team with the task of transforming Asparn/Zaya Castle into an artistically designed museum featuring an integrated exhibition.

A Costume and Set Designer Designs a Museum
Museums, in the sense intended here, are theatrical spaces in the best sense of the word. Both theaters and museums tell history and stories. They are places of presentation and representation. The task of a set designer—just like that of an interior designer—is to translate content into form and thereby create narrative spaces. On stage, singers, actors, or dancers are the main protagonists; in a museum, it is the exhibits. Both performers and exhibits want—and need—to be shown in the best possible light! The spaces are there to provide them with the desired aura or to support them in such a way that they can unfold their own aura, so that the interplay between object and viewer can begin, the objects can tell their stories, and the viewer leaves the museum enriched.

Understanding
A creative process always begins with understanding: understanding the content, the context, and the client’s goals. This understanding is preceded by a long phase of listening and reading. Curators and scholars present their concepts and their knowledge. They provide material to deepen our understanding. They tell the stories behind the objects and bring history to life through their descriptions. In countless meetings, narrative threads are outlined, eras and their distinctive features are explained, individual objects or artifacts are presented, and crash courses are held, so to speak, for the designer. Listening, explaining, asking questions, explaining again—and finally, understanding. I can only translate what I understand into interior design. Interior design means translating content into spatial forms.

Design Guidelines
Based on the specifications provided by the clients and the curators, content and design guidelines were developed collaboratively. Asparn/Zaya Castle is a historic building. Throughout the tour, visitors should repeatedly feel that they are in such a setting; rooms of architectural and historical significance should remain as free as possible from architectural fixtures. It was decided to present thematically curated, exemplary, narrative objects—always placed within the context of the respective collection—thereby staging a showcase of the Landessammlung’s greatest highlights. This is because the fundamental design approach—in contrast to conventional museums consisting solely of display cases—envisions a staged museum experience. The task of the design is to offer visitors new associations through the spatial design. This is intended to enable an emotional experience that goes beyond the purely cognitive perception of the exhibits.
The design translates themes into forms and spaces; content is illustrated—but not reconstructed—and thus becomes new, more intensely experienced, and tangible for the viewer. The design is not an end in itself but serves a functional purpose; it supports the objects and the content to be conveyed. A conscious decision was made to create a low-tech museum. Part of the exhibition concept is to reduce direct design and multimedia elements to the bare essentials. True to the motto: A museum is history experienced in real life, a real place with real objects that does not take place in cyberspace. At MAMUZ Schloss Asparn/Zaya, multimedia elements are used as artistic design tools and—where necessary—to clarify and deepen understanding. The surfaces in the individual rooms were executed
by theater painters, while printed surfaces
were used almost exclusively for text.
This guiding principle also aligns with the concept of “authentic” design. Whenever possible, all graphic design motifs were developed from the surfaces of the exhibition exhibits. Each floor showcases milestones in history, and each exhibition room is dedicated to its own theme. The themes of the individual rooms were developed by studio exhibit and guide visitors through the millennia in roughly chronological order. As visitors make their way through the rooms, they are immersed in ever-changing worlds and invited to experience all the themes using as many of their senses as possible.

Every Castle Has Its Treasure
Where better to house a treasure chamber than in a castle? As a sort of “wedding gift” to mark the relaunch, the state of Lower Austria has entrusted Asparn/Zaya Castle with the task of displaying the so-called “Wiener Neustadt Treasure”! This medieval find consists of vessels, rings, and garment clasps. What does jewelry convey? Glamour—and glamour must be presented in a glamorous setting. Two goals were pursued in the design of these special exhibition areas: a modern presentation of valuable jewelry and an immersion in a medieval visual world. The dimly lit rooms are dominated by black and gold, creating an aura of majesty and elegance. The windows are lavishly draped with black and white voile; the extra length evokes the drapery of medieval robes. The walls feature thematically coordinated scenes rendered in gold, inspired by medieval book illumination.

And it’s actually coming true
Countless, seemingly endless meetings with the scientists, the core team, the client, the architects in charge of execution, and the contractors were followed by meetings—marked by tough negotiations—about potential cost savings. Slowly, a feeling sets in: This will never end. A designer’s contribution is not limited to a creative idea. It takes perseverance, assertiveness, and a great deal of patience to guide the idea through to realization, to refine it, and to protect it. When the designer stands on the construction site and sees the envisioned spaces come to life after two years of planning, that’s when moments of joy set in.

Finale So the museum no longer “belongs” to us—who conceived, planned, and built it over the course of two years—but to you—the visitors—who set out to explore the history of humanity, the history of Lower Austria, and, in particular, your own history. As the designers, we hope we’ve built the right bridges to make this possible! Have fun exploring with as many of your senses as possible!

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