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The impact of contemporary exhibitions in historical buildings: Retaining significance and authenticity during adaptation
Author(s)
Slabbert, Barend Petrus
Date Issued
2015
Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Abstract
Historical interiors hold within them significance which provides us with cultural identity,
as well as historical and aesthetic value, and their physical materials offer us a
connection to the past. These interiors and their functions often become obsolete and
need to acquire a new function that is more suited to our modern-day society. One
such change in function which was identified to be steadily on the rise in Cape Town is
the reappropriation of historical interiors into contemporary exhibition venues. It was
noted that during this process many of these historical interiors end up as neutral
contemporary white boxes, where the whole historical interior is replaced or
concealed by a pristine white interior and this leads to a loss of its internal historical
aesthetic value.
To counter this and to retain the significant aesthetics of these interiors for ourselves and
our future generations, heritage legislation offers a certain amount of protection
through their respective guidelines and principles during adaptation. However, these
guidelines do not offer concrete methods on the responsive adaptation of historical
interiors into contemporary exhibition spaces. To address this problem and provide a
substitute for the white box, alternative methods for the responsive adaptation of the
historical interior into a contemporary exhibition space are highlighted and
investigated. Through this investigation, this study aims to provide responsive approaches which
interior designers may adopt during adaptation that respect, acknowledge and
highlight the significance of the reappropriated space in the design of contemporary
exhibition venues.
as well as historical and aesthetic value, and their physical materials offer us a
connection to the past. These interiors and their functions often become obsolete and
need to acquire a new function that is more suited to our modern-day society. One
such change in function which was identified to be steadily on the rise in Cape Town is
the reappropriation of historical interiors into contemporary exhibition venues. It was
noted that during this process many of these historical interiors end up as neutral
contemporary white boxes, where the whole historical interior is replaced or
concealed by a pristine white interior and this leads to a loss of its internal historical
aesthetic value.
To counter this and to retain the significant aesthetics of these interiors for ourselves and
our future generations, heritage legislation offers a certain amount of protection
through their respective guidelines and principles during adaptation. However, these
guidelines do not offer concrete methods on the responsive adaptation of historical
interiors into contemporary exhibition spaces. To address this problem and provide a
substitute for the white box, alternative methods for the responsive adaptation of the
historical interior into a contemporary exhibition space are highlighted and
investigated. Through this investigation, this study aims to provide responsive approaches which
interior designers may adopt during adaptation that respect, acknowledge and
highlight the significance of the reappropriated space in the design of contemporary
exhibition venues.
Additional information
Thesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.
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205133754-Slabbert-BP-Mtech-Interior-Des-FID-2016.pdf
Description
Thesis
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102.78 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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