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Not only it is one of the best known buildings in the country but it is also a building where the decisions made have been impacting the country for centuries.
Unlike the historical buildings of the National Trust, for example, this is very much a buzzing building and as you explore it, the political and the architectural drama are as palpable as it's history ... Reflected on the many ornaments and sculptural elements found throughout
I hope that, as the refurb progresses, spaces retain their character, new sculptures are incorporated to fill gaps in history and increase representation and the sense of accumulated history remains.
If I haven't lost you yet, let me give you some context:
I often wonder at what point, we collectively decided that life (virtual and physical) had to be curated to the point that we began mistaking reality and cultural richness for clutter. I.e. when did the world started to look more and more like a child of Pinterest and Instagram rather than a reflection of the life and culture of local communities?
I have many examples but one that comes to mind is a place I used to go to as a student to sketch.
It was a stone staircase at the Museo de San Telmo , in the old town of my hometown, which at the time was open to walk-ins.
Although it was meant to function as a (very large) stair, it was used as a room where randomly placed sculptural busts were laid organically on the floor, steps and plinths. A "who is who" of people that had made an impact in the city .
When the building was refurbished, those sculptures disappeared, as did many others, and with them, so did its character and connection to history (the building's and the city's) Displays were assigned to specific rooms and circulation spaces became no other than connectors between those.
The staircase remains. In fact, it was a beautifully restored, however, it is empty and no longer a place that connects you to history, only to a different floor and that, to me, is a wasted opportunity.
