"House of the Muses"
Proposing Feminist Alternatives to the Traditional (Art) Museum
L. del Rosso (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
H. Sohn – Mentor (TU Delft - Theory, Territories & Transitions)
S. Milinović – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / U)
R.R. van den Ban – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / AE+T)
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Abstract
"House of the Muses" begins with a critique of the traditional art museum and its systems of collecting, exhibiting, and archiving knowledge. In my research, I argue that museums are patriarchal, colonial, and capitalistic discursive institutions whose monumental architecture reflects these values: imposing facades and sterile interiors that make visitors feel as if they need to behave a certain way or have prior knowledge. Through architectural design, I propose an alternative logic and system: a post-museum based on intersectional feminist values of care and repair.
To achieve this, I reclaim the muse, a figure traditionally considered passive inspiration for the male artist. I argue that one can be a source of inspiration and a creator simultaneously. In the House of the Muses, everyone and everything can inspire one another. This concept is reflected in the design of the Katoenhuis renovation, where an industrial cotton storage building in the harbor of Rotterdam is transformed into a generative machine of relations and collective transformation.
My design is informed by the four textile processes of spinning, weaving, stitching, and natural dyeing. These processes have been considered secondary due to their gendered nature, but I reclaim them as a universal language and medium. Through textiles, the House of the Muses takes shape and is inspired by and inspires human and non-human agencies of the urban environment.
https://lindadelrosso.com/house-of-the-muses-1