Page 71 - AIT0924_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Kengo Kuma & Associates, KR-Seoul
Bauherr • Client Audeum Audio Museum, KR-Seoul
Standort • Location 6 Heolleung-ro 8-gil, KR-Seoul
Nutzfläche • Floor space 11.010 m 2
Fotos • Photos Namsun Lee / Fukao Taiki
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 126

AUDIO MUSEUM AUDEUM

IN SEOUL

How can you display something that is invisible? A diffi-
cult question, but one to which there is a simple answer:
With a journey of the senses! Kengo Kuma & Associates,
who have designed the Audeum in Seoul, an audio muse-
um that makes sound a multi-sensory experience, at any
rate succeed in proving this. The striking building itself
becomes an exhibit and forms a tactical “general pause”.

S ound will play a decisive role in alleviating and recovering from
the many causes of modern stress. That is why I am certain that
the Audeum will become the symbol of a new era of healing through
listening!” Whenever Kengo Kuma talks about the Audio Museum –
possibly this year’s most interesting cultural project – there is a great
deal of mindfulness involved. Not only in relation to the future visitors,
who will be immersed in the “Temple of Sound”, but also in relati-
on to the architecture: “It is important to reconnect with nature and
integrate buildings seamlessly into their surroundings.” Accordingly,
the Japanese architect drew inspiration for the design of the façade
Grundriss Ebene 0 • Floor plan level 0 Grundriss Ebene 1 • Floor plan level 1 from the nearby bamboo forests, through which the diffuse sunlight
falls and the leaves rustle in the wind: 20,000 randomly arranged,
fine overlapping aluminium pipes now wrap the building, creating a
delicate play of light and shadow to mimic how sunlight filters through
trees in a forest as well as an elegant soundscape that welcomes visi-
tors. Even before the latter enter the museum, they will be prepared
for the exhibition. On display here is an extensive collection of (histo-
rical) sound reproducing devices as well as artistic installations that
expand and redefine the listening experience. The interiors are predo-
minantly characterized by wood: The material is intended to awaken
visitors’ sensory perception as well as provide pleasant acoustics and
convey a feeling of closeness to nature: While the intense scent of
cypress wood dominates the entrance area, the soft and natural textu-
re of the material is emphasized further on and its resonance proper-
ties are demonstrated in the exhibition rooms. However, it is not only
wood but also textiles that maximize the inherent potential of sound:
in one of the main galleries, the sound art unfolds its full cathedral
effect in symbiotic unity with illuminated fabric panels. In this way,
the Audeum not only appeals to all the senses, but also generates a
holistic experience that cannot be experienced in any other museum.
Because on this journey to oneself, the individual architecture beco-
Schnitt • Section mes the vehicle, the sound the motor and the senses the compass ...

AIT 9.2024 • 071