Sonam — Peel Journal

Undoing Guggenheim:

Answered by Sonam Sherpa

In the Guggenheim, we see a continuity in the spiral through which the viewers move. The path is linear and fixed; with a shape seemingly fixated on motion. The implied infrastructure is one without brakes. Paradoxically, this prevents continuity in the patron’s experience engaging with the displayed art. Museums, ultimately, are built upon symbiotic experiences.

Artists, curators, preparators, designers, architects, visitors — the list of players goes on. They all hold different agendas which create conflicts of interest and conflicts of interpretation. Continuity then, is far from probable.

The design of the Guggenheim museum seems to be congruous with a single journey, a continuous path from start to end. Where formalized becomes formulaic. This proposal serves to challenge that; reemphasizing personalization, by giving the viewer opportunities to dictate their own path, their own narrative, their own choices.

Referencing the Oulipo, a French literary group formed in the1960s, sought to create works using constrained writing techniques. A workshop for potential literature. To inspire creative freedom, they did it by adding formal constraints within existing texts.

The constraint is a “principle, not a means” for the Oulipo. A principle aiming to uncover potential. The intention is to translate this principle within the Guggenheim by embedding different opportunities within its armature to explore various potentials.