| During the 20th Century, modernism based on Western individualism, rationalism, and capitalism have resulted in great developments and at the same time left many issues to be resolved. We have now reached a point where we can learn from our experience in the 20th Century to live the new century in an enhanced way. We have thus started to uncover a new richness that we had not previously noticed in this materialistic world. This shift of awareness is also reflected in the arts, which is undergoing a similar transformation. This new direction lies in a creativity that transcends various fields such as art, design, architecture, and science which have contributed in the creation of a so-called "open art" that seeks for a co-creative relation in which viewers participate not only in the creative process but also in the production of meaning. As a result of globalization accelerated through developments in communication technologies and means of transportation, there are now greater opportunities for encounters with different cultures and thus to acknowledge differences among diverse cultural zones. A dialogue and an exchange resulting from this transcendence of psychological and spatial boundaries along with a search for a co-existence based on the awareness of difference opens up possibilities for new channels of expression. Rather than collectively applying a dominant philosophy or meaning to diversify forms of expression, the "Polyphony" exhibition attempts to convey a resonance that is enhanced through a new form of sensory organ, or rather, a "meaning-sensibility" by simply allowing the works to coexist. "Polyphony" offers a new perspective for an exhibition. The museum designed by SANAA, consists of a circular glass structure that encompasses various exhibition spaces that are randomly placed like a chain of islands. Within this museum space artists unfold their own stories and present the results of their creativity while visitors become a contemporary version of "flaneur" who would move about the museum space freely as though they were island-hopping or taking a stroll through a city as they glanced at different buildings. The visitors not only encounter the art objects but also various dimensions of time and perhaps even a new sensorium. |
