Nader Tehrani to Introduce New Designs at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On November 17, Nadar Tehrani of Boston-based firm NADAAA gave the second lecture in the "Designing Tomorrow's Met" series. The talk highlighted NADAAA's plans to renovate the Ancient Near East and Cypriot Art galleries of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. These galleries are part of the museum's larger renovation plans that will also see the African Art, Ancient American Art, and Oceanic Art galleries in the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing redesigned by WHY Architects, and the Modern and Contemporary galleries renewed by Frida Escobedo.

As part of the Met's ongoing effort to update and improve its facilities, director Max Hollein has commissioned architect Hameh Tehrani to redesign the space occupied by the Ancient Near East and Cypriot Art Galleries. Taking both a contextual and materials-based approach, Tehrani plans to replace the existing flat ceilings with vaulted ones, taking advantage of the Met's Great Hall ceiling height to create an impressive and practical new space. The vaults, which will be composed of ribbons with lighting, sprinklers, and mechanicals packaged in between, are both emblematic of the Met's commitment to excellence and practicality in their design. We're excited to see what Tehrani comes up with and how it will enhance the visitor experience at the Met.

The organization of each floor is based on the concept of a "field condition". This means that the floor plan appears to be random, but is actually a series of calculated rooms, edges, and markers. These are designed to help guide viewers through the story of the ancients. The Ancient Near East and Cypriot galleries will be connected by a ramp. This ramp symbolically links the two areas, which had been segregated before. The ramp also provides ADA accessibility.

NADAAA, a design firm, creates conceptual connections between ancient and modern times through the use of architectural elements and fixtures that reflect and highlight the cultural significance of the objects on display. For example, bronze casework representing the Bronze Age, a charred wood passage showcasing the scorched remains of Hasanlu in Iran, and a stone version of a red silk carpet are all used to evoke the original aesthetics and cultural context of the objects. This approach, which incorporates materials such as copper, gold, clay, and bold colours like turquoise, sepia, and lapis lazuli, allows viewers to engage more deeply with the objects and understand them as cultural artefacts rather than simply works of art. This emphasis on cultural context and the use of colour challenges the traditional "white cube" museum model, which is often associated with colonialism and cultural erasure. As curator Kim Benzel noted, "the denial of colour has so often been a tool of colonialism, of cultural erasure."

It raises questions about how we understand and interpret the history and the importance of cultural context in understanding the past. The design of the exhibition not only showcases the artefacts themselves but also invites visitors to consider the larger cultural and historical context in which they were created and used.

Furthermore, the transformational design approach allows for a more interactive and engaging experience for visitors, as they are able to fully immerse themselves in the exhibit and engage with the artefacts in a more meaningful way. This approach encourages visitors to think critically about the objects on display and to consider their significance within the larger cultural narrative.

Overall, the transformational design of the exhibition not only highlights the importance of cultural context in understanding the past but also invites visitors to engage with and consider the role of museums in shaping our understanding of history.