Wednesday 11 November 2009

A New Start

I have known the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford for most of my life. There are artefacts within its collections that I know well, but the recently reopened museum has thrown them into exciting new juxtapositions.
The dusty, frankly elitist, institution has been given a complete makeover, and £61 million seems good value. The new space is dramatic, welcoming and easily navigated - walls open out into glassed-in walkways over the open atrium, there are views through to the galleries that allow you to see where you will be going and there is an abundance of natural light. The materials and finishes are beautifully detailed and the exhibition style is clean and uncluttered. The arrangement of the exhibits allows a more interesting thematic exploration of the collections, and even the cafe looks terrific.
This new museum, created from the oldest in Britain, is an object lesson in managing routes of flow and expectations, with interest and surprises at key points in the journey around the galleries and enticements around the corner.
Go soon!

2 comments:

  1. This is beautiful photography Paul

    Are these your shots? and if so you are to be congratulated they are stunning!

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  2. Thank you Duncan - I take that as a great compliment!

    ReplyDelete