Art Space╱Museum in Wuhan

藝術空間╱Museum國際無界藝術館　

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“Li-Fen is important in Wuhan, just as the hutong is important in Beijing. It is the cultural tab that the city cannot give up.” That is the opening sentence of Waterfrom Design for the architectural space of Wuhan International Borderless Art Museum. Wuhan, a culturally rich city, was once a“play wharf”where famous opera actors gathered. The city had once been known as the Hankou Concession, and its prosperity is second only to Shanghai, earning the title of “Chicago of the East” for the city. With the influence of Western culture, a hybrid of row houses and traditional Chinese courtyard-style structures has emerged, creating these two-story small houses known as“Li-Fen”. As a result of such a distinctive urban layout embodying local cultures, the client chose to focus on design capital and merge history through interior design to create a contemporary atmosphere that permits a diversity of behaviors.

“Li-fen”is the characteristic of local neighborhood cohesion. Waterfrom Design starts from the entrance with a spacious corridor, and then used walls in different sizes on both sides to create a perspective that resembles a vertical village formed by dismantling small houses in a row and stacking them upwards. The villages are just like boxes one after another with holes in them, forming not only halls, reception areas, lounge areas, children’s play areas, etc., but also platforms for observation, participation and activities. A “street”is formed between the platforms, and one can walk through it to visit various exhibition areas and experience the design concept of“At ease when alone, at ease when gathered”.

The resting area on the first floor echoes the deep arcades of the old houses with multiple booths, and the hanging lamps are reminiscent of old streetlamps, reflecting the scene of people hanging out in front of the hall. The long and distant porch of the rest area on the second floor also adheres to the “street” architectural style, with open door frames connecting the semi-independent seating areas, and greenery incorporated at the end to create a natural depth of field.

The lobby on the first floor is the main stage for performing arts. Fashion brand presentations and art exhibitions have taken place here. The overhead staircase area on the opposite second floor is the seating area for watching movies, allowing people to gaze down on the activities, giving the core meaning of substance to the “Wuhan International Borderless Art Museum”. In addition to performance activities, there are interactive designs in the exhibition area, such as Mobius ring screens and somatosensory page-turning art installations, creating a museum-like experience behavior. At the same time, the idea of the children’s play area is implemented without the need for a playground, as long as a simple array of pillars can be used to play hide-and-seek, allowing the space to interact with children on its own. It also responds to the link of“Li-Fen”to bring the neighbors together.

The modern space, which evolved from historical cultural characteristics, accommodates a variety of behaviors such as performing arts, exhibition installations, and humanistic emotions. On the time-worn cement tiles and travertine walls, sunlight transforms into time, witnessing cultural inheritance.

「里分之於武漢，恰如胡同之於北京，是城市無法割捨的文化頁籤」是水相設計為武漢museum國際無界藝術館這座建築空間落下的起始句。武漢這座文化豐饒的城市，曾是戲曲名角雲集的「戲碼頭」，亦因為曾是漢口租界，繁榮程度僅次於上海，素有東方芝加哥之美名，隨著西方文化影響，發展出結合連排住宅與中國傳統四合院式的建築，此些兩層樓高的小洋房們，稱之為「里分」。如此獨特的城市佈局，象徵著當地風土民情，促使本案建案委託方以設計之都為目標，透過室內設計融合歷史，創造出容納多種行爲的當代空間。

「里分」是當地鄰里凝聚的特徵，水相設計由此出發，在入口一開始便創造出寬敞廊道，兩側牆面的大小量體尺度不一，像是將連排的小洋房拆解後打散，重新向上堆砌而成的垂直村落。而村落如同一個又一個有洞口的盒子，堆疊成大廳、接待區、休息區與兒童遊戲區等處，形成了一座座觀察、參與、舉行活動的平台，平台之間形成了「街」，行走其間參與不同展區，感受「獨處時自若、集合時自在」的設計理念。一樓的休息區，以多個卡座呼應舊時洋房深邃的騎樓，垂掛的燈具亦如老街燈，輝映人們在廳前串門子的景象。二樓休息區長而悠遠的門廊，亦是沿用「街」的設計手法，以開放的門框串連起半獨立式座位區，盡頭納入環境綠意，呈現自然景深。

一樓大廳是開放提供表演藝術的主舞台，目前已曾經舉辦過時尚品牌發表會及藝術展，對面二樓的架空階梯區則是觀影的座席區，讓人俯視活動的發生，賦予實質的核心意義到「museum國際無界藝術館」裡。除了表演活動，在展示區亦有莫比烏斯環螢幕、體感翻頁藝術裝置等互動設計，塑造出博物館式的體驗行為，並同時運用到兒童遊戲區的規劃，不需要刻意置入的遊具，只要單純的支柱陣列便能玩起捉迷藏，讓空間自行與小朋友產生互動，又回應了「里分」凝聚街坊鄰居的連結。

從昔日文化特徵發展而來的現代空間，容納了表演藝術、展覽裝置、人文情感等多種行為，在帶有時間感的水泥瓦與洞石牆面上，陽光化成時間，見證了文化傳承。