Pinacoteca di Siena

Design Competition, Interior and museum design

Project Team: Rhizoma Lab
Year: 2018
Place: Siena (IT) - International Competition: DAM “Young Designers for Italian Museums” Pinacoteca Nazionale Siena

What if art could teach us to better understand ourselves and our relationship with others and the world? 

This is the starting point of our response to this call: the idea of the design starts from our interest in the theory of “Art as Therapy” by Alain de Bottom and John Armstrong (2013). The book suggests and try to demonstrate the instrumental aspects of art, able to help humans in understanding themselves, in the growth and development.

The design proposal suggests the possibility to have a new and different experience of the museum, based on customised paths that allow the user to explores art pieces in the Pinacoteca following specific themes related to the human nature, interpersonal relationships, and emotions.

The museum experience becomes a self-awareness process through the exploration of art.

Art from Siena is not only a heritage to contemplate but also a tool for users to explore and grow.

Users can choose one of the four proposed paths: Love, Nature, Power, and City. Each user will be able to follow and create their own customised path, based on their interests.

To make this idea happen, the design proposal suggests the use of an App for smartphone, which guides the users through the museum, through questions and choices, collecting information on user’s preferences and creating a personalised experience.

When in front of a specific art piece, the app will allow for the use of Augmented Reality, to improve and extend the museum experience beyond its usual boundaries.