Contemporary Art Museum & Gallery

• Name: Asiri Lakshan
• Year: 2018
• Studio: Level III
• University: University of Moratuwa

The Art as a Strategy for Revitalizing the City of Kalutara

Contemporary Art in Sri Lanka remains outside the mainstream due to awareness issues & less support by the public. The project explores the ways in which, Contemporary Art can be promoted with the aid of Built Spaces & Implementing a Culture; a dialogue between People-Art, through it. A piece of Architecture is sculpted in a way to give the perception of a piece of Art, and the viewers themselves, are also to be a part of it.

This experimental project attempts to create the “Bilbao Effect” in a city of a cultural monument, adding a new Urban Layer of aesthetical experience, while minimizing the barriers caused by the dense linear development of the city, by introducing a Dynamic Layer leading into the city, encouraging interactive activity pockets along an urban strip. The new Master Plan suggests a Contemporary Art Gallery/ Museum to form a ‘Starting Node’ of sorts that can define Urban Environment around it. It’s focus on how the viewer experiences the work and the desire to provide an intense experience for the viewer being a dominant theme in Installation Art, is used as an essential part of the strategical approach.

• Strong, Powerful forms have been followed to maintain the Effective Contrast & to create a Focal Point.
• Exploiting the Structural Possibilities of Concrete to create Visceral Effect.
• Sudden Volume Fluctuations, Echoing, Visual Textures have been used to create unique Multi-sensory Experiences throughout each built space to strengthen the ambiance.

“The Art that we should be doing in 21st century, today, is Art that is not for the Museums; it’s Art for the Street & People’s lives…”

(Tania Bruguera – Contemporary Artist)