approximations on democratizing the museum space
Deyvi Papo
The idea of museum as a democratic space originates in the foundation of the modern museum when the Frenchman occupied the royal palace and opened its collection to the public following the revolution. However, the romanticized ideals of a democratic space did not prevent the museum to become agents of political agendas that produced national myths and sources of pride. Considering these aspects, in the present research the historical evolution of the museums in the West and the effects of political agendas in the narrative are investigated in relation to the spatial strategies of museum buildings. In these terms, the Jewish museums are discussed as unique sites in the European cultural scene, as they reveal the contradictions of such political agendas and challenge their legitimacy through their spatial ‘otherness’. A special focus is set up on the Sephardic Museum of Toledo which is located in the medieval Synagogue of the Transit, since the different layers of its architecture materialize various political intentions that converted the building into symbols of contradicting political ideologies. The developed perspective through the theoretical discussions is reflected upon a new curatorial design for the museum alongside a detailed analysis of the architecture and its urban setting.
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