Character Castle

Concept

Can the room pick the user?
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Competition Entry: Artist Retreat and Art Museum, Favignana, Italy

The castle is an art museum as well as an artist retreat. Artists build character as they explore the castle during their retreat. Each studio allows access only to those who will do their best work there. The artist who can access all five studios is observant, peaceful, naturalistic, logical, and self confident. Museum visitors with these traits can also discover the studios, leading to interactions between compatible people.

This minimal architectural intervention of the castle only sets the pace for how the castle is explored, relying on the existing beauty of the architecture and landscape to create unique experiences of exploration and reflection for artists and museum visitors.

Three artists begin their stay at the museum by walking the path that winds through the many art galleries of the castle and grounds of the property. They absorb and reflect on the art and the island, and after a few days begin to be drawn to certain areas of the castle. One artist slows down in a space another may walk by. Soon new spaces reveal themselves to these artists and they find studios to suit their needs as they create art. Over time the artists’ moods change and they spend time in new areas of the castle, appreciating spaces they had not previously, and more studios are revealed. During their work, the artists encounter museum visitors who find their studios, and these compatible people may engage in discussion and critique. While at rest, the artists socialize together in their common spaces, and explore the island, sharing what they have learned during their day of creating art. The artists leave the retreat with a deeper understanding of themselves through their interactions with the architecture and the island.