Towards Museum-Like Sites: the Cases of Florence, Rio de Janeiro and New York

The thesis aims to initiate a debate around the unexplored field of sites that are not museums but that are used as if they were museums. It addresses a practical issue: whether contemporary museum practices can be used at museum-like sites and yet preserve their original function. There are places that are not officially classified as museums, but present similar dynamics. These sites attract people for several reasons, they might hold special meaning, house artistic heritage, or stand as symbols. Places such as palaces, churches, natural parks, cemeteries, and urban squares both maintain their original functions and host visitors who come for other reasons. In these sites, museum-like behaviors add to the site-specific uses of the space. We identify all these behaviors (uses and practices) as rituals. In conducting a historical overview, we observe that similar examples were present in the past as well (i.e., the Basilica of Saint Denis in Paris), but the institutionalization of the museum complicates the contemporary understanding of historical examples of museum-like sites. As a consequence, there is a lack of literature about both historical and contemporary museum-like sites. This research aims to initiate a debate around the unexplored field of sites that are not museums but that are used as if they were. From the perspective of museography, the question that needs to be addressed is: Can contemporary museum practices be implemented at museum-like sites, while preserving the original function of the sites? The main research question leads to further queries. For example: when is a site also a museum? Can different collective social behaviors be considered rituals? How can different behaviors/rituals be managed in the same place? Can different behaviors coexist? If so, how? Which tools and design solutions can an architect apply? The research develops in two main parts. Following the introduction, the first part describes the theoretical framework, in which general concepts about museums and rituals are related to the research subject. The second is dedicated to the case studies. To answer to the research question, the study aims to construct a theoretical and multidisciplinary framework that helps to interpret complex situations. In fact, the theoretical part is a tool for understanding such spaces and their users. The analysis of the cases enables answering both the main questions and the sub-questions of the research. This dissertation focuses on the set of issues related to sites that are enjoyed as “museums,” while maintaining their original use. Given the lack of literature, the research requires initiating a discussion across multiple disciplines. The general framework of this study addresses the concept of a site-specific museum, and takes into account the several meanings of the word museum, as well as the current debate about what constitutes a museum. The lack of definitions and the necessity of a framework for a discussion of museum-like sites brings us to consider the concepts of museums in relation to defined notions, such as: museum-like structure, heritage, museum of itself, house museum, and non-Western museums. In addition, the presence of tourism at museum-like sites introduces further considerations regarding consumption of the space, introduction of specific policies, management of the visitors, the necessity of supplementary services, and safety regulations and features. Considering rites and rituals, a varied panorama emerges: religious and secular rituals, collective exceptional behaviors, and everyday rituals. Philosophers, sociologists, and anthropologists describe and classify certain behaviors and standardized manners as rituals. The latter might be specific to certain places, allowing the association of people and rituals to a site. In their works, scholars such as Durkheim, Callois, Eliade, Bourdieu, and Segalen describe some typologies of rites executed by groups of people. All the sites examined in this study share touristic use and interest; tourism might therefore be considered a ritual too. The links between rituals and sites are exemplified through an overview of theoretical studies made by architects (Rossi, Norberg-Schultz, and Lynch, Venturi, Scott-Brown and Izenour) and scholars from different disciplines (Augé and Clement). In order to produce consistent results, it is necessary to define a set of boundaries. The selected criteria led to the choice of case studies. Besides commonalities, we selected three different geographic locations. All of these sites host touristic rituals, are symbolic, popular, accessible, broadly known, part of the Western culture, and are tourist attractions. They have distinctive, site-specific elements, in particular their meanings and rituals. The selected case-studies are: · The Monumental Complex and Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy · The Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · The National September 11 Museum & Memorial in New York City, USA The Monumental Complex and Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy Santa Croce is a sacred place for the Christian religion with an invaluable artistic and architectural heritage. Here, as well as in other European cathedrals, the touristic ritual mixes with the religious. The discussion of whether the church is a religious place or a museum has already begun (Pirazzoli and De Marchi 2011; Gathan, 2012), and remains unanswered. In addition, Santa Croce presents a complex situation from both the museographical and museological sides, and the museum designer must address a multifaceted place that is unchangeable and not flexible. The Maracanã Stadium, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Locally and universally considered to be the “temple” of soccer, the Maracanã Stadium is a must-see for supporters and tourists as well as the historical emblem of equality and social redemption for Brazilians. Moreover, given the close relationship between society and futebol, the stadium is considered to be a secular civic institution. The symbolic and cultural importance of the Maracanã Stadium can be explained only through a historical overview of soccer in Brazil that involves the history of the country, of Rio de Janeiro and, of course, the stadium. In this case study, the identified rituals are touristic and the “cheer” (Durkheim 1912 and Callois 1950). Time has determined different uses of the structure, and consequently, the presence of different rituals at particular moments. The National September 11 Museum & Memorial, New York City, USA The National September 11 Memorial & Museum and the victims of that day are linked to the commemoration of a tragedy, which imparts significant symbolic value. The place is a memorial and a public square, where rituals of commemoration join those of urbanism and tourism. Compared to the other cases, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum is the only project which, from its inception, included the memorial square, the underground museum, and the services for citizens, tourists, and the victims’ families. The memorial was erected knowing that it would have to be a tourist location. All the chosen sites are used as if they were museums, in addition to their primary functions. Besides the general research questions, each case raises additional issues. Each case is presented through the description of its history, architecture, meanings, rituals, current use of the spaces, and the public that visits it. The final part of each case chapter is devoted to a discussion of spaces, rituals, and museum settings, organized according to issues, potentialities, and perspectives. The goal is to start closing the gap in the literature through a coherent approach that can be used in different contexts, with solutions that will correspond to specific needs and issues.