Towards a public gallery - Exploring threshold fear and social behaviour in art gallery design

Abstract

This thesis seeks to address how the public art gallery can be redesigned in response to the social and psychological problem of “threshold fear,” reaffirming the visitor’s sense of belonging and reconnecting the exhibition of art with a wider range of possible public narratives.

The term “threshold fear” identifies social behaviour that creates a negative relationship between built space (in this case the art gallery) and the body (mentally and physically). A directed investigation into this kind of fear will begin to determine why the art gallery is critically underutilized as a public space. The perception of the art gallery as a foreign building is common to many: it projects a sense of intimidation to many members of the general public. The modern art gallery is, in this sense, undermined by preconceived notions of exclusivity and privilege whereby the building itself reinforces ideas of class difference.

In critical response to the traditional art gallery typology, a design-led investigation will address and redirect the public’s social behaviour within this unfamiliar built environment. An experimental gallery will challenge both the typical exhibition narrative and the relationship between the building and the body. Focusing on redirecting the public’s spatial receptivity through external programmes, human behaviour will be explored in order to identify and reconnect a sense of personal belonging and welcome without the sensation of threshold fear.

Known for extreme sports and adventure tourism and deprived of any real cultural significance, Queenstown is an appropriate site for a key cultural venue such as an art gallery, exposing a wider local and international population to New Zealand’s diverse art collections. The proposed gallery is intended to re-connect the extended community with the underutilized public institution, encouraging participants to take advantage of spaces explicitly designed for their benefit. Re-adjusting the typical gallery structure in an effort to maximise public attendance will be further heightened with exposure to national and international treasures by the means of loaning artworks from Te Papa’s extensive collection. By introducing a diverse body of artwork to the community of Queenstown, the gallery aims to revitalize audience participation whilst aiding the public’s perception of gallery architecture in New Zealand.

This thesis argues that threshold fear can be redirected through critical attention to the physical relationship between the human body and the gallery, that architecture may reaffirm the rights of entry and belonging. The result will be a contemporary public art gallery in Queenstown with improved mass participation, resulting in greater social advancement for the local community and visitors.