Site: Waterman Gallery

 

City/State: Providence

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Country: USA

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Year: 2021

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Inside the Black Cube is an exhibit designed and built with McDonald Wright and aimed to challenge the long debated white aesthetic of the museum environments. The design was conceived as a provocative experiment where every small portion of white wall was covered with black gossamer fabric. The suspended black fabric towers that shape the interior environment host the exhibited objects while the drawings are pinned to the black walls. During the construction and opening of the exhibit we observed visitors reacting to the transformed space and responding to a simple question: is the black environment as 'neutral' as the so-called White Cube? Why museums and architectural education prioritize white as the 'neutral' color? Are there historical or political reasons why white walls are predominant? Are thee historical or political reasons why black is rare or associated with specific narratives -often negative? Can you mention some of those reasons?