MUMO and Centre Pompidou have joined forces with Hérault Arnod Architectures and Dutch artist Krijn de Koning to launch a mobile museum, which will take art to communities across France
Photography by Cyrille Weiner
On a mission to make art accessible to everyone, Hérault Arnod Architectures has unveiled its latest project with MUMO and Centre Pompidou to create a mobile museum truck that will directly bring artworks to communities across France.
Born of a collaboration between the architects and Amsterdam-based artist Krijn de Koning, the result is a colourful, mobile museum that will travel throughout France with the aim to reach a new audience and attract more visitors to museums.
A recent study by France’s Ministry of Culture showed that, in addition to a general decline in museum attendance in the country over the last ten years, some people living in rural areas rarely go to see an exhibition. The truck museum is especially designed for them – children and adults who are not used to going through the doors of cultural institutions and to invite them inside.
Photography by Cyrille Weiner
The architects created a versatile design that allows the truck to be parked in small village squares, parking lots and other public spaces. The side of the truck has several panels that unfold horizontally and vertically to form a front porch, while a staircase invites visitors inside to discover the artworks.
An illuminated sign is attached to a telescopic mast that rises and pivots above the truck. The basic volume of the vehicle is transformed and opens up, offering an open and welcoming space in the transition between the interior and the exterior. A bright palette of colours chosen by Krijn de Konning adds interest and transforms the mini museum into a work of art.
Once inside, the art unfolds around a core exhibition space in three rooms. The first, loggia, opens to the outside like a theatre stage and can be used to welcome the public in an elevated space prior to entering the truck. The exhibition room, as the name suggests, is the core of the mobile museum and showcases the works of art, while the third room, the alcove, serves as a transformable space that can serve as a projection room with seating or an exhibition space for sculptures.
Photography by Cyrille Weiner
The bold colours throughout accentuate the function of each space: the coloured rooms are spaces in movement that have been flexibly designed and are easily reconfigurable. The exhibition room, entirely white, is a place to pause and contemplate.
Offering communities of all backgrounds a first encounter with art across France, Hérault Arnod Architectures and Krijn de Koning aim to redefine the museum experience by bringing the museum to the people.
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