Noguchi Museum

You must be aware of the thin paper lamps made quite famous by Ikea. Well, a few years back I came across a video 'Production of Akari Sculptures, Isamu Noguchi, 1951', this is when I learned about the man behind these lamps. Isamu Noguchi hand crafted these lamps aka Akari out of Shoji paper wrapped over a bamboo skeleton. Throughout his life, he kept reinventing Akari, as a result we see a variety of these lamps. I have always been interested in craft, whether it was a new project in high school or model making in architecture school. Learning about the world of craft is something that I am interested in, so when I stumbled upon this video, I wanted to learn more about Noguchi's work. 

Noguchi was a sculptor. He believed in making with one's own hands to create art, using materials like paper, stone, clay and wood. He created many sculptures during his life in the States. On the day of Remembrance, the Noguchi museum was open for a free visit. My friend Tam and I have built a duo around museum visits, so we headed to Queens. It was a cold winter day, she told me a little about her childhood in Queens on our way to the museum and we enjoyed some middle-eastern food later.

The museum building is plain and triangular from the outside, the sense of the triangle gets lost once you are inside. Unlike most museums that I have been to, the Noguchi Museum is not enclosed; the roof is cut into many angles, bringing in natural light. The building itself is a simple column - beam structure. At the entrance you are met with large sculptures placed in space with high ceilings. These were sculptures that I did not fully understand but I tried to appreciate the curves and edges carved into them and interpret them in my way. Next you enter the smaller rooms with more variety of his work, beyond just stone sculptures. Isamu Noguchi experimented with different materials such as marble from quarries in Italy. The physics of post-tensioning learnt in architecture school came to my aid. I guess art becomes understandable or wonderful when you can relate to the skill that is required to create a sculpture. The second floor was under renovation and closed to the public. The space is a loop, after the rooms, you enter the garden. The garden is a quiet place displaying more sculptures and a few benches to sit and reflect.