Ho Chi Minh City
Museum of Vietnamese History
Modern Vietnamese Culture and Society | Final Project
1. Malfunction of exhibition components and visual technologies
Although the exhibition has emphasized the aesthetic attractiveness of the items on display, it has not managed to convey the historical and religious meaning of these artifacts due to the following components.
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White walls, glass boxes, dark-colored panels, and pedestals:
White walls line the interior. Sculptures are arranged separately and loosely on plinths and pedestals painted with a color resembling rock. Most of the large sculptures and inscriptions in section III of the room are displayed this way.
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Inefficient lighting:
Another component that is dysfunctional in the displacement of the room is light. When setting their first step in the room, visitors might have a more refreshing feeling compared to when in the previous historical dynasty rooms. This can be attributed to the difference in either the theme colors used, which will soon be discussed later or the amount of lighting that filled up every corner of the room. However, soon after that refreshing hint, visitors will feel lost with the overwhelming white color coming from both the interior design and the lighting sources.
In most modern museums, narrow windows should typically be placed high towards the ceiling to reduce natural light and ensure that the display room is well-ventilated. However, this museum’s architecture makes it impossible for both interior designers and curators to prevent natural light from spreading all over the area.
Because there are too many light sources superimposed, the light is saturated and not concentrated on each artifact as it should be. Although ceiling spotlights are utilized to illuminate the things in the room, the natural light's distortion prevents them from being used properly. This reduces the contrast between the artifacts on display and the dull background.
Wooden blocks are randomly used to raise cluttered, small parts such as broken heads of Siva’s sculptures. Small clusters like household ceramics, Dong Duong Buddhist bronzes, or Linga artifacts are gathered and reserved in big, clear glass boxes.
On one hand, all of these iconic, logical, and minimalist visual components particularly bring about the “modernist display” atmosphere to the room, establishing a neutral setting, classifying the presented objects in a variety of hierarchies, and enhancing the ancient Champa culture's aesthetic aspect. On the other hand, they solidify the impression of objects as untouchable and unattainable while also alienating the artifacts from the museum spectators. Thus, we argue that this display fails to convey a comprehensive, original narrative of the lost history of Champa.
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The unsuccessful installation of the ceiling lights system and the oversized windows seems to be nothing more than a malfunctioning arrangement, yet it profoundly distorts the displacement of Champa sculptures and ruins the visitor experience. Not only does this fail to grasp the visitors’ attention and tell a historical story through its displacement but it also unconsciously distorts the sacred atmosphere of Champa temples and monasteries, contributing to the decontextualization of historical artifacts.