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Kanachai Bencharongk
Inter 12

Museum vs. Retail

History vs. Pop culture

Artefact vs. Mass Production

My Project is a proposal for the new extension of the British Museum onto Gower street. Every exhibit in the galleries will be returned to its origin and replaced with a replica which will be for sale. The idea of retail, materiality and mass production, that of Selfridges, will be placed on top of the British Museum and its historical artefacts.

A 1:3 scale rubber column modelled after a reconstruction diagram of the Parthenon. A model of the Parthenon with an exaggeration of the curvature and the entasis. Combining the idea of museum and its scholarship with retail and commerce. Modern take on Caryatids (female figure column) with the head cut off and in the form of manikins. This continues to play with the idea of museum and retail, exhibits and window displays.Viewing into the Acropolis courtyard with fake onyx marble columns surrounding it. A new 'grand entrance' which looks like the Parthenon with chrome corrugated roof and pediment is also introduced to the sitePictures of the final model with lighting effect at night.Entering from the grand entrance you will be able to look into the Parthenon souvenir gallery which is now selling rubber replicas of the Elgin Marbles known as the 'Parthenon Jelly'.