Name: Dovilas Bukauskas
Age: 15

My architectural proposal is located across the street from the Guggenheim, between the Central Park wall and the reservoir. The main reason that I picked this site was because of practical reasons. A structure of the size and shape that I had in mind would not have been able to fit in, on, or around the Guggenheim museum itself. Second, the position of the building could have a lot of light going through it. I have seen several artistic displays that utilized light, and almost as many that were placed in ways where they could not receive the best possible light. Hopefully, in the proposed position, the structure will have enough light, due to the reservoir being free of obstructions, as well as the water itself being a mirror, especially for afternoon and evening light.

The structure may not be considered to be an addition to the Guggenheim. It is a stand-alone structure, and could be seen as a separate display. However, I incorporated two features that may help people see the structure as a contrasting extension of the Guggenheim. First, it is a spiral structure just as the Guggenheim is, but in every other aspect it contrasts it. The proposal is black, and the Guggenheim is white. The Guggenheim is a uniform, smoothly ascending structure, while my proposal takes a random and unorganized path to its own center. In addition, the red band that connects the two may seem to have them clash. However, one can also consider that both of the museums are there to display art, although the art intended for display in the proposal may be different.

For the structure of the display, I have no specifics in mind. The structure would probably be made of steel, or else one of the interesting polyesters displayed at the Extreme Textiles exhibit . The “walls” of the structure would probably be made of plastic, since glass would be impractical and dangerous. The structure would have no roof, and would probably have the floor made of cement or stone.

I probably would not have many interactive components in the building, unless an artist displaying his work put them there. The proposal is intended to be an extra art gallery, which may be appreciated in itself.

The part of Buren’s several displays that affected my proposal the most was his addition to the windows of the Tannheuser 3 and 4. I loved the way a person’s sense of sight was challenged when walking through, and perceiving objects under the effect of, Buren’s gels. I wanted to, among other things, replicate this effect on a larger scale. I thought it would be amazing if someone could be immersed in this effect, and look up and see buildings and the sky, through this effect.