by elle m.
This blog post is written as a response to Fourcade22’s “Can it be cool and create value?”. The subject theme of the post seemed interesting to me, and I noticed that we have a slightly different perspective on the matter.
There was one minor misunderstanding present in the text. In the provided context, the sentence “If we take out the paper and magazine-business, it has a growth of 27%.” doesn’t really fit. Following the article source provided by the author, the reader is able to piece together what “take out” refers to. It is, however, not desirable to make your reader go to source material in order to make sense of your points. The choice of information extracted from the article is also partially confusing. Why mention the newspaper and magazine industry when the article mentions in a future paragraph the actual growth rates of the museum industry (49%), as the case study of the blog post is the new Munch Museum, the design industry (44%) and the art sector (38%)? Furthermore, the specified fact is hard for the reader to deduct, as only art and design have been mentioned in the text so far, and the 27% refers to the entirety of the creative industries.
A very good point of Fourcade22’s text is the fact that their opinion is voiced clearly. This is desirable in a blog post, as its purpose is to make the reader reflect on a certain topic. Here, I would like to continue with my personal opinion on whether design brings a certain value to the new Munch Museum.
The comparison to New York City’s The Vessel isn’t exactly one that I would have considered. The Vessel is an abstract architectural piece meant to confuse and attract tourists, all while also spiking up prices of a residential area. However, the design of the new Munch Museum, at first glance, strikes me as one of an office building. There is nothing ugly or inherently striking about the building, it rather blends in smoothly into the area in which it is placed. With glass panels and steel, it feels very modern and urban.
The key points that will attract tourists to the museum will be its positioning, the many activities that you will be able to do (including the beautiful panorama from the 13th floor), and simply, the artwork of Edvard Munch. The design of the building has, as the author also said, the potential of becoming an iconic landmark of Oslo, not necessarily because of how “special” it is, but rather because of what it hosts. The value created by design in this case is how Norway is attracting tourists by blending it into the area – a building falling onto itself next to the eccentric Opera House. Even if the design contributes to the experience, the true money maker is the worldwide recognition of Munch. You could honestly put his works in a garage and people would still queue up to see The Scream.
Making sense of art and design industries 