“It’s looking for attention and that’s quite clearly what that project is all about,” said Marco Polo, former editor of Canadian Architect magazine and professor in Ryerson University’s department of architectural science.
“I would say, generally speaking, we’ve moved away from that way of thinking, but it was very much a project of its time when that kind of spectacle was part of the game of international architecture.”
Aside from the esthetics of its metal-origami exterior, other critics focused their attention on the confusing layout imposed by the renovation, as well as more philosophical concerns about whether a museum’s design or collection should be its focal point.
“It’s a very challenging building to be in and to navigate. It basically disrupted the clarity of the neoclassical layout of the original museum,” said Kuwabara, who frequents the building and sent his kids to camp there. “He (Libeskind) thinks that the sloping of the floors is an act of disruption that literally destabilizes you, so that you’re walking up and off-balance a bit.
“I don’t know how challenging you want the world to be,” he added. “But some of the best exhibitions I’ve seen are in very classical buildings or in very contemporary buildings like the Tate and the Museum of Modern Art.”
