The Moroccan Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art - Essay Example

The paper addresses how architecture is employed to exhibit culture; whether what is being displayed is skewed or reflective of the authentic culture; what it means to put culture on display; whether the exhibition is a wonder or resonance; and whether the recreated courtyard further the designer and museum’s intention of facilitating exchange between the U.S. and Arab lands. Through an investigation of the Moroccan Court, I intend to cover the recreated courtyard and how it furthers the interaction between the United States and Arab lands.

The work is a Maghrebi-Andalusian-style courtyard and it would function just the way that similar courtyards still function in the traditional mosques and houses back in Morocco; as their spiritual as well as physical center. Some groups, such as Muslim scholars hope that the courtyard would have 2 primary functions: first, it would be a placid chronological way station for persons who move through over 1,000 years of Islamic history; secondly, it is a symbol, amidst strong anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe and the United States, that intellectual, as well as aesthetic commerce, is still alive between the Western world and the Islamic world.

The floor is a perfect mosaic work; it is made of tens of thousands of pieces of clay tiles that were fitted together in a large rectangle which appears as a shallow sandbox scored with complex lines. The objects in space comprise a courtyard with tile patterns that are based on tile patterns in Granada’s Alhambra Palace. Above are walls that have fantastically filigreed plaster, which leads to a carved cedar molding that is based on the well-known woodwork during the fourteenth-century Islamic school/Attarin madrasa in Fez, Morocco. Other than the fascinating wall tile, the woodwork is also noteworthy; it is as scented as a cedar closet. I do not think anything has been excluded, and everything seems to be just right. In interacting within the space, the physical museum space consists of a wide array of Islamic art particularly from Morocco, some of which take visitors from New York to Fez in Morocco.

Architecture is used to exhibit culture in the following way: with the use of architecture, it is possible to gauge several things concerning a particular culture, like social structure, artistic sensibilities as well as lifestyle. For instance, the culture and environment of the Egyptians produced the striking pyramids, and when someone thinks of India, the first thing that perhaps comes into mind is the Taj Mahal. If it were not for their culture, it would not have been designed that way. A nation is not just recognized by its government and people alone, but also by its architecture. Each culture could inspire a type of architecture ranging from everyday homes to landmarks. Every culture is unique and religion is one of the major influences. What is being exhibited is truly reflective of the true culture of Morocco.

Some of the exhibitions observed at the Museum displays are pictured below.
The above marvelous architectures are an actual reflection of the true culture; culture of Morocco. Even though contemporary constructions have crept in forming part of the architecture of Morocco today, it is the dramatic, yet welcoming décor and architecture like the ones above that ooze secrecy, allure as well as architectural marvels from years gone by. It is the culture and tradition of Morocco that resulted in such splendid décor and architecture. Putting culture on display essentially means allowing other people from various dissimilar cultures around the globe to not only learn and understand but also appreciate another culture. In addition, putting culture on display lets people see a whole culture that is so wonderful and vibrant, which they did not know about.

The exhibition is as resonance. Being resonance simply signifies the power of the object which is displayed to reach out further than its boundaries to a bigger world, to evoke in the viewer the dynamic and intricate cultural forces from where it has materialized and for which it might be taken by the viewer to stand. The recreated courtyard furthers the designer and museum’s intention of facilitating exchange between the United States and Arab lands. Through the recreated courtyard, people from the U.S. can learn about the culture and architecture of Arab lands, which puts its culture and architecture on display at the Museum. This will enhance the relations between the U.S. and Arab lands and the perception of American citizens on Arab countries and is more significant now given strong anti-Islamic sentiment in the United States.