Semiotic Aspects of Museum Landscape: Contextual Integration and Symbolic Application

Abstract

This research aims to study the development of the landscape of contemporary museums, their conceptual classification, and their contextual implementation from the mid-20th century up to the present. It will highlight cases where indoor spaces are visually expanded to outdoor spaces, where both spaces are totally separated, with landscapes that carry various functions, and with landscapes with distinctive layouts. To help develop a brief review of traditional and contemporary landscapes, the research will depend on data and literature based on the field of semiotics, driven from philosophy, phenomenology, and linguistics. The components of semiotics as defined by philosopher Charles S. Peirce's and architect Broadbent are applied in this research. It is meant to contribute to the field of museology with a focus on museum landscape. These components are Pragmatic design, Analogic design, Canonic design, Typological designs, and Symbolic design. Different trends in museum landscape design will also be explored. Photos and tabulations will be used to illustrate and summarize the findings. This is followed by a discussion of the findings with an emphasis on the landscape's role in enhancing the presentation of the imageability of museums and their functions. Landscapes have an indispensable role in enhancing the grandiose appearance of a contemporary museum's imageability. Different landscape designs either convey specific coherent messages associated with museum exhibitions, or are simply meant to add a pleasing multi-function park. In either case, the overall design will be successful if it is able to cause heads to turn. The different possibilities of the landscape's function have given extra motives for individuals and groups to stay and pass time within the vicinity.