This project explores how the spatial design of the Astor Court—a Ming-style garden reconstructed within The Metropolitan Museum of Art—reshapes the visitor's encounter with Chinese art. By moving beyond object-focused interpretation, the study proposes that space itself acts as a medium: a living architecture that communicates the rhythms, pauses, and layered aesthetics embedded in Chinese artistic tradition.

Rather than presenting Chinese paintings and calligraphy as static artifacts under glass, this research considers how museum architecture can evoke the viewing conditions they were originally designed for. The Astor Court becomes not simply a display, but a framework for thinking about cross-cultural curatorial challenges and possibilities.

Research Questions

•  How does the spatial design of the Astor Court reinterpret traditional Chinese aesthetics?
•  In what ways does it support or reshape the viewer's engagement with Chinese art?
•  How might spatial and rhythmic principles guide future curatorial thinking for cross-cultural display?

📍The Astor Chinese Garden Court Floor Plan