Precedent Analysis Writing

Tate Modern London

The history of Tate modern has very different paths. The Tate modern gallery and the actual building upon which it stands today have both come a long way. The original location of the gallery was on Millbank in London which has been there since the 1500’s. However due to the growing amount of art that was available, the building needed to be something of a bigger size. The administrators of the gallery decided to either construct a brand new building or to restore an old one. In this crucial time of relocation, the opportunity that was an old power station came forth.
The Bankside power station was built in 1947 and closed in 1982, giving it a perfect time span before it was to be re-opened as an international art gallery in May of 2000. Going back to the construction of the great power station, it was something of immense creativity. The designer Giles Gilbert Scott had great aspirations when he built this structure. With the western side of the structure being build first, it was ready to start generating power in 1952.The building was divided into three having a turbine hall, the boiler room, and the switching room. The structure is 200m long with a chimney that extends 99m in height. When compared to St. Paul’s Cathedral which is just across the River Thames, it clearly cannot compete with the grandeur of the dome. It also consists of about 4.2 million bricks, a number we would nevertheless expect out of this structure.
When the Bankside location was chosen it was time now to choose architects that would make this gallery into what it ought to be. Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron were chosen to restore this old building into one of the most talked about galleries in the world. The evolution of the building was amazing. Given that the original gallery was established to include only British art, the new and improved gallery now consisted of international exhibitions. The kind of art that is displayed is that of Surrealism, Minimalism, post-war abstraction of Europe and the US, along with some important movements which include Cubism, Futurism, and Vorticism. This is just a taste of what u can experience at Tate modern.
As far as education goes, much of the gallery is usually focused on engagement with the art. For example, the great turbine hall in the center is a space that can store extremely large sculptures and with that people are invited to be a part of that, to walk in and around these sculptures and to engage with art itself. This in turn builds a great critique and along helps the visitors and the viewers discuss art and sculpture with more information as with personal experience.
Looking on to the future there are surely to be new exhibitions as well as extensions to the building. This structure has proven that a low end area of a city can indeed improve and change the entire view of the surroundings. Since its opening, it has attracted more than 30 million people making it the most visited art gallery in the world. One of the additions to the building is called The Tate Modern 2 which is going to integrate modern and contemporary art in the future. It is also making an effort to be more environmentally friendly. In addition to the future extensions to the building, the gallery is also extending its hands out into the community by hosting workshops, development groups, senior events, and more. Overall, this gallery has really come a long way and it’s great to see that for its location it is not only convenient but also worth visiting.