jon martin: subterranean museum

‘subterranean museum’ by jon martin located in antwerp, belgium images courtesy of jon martin

american based jon martin has designed the ‘subterranean museum’, a proposal for the antwerp central station beneath the streets of antwerp, belgium. closed since the 1970’s, the abandoned tunnels have been forgotten by the majority of the city’s inhabitants and are discreetly permeated by urban explorers whom investigate the underground network. galleries located within excavated spaces around the infrastructure reveals their framework while fusing the adventurous experience of urban exploration into the museum progression.

visitors enter the lobby by descending a cascading stair within a large void allowing light to infiltrate the construct below. encased within an exoskeletal structure, the ramping galleries wind through the site below grade. cinematic projections are displayed within a pipe which obstruct the passage of light. the melancholy atmosphere of the interior is derived from and rooted within w.g. sebald’s novel, austerlitz.

public museum entrance

return to entrance

main gallery

main gallery

abandoned tunnel walk

gallery for cinematic history site plan

section

model

model detail

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