Day 2 PreColombian Art Museum

Chemamulles

Window illuminated with artificial and natural light from the courtyard

I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of La Moneda palace with the Chilean flag billowing in the wind later in the afternoon and the hustle and bustle of Plaza de Armas. One aspect of our day that stood out the most for me was the presence and the absence of light in the Precolombian Art Museum designed by Smiljan Radic. On the ground level there was both artificial and natural light. The natural light that came from the courtyard with open roof glowed through the rest of that floor of the building.  There was a window lit from one side with the natural sunlight from the courtyard and lit from the opposite side by a ceiling light fixture. The presence of light in that area contributed to a bright and peaceful atmosphere. There was also soft string music being played that added to the ambiance on the ground level. Moving to the lower level of the museum, “Chile before Chile” the atmosphere changed dramatically to very dark and quiet. The contrast to the ground level seemed very intentional. Not only was there an absence of actual light but the stairs and walls were black. Once all the way downstairs, only the displays were illuminated just enough to read the descriptions. The largest attraction on the level were the Chemamulle wooden statues. Once I learned that the Chemamulles were placed atop graves in hopes of guiding the deceased, the dark atmosphere seemed more appropriate. Walking down the many sets of stairs, I felt as though I could be walking into a grave. Although there were no signs instructing anyone to be quiet , if you heard anyone talking it was only a whisper. I think that the dark look and feeling of the lower level informed this behavior. Walking back upstairs into the sunlight felt like coming back to life.