Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum

The Zhu Pei’s Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum in Jiangxi, China 2016–2020

Kenneth Frampton

As the architect’s sketches indicate, this museum was envisaged from the outset, not only as an archeological metaphor, but also as an interstitial complex capable as mediating the severity of the local climate. As the architect has written:

“… the long axis of the eight brick vaults is arranged in a north–south direction and the two ends of each vault are open. The arrangement of open and enclosed vaults not only blocks western sunlight … but also transforms each vault into a wind tunnel, allowing cool breeze to flow in and capture the most frequent south–north wind in summer. At the same time, five sunken courtyards of different sizes and scales create the chimney effect, which functions vertically …”

These double-curved vaults appear from above as a topographic matrix integrated into the heart of an ancient industrial city which was once the center of the celebrated porcelain production throughout the Ming Dynasty. Situated as much below grade as above, the fragmented form of the museum is broken up not only by the gaps between the vaults, but also by a deliberate misalignment of their axes, engendering a rhythmically complex pattern of light and shade interspersed with five sunken courtyards open to the sky. The varying light of the vaults, brightly lit at their ends, is occasionally enlivened by long, narrow, horizontal openings let into the sides of the vaults. The light of the interior is further accented here and there by occasional cylindrical skylights let into the vaults, which refer to the observational apertures let into the sides of a traditional kiln. Constantly changing shafts of light due to the movement of the sun unexpectedly serve to enliven the closed ends of certain vaults. Of this luminous iteration, the architect has written:

“The subtle changes in natural light, on the one hand, bring harmony to the museum with its surrounding

Sketch by Zhu Pei Pencil on paper 30.5 × 24.6 cm

* In the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

* In the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Porcelain 12.4 × 45.7 × 64.8 cm

Acknowledgement

Zhu Pei

I want to extend my deepest appreciation to Professor Wang Mingxian for his help and valuable advice in the planning process of this book.

I also want to extend my deepest appreciation to professors Kenneth Frampton, Steven Holl, Arata Isozaki, Rem Koolhaas, Thomas Krens, and Mosen Mostafavi, and Chinese professors Fan’Dian, Wang Mingxian, Zhou Rong, Li Xiangning, and Fang Lili for their critique for this book.

I want to thank artists professors Xu Bing, Sui Jianguo, and Liu Xiaodong from Central Academy of Fine Arts for participating in the opening exhibition of the Imperial Kiln Museum.

I want to thank Professor Chang Zhigang, and teacher Zheng Yawen from CAFA Visual Art Innovation Institute, and Professor He Keren and teacher Huang Liangfu from School of Architecture, Central Academy of Fine Arts for their support in the planning and proofreading of the English print of this book.

I am extremely grateful to my colleagues Xia Yaoyao and Liu Yian for their outstanding contributions to the creativity, literature review, editing, typesetting design, and text translation of this book.

I want to thank Chen Dijia for her great work and contribution to the text translation of some articles in this book.

I want to thank Xuan Qidong for his great work to visual design a guide for the book.

I want to thank my students Wang Wen, Zhang Xi, Wang Siqi, Wang Yiru, and Wang Junqi for their work in literature review and text translation of this book.

I want to thank schranimage and photographers Tian Fangfang, Jin Weiqi, and Zhang Qinquan for their photography works for Jingdezhen Imperil Kiln Museum.

I want to thank Guangxi Normal University Press and Images Publishing Group for their great assistance in the editing and publishing of this book.