Gonca Z. Tuncbilek Dincer
University of Pennsylvania
The USA, Philadelphia
Gonca Z. Tuncbilek Dincer, PhD, is a museologist and architect with a deep passion for exploring the intersection of art, history, museology and architecture. She earned her doctoral degree in architecture from the prestigious Middle East Technical University in Turkey, where she developed a profound understanding of architectural theory and design principles.
Philadelphia from the Centennial International Exhibition to Museum-City
In the literature on architecture and exhibition studies, museums have largely been evaluated as individual architectural structures. However, a museum is not a space that exists in a vacuum. It can and in fact must be perceived as enriched by becoming a part of a larger urban context by establishing a network of relationships with other cultural and exhibition spaces. I conceptualize this network of relations as a museum-city: an urban fabric where a living historical city is viewed as an exhibition space on an urban scale on which its natural, cultural and architectural heritage are displayed. This conceptualization also allows us to theorize museums and exhibitions as organic and living organisms that can be expanded, altered, (re)organized and transformed. I propose to this network concept within an urban context framework that analyzes the (re)presentation of natural, cultural and architectural heritage in relation to one another.
The city of Philadelphia provides excellent canvas to illustrate the value of this conceptualization. From the international expo in the mid-19th century to several organizing and reorganizing efforts of the 20th and 21st centuries, the city has constantly altered its surroundings as an exhibition space. In this presentation, I will examine Philadelphia as a museum-city, which involves understanding its historical and contemporary exhibition sites, starting from the legacy of the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876. This historical expo serves as a focal point for analyzing the urban development of the Fairmount Museum District and its extension to Benjamin Franklin Parkway. As Philadelphia prepares to celebrate its semi-quincentennial in 2026, the redesign of Benjamin Franklin Parkway becomes pivotal for the continued existence of the museum network. This redesign offers an opportunity to explore the transformation of the urban context into a dynamic “museum-city,” showcasing the city’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage and promoting exhibition spaces as integral components of urban life.
Exposition, Museum-City, Museum-Scape, Museum Network, and Museum Architecture