tojdac The Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication 2146-5193 Deniz YENGİN 10.7456/tojdac.1857173 Visual Communication Design (Other) Görsel İletişim Tasarımı (Diğer) THE SILENCE OF REPRESENTATION: THE LOSS OF SPATIAL IDENTITY IN THE DIGITAL INTERFACE OF THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM BILBAO TEMSİLİYETİN SESSİZLİĞİ: GUGGENHEIM BILBAO MÜZESİNİN DİJİTAL ARAYÜZÜNDE MEKANSAL KİMLİĞİN KAYBI https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2942-999X Amirov Nergiz ISKENDERUN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE 04 01 2026 16 2 814 835 01 06 2026 03 27 2026 Copyright © 2011, The Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication 2011 The Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication

The concept of representation in architecture does not merely convey the physical presence of a building; it also reproduces its sensory, aesthetic, and conceptual depth. However, in the digital age, this representational power of space often becomes a reduced experience when transferred to a two-dimensional screen surface. This study discusses the incompatibility between the artistic identity of physical space and its representation on the digital interface, using Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, an iconic example of the deconstructivist approach. Gehry's architectural language, based on fragmented geometries, fluid forms, and surfaces that constantly change with light, is met with a static visual layout and linear navigation on the museum's website. The article aims to reveal the impact of this representational rupture at both the visual and experiential levels. Using a qualitative visual analysis method, the study compares the museum's physical circulation structure and spatial atmosphere with the design dynamics of its website; it then proposes possible design strategies that could translate Gehry's style into the digital environment. The findings show that the digital interface should not only be an information platform but also a representational space that continues the poetics of the space. Ultimately, the study emphasizes that representation in contemporary museum design is not merely an aesthetic issue but a conceptual tool that enables the holistic transmission of the architectural experience.

Mimarlıkta temsil kavramı, yalnızca bir yapının fiziksel varlığını aktarmakla kalmaz; aynı zamanda onun duyusal, estetik ve kavramsal derinliğini de yeniden üretir. Ancak dijital çağda mekanın bu temsil gücü, iki boyutlu ekran yüzeyine taşındığında çoğu zaman indirgenmiş bir deneyime dönüşmektedir. Bu çalışma, Frank Gehry’nin dekonstrüktivist yaklaşımın ikonik örneklerinden biri olan Guggenheim Bilbao Müzesi üzerinden, fiziksel mekanın sanatsal kimliği ile dijital arayüzdeki temsili arasındaki uyumsuzluğu tartışmaktadır. Gehry’nin parçalı geometrilere, akışkan formlara ve ışıkla sürekli değişen yüzeylere dayalı mimari dili; müzenin web sitesinde durağan bir görsel düzen ve doğrusal navigasyonla karşılanmaktadır. Makale, bu temsil kırılmasının hem görsel hem deneyimsel düzeyde yarattığı etkiyi ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, nitel bir görsel analiz yöntemiyle, müzenin fiziksel sirkülasyon yapısını ve mekansal atmosferini web sitesinin tasarım dinamikleriyle karşılaştırmakta; ardından Gehry’nin üslubunu dijital ortama taşıyabilecek olası tasarım stratejileri önermektedir. Bulgular, dijital arayüzün yalnızca bir bilgi platformu değil, aynı zamanda mekanın poetikasını sürdüren bir temsil alanı olması gerektiğini göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak çalışma, çağdaş müze tasarımlarında temsiliyetin yalnızca estetik bir mesele değil, mimari deneyimin bütüncül aktarımını mümkün kılan kavramsal bir araç olduğunu vurgulamaktadır.

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