The Museum on the Mountain: I.M. Pei's Miho Museum 1998
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th St., New York, New York 10016; 212-808-4980
Produced by Peter Rosen Productions
Directed by Peter Rosen
VHS, color, 52 min.
Adult
Architecture
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., Head, Web and Digitization Services, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las VegasThis film is the story of the building of the Miho Museum in Shiga, Japan, from conception to execution. World reknown architect I.M. Pei, is asked by the Koyama family (mother and daughter), to design a museum to house their extensive art collection. Their concern for preserving the natural world, as well as the construction of a modern building for showcasing their love of art, challenges Pei to design a museum on the top of a sacred mountain without destroying its sanctity. For the Japanese, mountains are the homes of the gods, where only temples of worship are allowed to be built. In constructing the building, Pei had to bury 95% of the structure underground, in order to preserve the sanctity of the site as well as follow restrictions placed on him by the Japanese regarding construction on sacred mountains. The result is a fusion of Eastern philosophy and Western technology that is awe-inspiring and amazing.
This film is highly recommended to architecture classes and philosophy/religion classes from high school to adult. The building of the Miho Museum was a truly incredible task, and following the process from start to finish is a rare feat indeed for a 52 minute video. The film direction and production is of high quality, and the story itself is an inspiration to others on the uses of nature and technology in the design and construction of a building/museum.