Brooklyn architecture studio PRO has designed an interactive gallery for a museum of Himalayan art that is meant to help people cope with "day-to-day challenges and emotional burdens".
The Mandala Lab occupies the third level of Manhattan's Rubin Museum of Art, which is largely focused on art and culture from the Himalayas region.
The Mandala Lab is located at the Rubin Museum of Art
Designed by Brooklyn firm PRO, or Peterson Rich Office, the 2,700-square-foot (251-square-metre) gallery is described as an interactive space for social, emotional and ethical learning.
"The majority of the Rubin Museum galleries are designed for the display of artworks and objects," said firm principals Nathan Rich and Miriam Peterson. "This new space is designed for collective experience." A mirror and vertical cylinders feature in the Journey Portal
The Mandala Lab is named after the geometric diagrams used by Buddhist practitioners for spiritual guidance. The gallery's exhibits and activities were influenced by five mental states, or kleshas, that cloud people's understanding: pride, attachment, envy, anger and ignorance.
"Each activity aims to harness the power of difficult emotions and offer pathways to develop resilience, calmness and connection," the team said.
The museum's spiral staircase acts as a main central chamber
"The Mandala Lab aims to offer tools and new perspectives for coping with the day-to-day challenges and emotional burdens b...