The Museum of the Imperial Forum & the Markets of Trajan

On my first solo excursion, I took a trip to the Museum of the Imperial Forum, located near the ruins of the Markets of Trajan.  Unlike other museums, which I often find to be crowded and overwhelming, the Museum was quiet and hardly busy.  In fact, I explored the grounds for quite some time without ever seeing any of classmates or any other museumgoers. 

            My first impression of the museum was that it gave off an aurora of lightness and openness, surely emphasized by the lack of people in the building itself.  The tall, arched ceilings extend towards the sky, while the unique mirrored floors give the space a sense of expansion below one’s own feet.  This sense of openness—despite being in enclosed area—seemed quite fitting for a building that commemorates an ancient open-air market. 

There is a peculiar series of exhibits located in the numerous alcoves of the museum.  Each hollowed-out room consists of ancient remnants from the Markets of Trajan, all juxtaposed with displays of a far more modern style—namely designer dresses and other fashion accessories.  At first, I did not understand this match up at all; it seemed as though the museum had taken two exhibits that had nothing in common with each other and shoved them together under one roof.  My classmates appeared to share these feelings; one person commented that the exhibition “just doesn’t work”, while another noted how “incongruous” he found the museum to be. 

            The more I thought about it however, the more the Museum of the Imperial Forum made sense to me.  I can surely imagine why the combination of priceless cultural artifacts with outfits made of pretzels yielded criticism, but perhaps this pairing is not as incompatible as it initially appears to be.  For example, the airy, white dresses that hang from the museum ceiling appear to mimic the headless marble sculptures that line its main room.  Designer shoes are displayed next to a bronze foot that has been broken off from a statue of a winged angel.  Fragmented strips of patterned textiles are draped near an exhibit that features excavated pieces of decorative masonry. 

Though it may seem incongruous at first glance, the more time I spent in the museum, the more I was able to notice these connections.  The Museum of the Imperial Forum combines aspects of the modern-day fashion market with remnants of an open-air market.  I cannot help but feel as though these two uniquely artistic concepts of architecture and fashion were juxtaposed to emphasize the importance of commerce to the city of Rome, and to reassert the idea that this concept held just as much weight in ancient times as it does today.  

My excursion to the Museum of the Imperial Forum reinforced my belief that it is important not to judge something at first glance.  The more time I spent in the museum, the more I feel I can assert my belief that it embodies the spirit of Rome as a whole.  The modern-day city has expanded around the ancient structures that it was founded on the same way that these contemporary fashion pieces have been added to an exhibit of the remains of the Markets of Trajan.  The inevitable link of past and present that characterizes the city of Rome is embodied in this museum.