Museums, to me, seem to be involved very naturally with the idea of the derive. You’re naturally pulled towards works of art, towards different rooms with different collections, moving through periods of time and cultures. Yes, it’s informative, but it’s also an experience guided by a sort of spontaneous essence. I must’ve skipped at least half of the museum simply because I was pulled in so many different directions.

This particular section somehow struck me more uniquely than others. The art, of course, was impressive and beautiful. But the room itself was what filled me with a swirl of emotions. High, vaulted ceilings with a skylight that filled the room with natural, bright light. A hole in the center of the room reminded me of Mantegna’s “Camera degli Sposi,” but from the point of view of the figures looking down. At the end of the room, though, is an area that really affected me. An indoor terrace that overlooked an event room? Across the way, an opening, with a painting or wallpaper that looked back. I wanted to walk around to see what this work was, but wasn’t able to locate it.

I have never seen a room so interesting and oddly situated as this one. I almost felt uneasy and dizzy looking across the room at the mysterious artwork– unreachable, unattainable. The flower motifs on the ceiling were like eyeballs that stared back at me. Beautiful, strange, unique. Eventually I drifted away into another room, another time period, another experience.