The Language of Space as Approach to Storying Historical Memories (Case Study: Narrative Museum Kota Air in Surabaya)

Historical memories are often immortalized in a memorial space like a museum become the identity of the historical value so that it is not forgotten. In memorial museum, a meaning that is communicated to visitors so that it gives a perception. However, there is a question as a starting point regarding whether the museum can narrate the meaning of memory for visitors or just display artifacts as objects. From these issues, in the design of the museum how the language of space can communicate with visitors through the experience of space and architectural elements as a medium becomes very important in conveying a meaning. Surabaya has a historical memory of the City of Water called Kota Air in the Kali Mas area which was forgotten due to the change of intermodal water to land, so that activities downstream of the river inactive. A force based framework is used as a design process through a narrative method that focuses on water material as a media for communication in conveying the meaning of the memory of the City of Water. This method is used to identify the primary force based on the historical storyline of Kota Air and to analyze how meaning can be communicated through the sensory experience of the visitor's space. So that the result of the design is a narrative museum based on the historical memory City of Water that uses water material as a medium of space language through spatial sensory experiences related to sequences and axes to narrate meaning and create visitor perceptions.