Walking around Bucharest part 2: The museum of senses

The museum of Sense: an entertaining experience

After visiting the old city center of Bucharest we sit in a 5 to go, grab a coffee and discuss about where we should go next. I propose to my friends The Museum of Senses and when I explain a bit what the location is about, they agree with going there.

Taking the Metro from the city center to the museum 

Because we are kind of far to the location of the museum, we have to take the subway from Universitate station and stop at Politehnica station with a transfer at Unirii station. As a matter of fact, you should know that one ticket with two travels costs 5 lei – meaning 1,04 euros -. You can buy the tickets either from an automatic ticketing ( foreigners don’t worry about asking in Romanian, we got you covered!) where you can pay both with cash and credit cards or from the ticket office.

Where is the museum located?

The Museum of Senses is situated in Afi Cotroceni Mall on Boulevard Vasile Milea. Before going to the museum we are hungry, so we pass by the Food&Drinks area of the mall where we have some comfort but delicious food at a place called Calif, which I recommend regarding the prices, the taste of the dishes and the vegan or vegetarian options that they offer. After the meal we are energized again and ready to experience more of our senses.

I’ve never been a mall person, I don’t like or enjoy going to the mall for shopping and whatever, so the place gets me confused. It takes some time until we find the right way to the museum and that’s due to my friend good orientation by following Google Maps inside a large confusing building. I am like: how can you use the GPS inside a construction, I mean there are no streets in here? Anyway, after a bit of time of wondering around, we are on the first floor of the mall, in the game zone and in front of the museum.

How much it costs to experience the Museum of Senses?

For one ticket we pay 39 lei meaning 8 euros, the museum has no discount price for students, only for kids who can pay 29 lei ( 6 euros ) is they are between the ages 5 – 15.

When people can visit the museum?

From Monday to Thursday and on Sunday the museum is open between 10.00 AM to 22.00 PM. From Friday to Saturday the museum is open starting with 10.00 AM and finishing with 23.00 PM.

Why I choose this particular museum?

All of us are art students so I could have pick from the many art museums and contemporary galleries that are spread all over Bucharest, but this time I wanted to do something a little bit different, more engaging, fun and entertaining. In addition, sometime ago a very close friend of mine who had been to the museum before, recommended the place as a cool, interesting and funny spot, so I had to give it a try at some point and with my friends being here, I thought that the opportunity has finally come. And yes, it is much amusing to go here with friends and not alone.

A labyrinth of mirrors 

Before entering the museum I ask the cashier if is allowed to take photos inside the rooms and she says happily that “yes, of course, you can make as many pictures as you want, just have fun with it, the museum is made for capturing strange moments and situations!”

The first room introduces us a confusing labyrinth of colorful light and mirrors that is misleading our orientation. The image of us is everywhere we look. The fun starts and gets us excited for more.

The shadows are colorful and multiple 

I don’t know how but we get out of here and move forward into a room with colored shadows. I knew it since before! The shadows are not actually dark or grey but full of mixed colors.

Welcome to the upside world of Dracula 

Moving forward an upside down arrangement welcomes us into the world of the famous Dracula where we discover a new perspective of seeing things, in an opposite manner.

The Infinity mirror room: perfect place for taking instagram photos 

We enter a closed room full of mirrors which makes our reflections to appear in an infinite repetition. It feels so unusual to see ourselves from so many different angles that we don’t normally see. This spot is probably the best for taking lots of photos and we don’t have to struggle too much to take a surprising or “wow” photo because every corner works just as good. The result is a weird multiplication of our body’s image.

I think this is my favorite room from all of the museum’s rooms because it remembers me of an immersive work of art belonging to Yayoi Kusama titled “Infinity Mirror Room” which I didn’t saw in person, but I’ve seen it on lots of pictures on instagram, speaking of which, I have to admit that The Museum of Senses offers an instagram oriented experience.

In an instance, is not about the place, but the viewer who is animating the space, is like the museum is creating various sets that are special designed for taking pictures which for sure visitors will want to share with their friends. Everything is so excited because is about you, your senses and how you manage the perception of things.

The spinning but not spinning tunnel 

For us, the most entertaining part of the museum is a tunnel where we feel like the bridge of it is spinning and we are spinning with it going upside down. We pass multiple times through it and even if we try to control our perception of reality, in the end is impossible to do so. We go back and forward the tunnel like we are kinds and eventually get sick and dizzy because of the sensation of rotating at the same time with the tunnel.

Who can dance like Michael Jackson? Who is bigger who is smaller? 

Another two rooms that we find quite impressive due to the defying effect we can create is the room where we can stay like Michael Jackson and the room where one person looks like a giant and the other like a small, insignificant dwarf.

I am not exposing the secrets of how the illusions are able to form in these rooms, you just have to go there and find it by yourself.

I am sure that you have asked yourself how the magicians are doing the weird magic trick by sitting on nails, well, in this museum they have a bed of nails where people can reveal if the trick is real or not. Does it hurt or not? One of my friends discovered the trickery.

Conclusions and objections: the museum is too small for the price you have to pay 

Overall we do have a great time in The Museum of Senses, but I also want to make a small judgment. I wouldn’t call Museum of Senses necessarily a museum because I don’t think it has objects to preserve, but instead is offering temporary experiences based on a continuous interaction. It is just a little bit too much to name the place a museum because is not so serious regarding this aspect.

On the other hand, the price is high for what the museum gives to the public. I mean, yeah, going through all of the rooms is interesting and funny, but the location is pretty small. For example, we expected to spend a lot more time in there, but we found ourselves arriving to the exit spot quite quickly.

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