DON'T TOUCH, JUST LOOK! - Blue velvet on furniture, dead bears on the ground... while I visited Castle Drachenburg I took a lot of pictures of the interior. On the one hand this old stuff look very impressiv, on the other hand it feels a little bit cheesy - whithout this castle atmosphere, high windows, small (not effective, but atmospheric) lamps. The hole architecture is designed for this magical und stunning way the sun is shining through the curtains and drapes. Shiny surfaces: lacquered wood, silk cloth, jacquard fabric, brushes und hand mirrors crafted from silver, golden dishes - they are all related to the light situation.
Nowadays thousands of people can visit these kind of place...whithout using these things. Tourists can´t sit on or touch these object. But the effects of the surfaces are the same. Glossy, smooth and polish coatings in context to darkness and light create an aura. I was wondering why it's not cheesy in this context. I think, it's the absence of light. The natural und limited lights create their own spots of attention. Spots they are wandering the hole day. In constrast to very bright rooms with intense light installations... you don´t get overstrained. (And you forgot how discusting are dead bodies in the bedroom...)
Anyway, even no one uses these rooms for living, the effects of representation, distiction and prestige are still working.