One of the first projects of the Pushkin Museum Pushkin in the first days after closing to the public, flashmob #Miss Pushkin. Their messages recorded and the grandson of Picasso, and Anne Baldassari, curator of the Paris Museum, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and the artist Christian Boltanski, whose exhibition is scheduled for 2021… Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang even launched a kite on the meadow in new Jersey in a sign of hope for future meetings with the Museum… You invite people to participate in this project? Or choose from the chance of “flash mob”?
Marina Loshak: In this flash mob involves people with whom we are connected by a common creative projects. Some how, for example, directed by Yuri Norstein, a very conscientious attitude to the proposed free format. The Director already three times altered his message along with the video in search of excellence. However, says he still not quite happy….
One of the most surprising video recording belongs to neuroscientist Alexander Sorokin, “the fates are now connected with the Metropolitan Museum.” He participated in the preparation of Museum programs at the Pushkin Museum to them. A. S. Pushkin for people with disabilities?
Marina Loshak: Yeah, he helped us to make a sensory map for the Museum. We were the first Museum in the country, which is thought about the touch security. Over the map we worked a year and a half. Alexander Sorokin was our guide on this path.
How this card works?
Marina Loshak: In fact it is the Navigator through the Museum for people with touch sensitivity, whether RACES (autism spectrum disorder), epilepsy or other features of development. Unknown space, even Museum, may be perceived as a threat. A trigger can be anything – small cramped room, changes in lighting, the vibration of the floor from the subway. We, these dangers even in a head will not come, but experts on these issues know very well. It is important that the person, his relatives or acquaintances with whom he comes to the Museum, knew in advance about these “problematic” points of the Museum route. For such “orienteering” and need a touch card. Its on our website you can download in advance or from the administrators at the Museum.
by the Way, is not the only mysterious map of the Museum island. Inspired by the successful experience of “sensory”, we did “Navigator” for children first entering the Museum. Here the role of GPS-silver bullet comics – the so-called “social history”, this comic tells the door through which the children enter the Museum, where you will have to wait some stairs to overcome in the beginning… it is Important for children was prepared and felt a friendly environment, not rejects them.
But now about exploring the Museum can only dream of. At there is a delightful chat “Lounge Gertrude Stein’s” where participants “chatted” in avatar Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Fitzgerald and his lovely wife, Hemingway, man ray… part of this “theatre” resonates with the works of “Blue noses” means “zero”. They had bright work emphasized in the popular genre of “video on the knee”. Here – a similar genre but on a different technological revolution. Whose idea was it? How did this story?
Marina Loshak: Idea – children who participate in our programs for teenagers. They regularly hold their performances dedicated to the works of art, their authors or collectors. One of their favorite programs – “I’ll show you the Museum,” when our young colleagues take over management of the Museum for the whole day. This year they planned to arrange in the hall of Pablo Picasso’s “the Living room of Gertrude Stein”, where you had to play the role of guests of the Stein in front of an astonished audience. When it became clear that life went online, I had to find another format. They decided that the fellowship of friends today could happen to the messenger.
About play any role here an example of “Blue noses”, I do not know. Maybe the similarity occurs because the available “home” technology, masks and most game elements work. In fact, this element of the game – part of the world under the name “Pushkin.Youth”. Here are able to talk and think about art as a living world, habitat is not the elect of the gods, and ordinary people.
Want to continue the feast… in the “Living room of Gertrude Stein”.
Marina Loshak: a Continuation is expected. We hope that in the near future to do some more “mobile” performances similar to the “hall of Stein”.
But many of the characters, you know, I prefer to talk of “Vkontakte” and Instagram. For example, in VK account started a Flemish merchant Adrian Stevens (“Cloth at competitive prices. Details in a PM”), and his venerable wife Maria Boshart, which is divided in the blog family recipe “for a true Flemish” and thanked Anthony van Dyck for the wonderful portrait. Yes, and the artist, by the way, also got a blog and post their work under the hashtag #portraits to order.
in other words, portraits from the Museum opened pages in social networks, and now, if I’m not mistaken, started and Zoom to phone. In the may holidays you can join their conversations.
the artist Rostand Tavasieva in one of the works characters toys were blogs on Facebook.
Marina Loshak: Our heroes chose “Vkontakte”. There they find a ready response.
oddly enough, the isolation gave him a chance to try out new forms of Museum life online. Our Lab abi Warburg continues to run three times a week with the same teachers. The participants prepared their firstthe fair. Youth conference “bifurcation Point” is also hosted online. But we promised in the autumn to make it in the Italian courtyard. Must be a holiday!
At the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin was early and websites-satellites, for example, devoted to German engraving, or the Museum of new Western art. However, in recent weeks activity of the Museum online has increased significantly. What did you focus? In search of a new audience? At the opening of the new platforms? To interact with the audience?
Marina Loshak: We followed our audience. We started projects that seemed interesting. And then the people are told what they want. For example, it was found that our visitors really want virtual tours of the Museum’s halls. Begin with one session. But our viewers in Facebook wrote: “Why so short? why so few?” Demanded: “give more”. Now tours are every day. Already 150 of the city. Guides work, you can say round the clock. Moreover, we invited all of our freelancers. Demand for travelers is huge. By mid-March, the total coverage of our online broadcasts exceeded 3.5 million.
Other projects designed for discerning connoisseurs. We have launched a series of online conversations “Ask the Keeper”, where was Alexey Petukhov and Alexei Savinov, and Ainura Yusupova, and Surya Sadekova… Thought to be limited to half-hour conversations. But then it turned out that there is a request to continue. And now our colleagues have promised 6-8 cycles of lectures of 30 minutes.
What projects are most successful?
Marina Loshak: popular format, of course, a tour of the permanent exhibition. It’s all love. If we talk about the high demand, the on-going cheers interactive VR tours to Zoom”e. Registration ends on them instantly. It is technologically very advanced format. We do tours in 3D format and getting ready to make a technological leap and go in a 4D format that will give a completely different quality and expand the capabilities of our VR tours.
the Youth should appeal to cycle podcast “20 ways of meditation from the classics of modern art”, which was invented by Kate Kochetkova. Even their names sound magical. For Example, “Christian Boltanski. Archives of the heart”. Or – “Bill Viola. Elemental” Or “Marina Abramovic and Wulai. Experience of cooperation”.
On the experience of other museums You focused?
Marina Loshak: of Course, we look Museum projects, including foreign ones. There are many elegant and important projects. But the audience, the collection features all have different. Simply copy impossible.
New project “100 ways to live a minute,” includes a section “Digital exchange”. This is a continuation of work with the collection of media art that sob��raet Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin?
Marina Loshak: of Course. This is just a project I’m really proud of. Although it is not for a mass audience. This story is rather complex and designed more sophisticated viewers and people who love contemporary art. More than 70 people associated with art, which is now in isolation around the world, from the USA to China and Australia, especially for viewers of the Pushkin Museum create materials for the development of a sense of time and meditative immersion. Someone shares his schedule for the day (as Sommerer and Mignonne), someone with one minute of concentration (as Shirin Neshat and Irina Nakhova). The Museum valuable to catch this strange time. For example, you can see the breathtakingly beautiful work of Frenchman Laurent Grasso. Now you can see the trilogy of “Bad” German Julian Rosefeldt.
these authors, the Museum was already working?
Marina Loshak: Not only. Laurent Grasso really came to us shortly before the start of the pandemic. We plan joint projects and in life offline. But thanks to the “Digital exchange” we have expanded the network of Museum contacts. Met with artists, gallery owners, Museum staff, who like our idea. In a past life, to isolation, many of them were extremely difficult to contact. Now all are open to cooperation, support each other, instantly respond to the letter. Outlines the contours of future interesting projects. So we will be able to add to our collection of media art, which makes me very happy.
isn’t There a danger that after the isolation of the Museum visitors will not want to go from online? It is unlikely that the museums – the first place where people will move in a moment of crisis.
Marina Loshak: no One knows anything. The problem is that even if all in orderly rows will move into the Museum, we all accept can not. Obviously, we’re still quite a long time we live with restricted admission. Will still check in online, the sessions, a limited number of people, the distance between them, masks and gloves. Well, how else? For some time we have to live like this. Then we’ll write about it articles, books, show pictures to each other, to remember what it was. But while other fail.
Then I remember the video with the guardian Japanese graphics yoroi Yusupova that your meeting starts with the fact that shows that without gloves and masks researchers to vintage leaves graphics don’t come close. We all were “keepers”?
Marina Loshak: the Museum is the Keeper of the definition. We need to respond adequately to the challenges of time and stay … artistic. We’re a Museum.
Can museums help a friend? Is there a resource for mutual support?
Marina Loshak: Than Ho��oshi opportunities the current situation? We are all on a par, absolutely. Even not so important, what are the Museum collection. It’s essential to be freer, to not be afraid to experiment. Inside the Museum teams must be young people who feel nerve what is happening is very serious. This is very important.
it is Very important to watch, as do other museums. You are now ready to share the experience, emotions. By the way, this is a very characteristic feature of the time – the need for support, the desire to join forces to create a common platform. We didn’t used to feel this so keenly.
And, of course, very important to hear your audience. It is vital to be able to listen to people, knowing their truth. For example, we plan the coffee drinking with “Friends of the Museum” online. Let us together to drink coffee, talk about the present and future of Pushkin.
You invite all card holders “friend of the Museum”?
Marina Loshak: No. It’s a bonus for owners of gold and silver cards.
in General, I think that when we all go out to freedom, it would be worthwhile to organize a joint conference to discuss the new experience of achievements and mistakes.
just at the end of may will be “Intermuseum”, but the truth is, online.
Marina Loshak: Discussion on this topic in the Zoom together with the regional museums, probably, is possible. Effectively working people very much. In my opinion, a great team in the Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg. I really like how “Garage”. In major Federal museums with many interesting projects. Live to see the “Intermuseum” – discuss.
Not so long ago there was a unification of the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin and the NCCA. What are the changes made to pandemic plans together?
Marina Loshak: unfortunately, now the time is not too optimistic, from the point of view of development. It is clear that one cannot follow the plans made a year ago. It’s just unreasonable. The one who is plastic, try to identify the possible and important to understand, and he will win in this situation.
Now we think about Internet projects that introduced us as a big team of people working in different parts of Russia in the Tomsk and Samara, Kaliningrad and Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg… each city has its own Genius loci, its own unique context.
award ceremony of “Innovation” has already suffered.
Marina Loshak: Yes, but I would like to happen this year. Maybe at the end of the year, but this year. It is vital that the ceremony took place offline.
Reconstruction and construction of new buildings of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin stopped because of the pandemic. Does this mean that the timing will be shifted?
Marina Loshak: This is the hardest question. Construction was suspended on 12 April. Very NadiaYUS, that on may 12 it will continue. All the builders we are working in masks, their temperature is checked, the salary they are paid. It seems to me that the commitments taken on by the Museum and which he executes is very important today not only for us.
it is Clear that the money is less and less. It is clear that the exchange rate has changed. But construction will continue. We can’t afford to stop him. Otherwise it will be disastrous for the Museum.
You said that lost profits Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin during the isolation of about 2 million rubles a day. What is the situation today?
Marina Loshak: is the same. The Museum is closed. We can not earn. Moreover, after exiting the isolation we have a very long time will be able to earn the same as before. Visitors will be less. Their financial resources are modest.
Exhibition from Italian museums canceled?
Marina Loshak: Moved. A draft of the Naples Museum of Capodimonte “moved” to the next year. Exhibition of bill viola’s will open in mid-February, 2021. Exhibition dedicated to the collections of Morozov, which was due to open in Paris in the Museum of the Foundation Louis Vuitton this year, will open two months later, by December. But our version of the Morozov project will open as planned before – in July 2021.
Move two more still very important for us in St. Petersburg, prepared by the Pushkin NCCA: the exhibition “hold the line” in the St. Petersburg Manege and the international curator’s forum. But, fortunately, they will open this year.
Work on new projects, which I hope will be of interest to our audience. But all the cards open until you want.
What are your priorities as Director of the Museum today? To provide funding to keep the team?
Marina Loshak: of Course, employees should be saved, secured salary. And the Museum must be physically in normal form, so people could work. This is very important. It is important that construction continued. If all this will be, we will do everything possible so that the Museum remains attractive to our viewers.
the Question of what museums expect from the state, is becoming rhetorical.
Marina Loshak: Yes, we are waiting for support. But I would like to say that we feel. Now we feel the presence of the Ministry of culture not simply as our founder and as our friends, colleagues who are with us in the same boat and on the same team. Together with Directors of museums, theatres, the Ministry is working in a situation very difficult for all of us.
You, as a Director, it’s easier to work online or offline? What helps you to cope with the stress of isolation?
Marina Loshak: Work online is hard. My day consists entirely of conversations or to Zoom, ifBo on the phone. A huge number of topics we are discussing with the employees. Yes, not easy. But no stress, no boredom, no anguish.
of Course, the background is disturbing. However, and it will pass. And I believe that the pandemic will be remembered not only the terrible loss of dear people, not only the “new normality” with which we live, but traffic in the direction of humanity. I expect the time that will replace the pandemic, a new humanistic consciousness. I feel that it is possible. All the evidence suggests that humanity is family, which is associated in many different threads and in which critical moment all feel the need in each other and in human sympathy. And this, I think, a very optimistic signal.
