THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF MUSEUMS MAGAZINE
VOL 68 NO 2
SEPTEMBER 2015
news
ICOM SPECIAL REPORT Museum architecture HERITAGE IN DANGER Disaster relief CASE STUDY Conservation techniques
International museum day Journée internationale des musées Día internacional de los museos
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may mai mayo 2016
museums and cultural landscapes musées et paysages culturels
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EDITORIAL
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he 2015 ICOM Annual Meetings were an opportunity for many of us to discuss issues related to the future of our organisation. The Working Groups organised as part of the Advisory Committee session respectively allowed for constructive dialogue on overhauling the ICOM Statutes, paving the way for the next Strategic Plan, and rethinking the definition of museum. These topics are at the heart of current debates, but should not lead us to forget that the world we live in is facing dark times, calling on us to react in the face of human-made and natural disasters. ‘[M]odern man […] has left […] what Stefan Zweig described at the turn of the century as “the world of security”. Everything now seems alien, uncanny, even hostile.’1
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Museum News
Events, openings, people…
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Case study
New life for Adam
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In Focus
Museum recommendation
ICOM is present with the new version of its Emergency Red List of Iraqi Cultural Objects at Risk, launched on 1 June at the Louvre in the presence of UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova; French Minister of Culture, Fleur Pellerin; Louvre President, Jean-Luc Martinez; and US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Richard Stengel. In a room packed with journalists, ICOM President Hans-Martin Hinz reaffirmed the vital role played by our organisation of museum professionals in the fight against illicit traffic. The forthcoming launch of the German translation of this Red List in Berlin as well as a separate list devoted to Libya are further proof of ICOM’s strong international participation in this field.
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ICOM is present with the coordination of two emergency missions in Nepal in the wake of the earthquakes that recently devastated the country. Our Disaster Relief Task Force (DRTF) was able to provide aid for Nepalese colleagues hand in hand with the Smithsonian Institution, ICOMOS, ICCROM and UNESCO.
Heritage in Danger
ICOM is present thanks to the mobilisation of all, the force of an active international network. A heartfelt thought for our colleague Manus Brinkman, former ICOM Secretary General during the presidency of Jacques Perot, who passed away on 4 July, 2015. His decisive action while leading the Secretariat allowed our organisation to take on a fully international dimension. We thank you all and wish you an enjoyable read. Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz ICOM President
Prof. Dr Anne-Catherine Robert-Hauglustaine ICOM Director General
Special Report:
Museum architecture Building meaning From core to cosmos Inside story Bridging past and future
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Concerted response for Nepal
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General Conference ICOM Milan 2016
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ICOM Community
News from the ICOM network
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Publications In a word
Note 1 Jean Clair, De Humboldt à Hubble. Le cosmos et l’art moderne, L’Échoppe, 2008, pp. 19-20, citation by Stefan Zweig, Le monde d’hier. Souvenirs d’un Européen [1942], Paris, Belfond, 1982.
N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 1
MUSEUM NEWS
The age of participation by Marie Bourke, Keeper, Head of Education, National Gallery of Ireland
©COISCÉIM DANCE THEATRE
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he growth of participatory for public life. A project focused on arts practices in 21st century classical statues in the Medieval museums comes from the desire and Renaissance gallery brought of museums to enhance visitor the objects to life by inviting the satisfaction, contribute to the ‘Over 60’s’ club from St Peter’s well-being of their users and be Italian Church, London. Members socially inclusive. In the midst of played cards, held a raffle, sang questions that arose during the Verdi’s ‘Slave Chorus’ and had economic crisis as to the role of a dance session in the galleries. museums, a vital new audienceIrish museums use participatory centred approach emerged, arts practices to involve visitors enabling access to culture to go in observing, contributing to and beyond placing collections online creating in the museum. The public and on display, to engage the engagement programme at the public in actual activities in the National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin) The Art of Performance by David Bolger performed by CoisCéim Dance museum. The economic downturn Theatre at the National Gallery of Ireland expands the way people use and caused audience expectations understand the collections. In to change and the shift was not just about the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles) 2015, for example, young adults sketched collaborated with artist Nicole Cohen to create from a still life installation in the Dutch Rooms, technology; it involved people thinking about a participatory exhibition uniting interpretive forming an online studio of their work on the experience of culture in different ways. The new breed of visitor seeks more fulfilling and curatorial public programming by using National Drawing Day; CoisCéim Dance surveillance/green screen technology to participatory experiences to enable them to Theatre led audiences through the museum access 18th century chairs from the collection, using themes from the artworks; poetry develop links to the collections and construct physically and virtually. During the annual readings about the paintings brought visitors their own meanings, connect better with the museum and discover their own creativity in Shine a Light event at the Portland Art directly into the galleries; and playwrights the process. Museums identifying this shift Museum in collaboration with Portland State penned short plays about the collections, University’s M.F.A. in Social Practice, artists performed by a professional theatre company have invigorated their public engagement programming in the knowledge that to be create programmes, performances, games to packed houses. and interventions questioning the way people a vital part of 21st century culture, they have Like many movements in the museum use museums. to develop newer and larger audiences. The world, there is a gap between theory and This welcoming pattern is replicated in participatory arts culture in museums is linked practice when it comes to participatory European museums. Winner of the 2015 to this welcoming philosophy. culture. The challenges include hard work European Museum of the Year Award, the For example, The Metropolitan Museum of and considerable planning, funding and Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) was noted for Art (New York) has blurred the lines between commitment on the part of institutions, their its thought-provoking interventions, state- staff and community members. However, visual and performing arts by designing of-the-art website for virtual visitors and the rise of such practices and literature on unique experiences that re-contextualise objects and expand the idea of galleries as educational programmes aiming to ‘reach the subject indicates that museums have active, participatory spaces. In recent years, every child in the Netherlands by the age of embraced participatory culture. Consistent a Mariachi band invited visitors to dance twelve’. British museums consistently use with the desire of every museum to facilitate in a 16th century Spanish courtyard, while their galleries as participatory spaces for access to culture, participatory arts practices a performance by choreographer Shen arts and cultural activities. This year’s All allow visitors to emerge feeling more of this Belongs to You exhibition at the V&A culturally enriched than when they entered Wei involved musicians weaving among visitors viewing sculpture. As early as 2007, (London) used the museum as a laboratory the museum.
1945-1995-2015
A photo-historical mise en abyme
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he Gallery 11/07/95 in Sarajevo opened in 2012, devoted to the memory of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide of 1995. On the 20th anniversary of the event, the project 1945-1995-2015 symbolically unites this genocide with the 70th anniversary of the Holocaust, embodied by Tarik Samarah’s 2004 photograph from which the project borrows its name, depicting the turned back of a mother from Srebrenica gazing at a photograph of the turned backs of Anne and Margot
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Frank. Envisioned as a series of installations, posters and urban interventionism in everyday open spaces rather than exhibition halls, as a jumbo poster or projection on museum facades or government buildings, in Europe and beyond, the project commemorates this dual anniversary by highlighting the cyclical repetition of the history of evil. Institutions interested in participating in the project before the end of 2015 may contact Gallery 11/07/95: info@galerija110795.ba
People © WHANGANUI REGIONAL MUSEUM
Legal Affairs
ICOM has released a statement joining museum voices with those of libraries and archives to express support for exceptions to copyright for educational and scholarly purposes for the cultural heritage community. Since 2009, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright & Related Rights (SCCR) has hosted Intergovernmental Committee meetings on the possibility of international consensus
Openings
On 25 June, 2015 the Museo Aimé Bonpland was officially inaugurated in Santa María de Fe, Misiones Department of Paraguay, devoted to the life and work of Bonpland, the French botanist (17731858) held as a political prisoner between its walls from 1821 to 1830. Misiones Governor Derlis Maidana officially opened the museum with the Intendant of Santa María de Fe, Damián García; Municipal Council President, Erma del Puerto; and French Ambassador to Paraguay, Jean-Christophe Potton. The new museum, which houses a botanical garden for rare plant species, works in partnership with the Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales Dr. Amado Bonpland in Corrientes, Argentina and the Muséum d’histoire naturelle in Bonpland’s hometown of La Rochelle, France. The Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden, Germany (pictured), is hosting an exhibition devoted to the photographer Andreas Gursky (b. 1955, Leipzig, Germany) from 3 October, 2015 to 24 January, 2016. Developed in tight collaboration with the artist himself, the exhibition will provide an overview of Gursky’s ‘cosmos of images’, forming an arc between his older iconic works and his more
recent visual inventions. The Museum Frieder Burda opened its doors in 2004 and is devoted to Classical Modernism and contemporary art, with a collection of some 1,000 paintings, sculptures, objects and works on paper. Designed by architect Richard Meier, with crisp rectilinear galleries and natural light as the key material of the interior spaces, the museum is the recipient of numerous architectural prizes. ©FRIEDER BURDA
Eric Dorfman (pictured), President of the ICOM International Committee for Museums and Collections of Natural History (NATHIST), has been appointed Director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, US, starting 31 August, 2015. He previously served as Director of the Whanganui Regional Museum and Ward Observatory, New Zealand, since 2010, during which time annual visitation quadrupled. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History was established in 1896 by Andrew Carnegie and is part of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. With a collection of 22m objects and scientific specimens, it aims to broaden understanding of evolution, conservation and biodiversity, inspiring visitors of all ages to become passionate about science, nature and world cultures.
for such exceptions; ICOM, with the assistance of its Legal Affairs Committee, has participated over the past two years, representing museum interests and developing a call for exceptions which meet the scholarly and educational needs of museums, as institutions with mandates similar to those of libraries and archives. Member states will consider the issue of limitations and exceptions at the WIPO General Assemblies from 5 to 14 October, 2015.
Conferences
The 14th edition of The Best in Heritage, an annual international survey of awardwinning museum, heritage and conservation projects, will be held from 24 to 26 September, 2015 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This year’s conference will feature presentations by 28 different laureates from around the world, invited to provide insight into their innovative practices, successful management approaches and professionalism, as well as current trends in the field of cultural heritage. This highlight on the annual global museum agenda is organised in partnership with Europa Nostra and with the sponsorship of the ICOM Endowment Fund. The conference publication and video presentations by the laureates are made available on its website: http://www. thebestinheritage.com. n
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N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 3
CASE STUDY CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
New life for Adam
Tullio Lombardo’s sculpture of Adam has returned to view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art after 12-year conservation project by Carolyn Riccardelli and Jack Soultanian, Conservators, Department of Objects Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA); with Michael Morris, independent conservator of sculpture and architecture; Lawrence Becker, Senior Conservator, Department of Objects Conservation, MMA; George Wheeler, Director of Conservation, The Historic Preservation Program, Columbia University; and Ronald Street, Senior Manager, 3D Imaging, Molding and Prototyping; Merchandise Development and Planning, MMA © L to R: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ronald Street; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carolyn Riccardelli; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph Studio/Joseph Coscia, Jr
L to R: Assembled virtual model used for finite element analysis; fragments supported by external armature; Tullio Lombardo’s Adam after treatment, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1936 (36.163)
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he Metropolitan Museum of Art’s marble sculpture Adam by Tullio L o m b a r d o (c a . 14 5 5 –15 3 2) returned to public view late last year, following a tragic accident in 2002 and an unprecedented 12-year conservation project. It is the first life-sized nude marble statue since antiquit y and the most important Italian Renaissance sculpture in North America. Tullio carved Adam in the early 1490s for the monumental tomb of doge Andrea Vendramin, now in the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, and it is the only signed sculpture from that iconic monument. On the evening of 6 October, 2002, the pedestal supporting Adam collapsed in
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the Museum’s Vélez Blanco Patio. The sculpture, which has been in the Met’s permanent collection since 1936, was severely damaged. In the wake of the initial shock and distress over this accident, the museum made a commitment to undertake a conservation project that would, to the fullest extent possible, return the statue to its original appearance. The Met, renowned for the depth of its curatorial, conservation and scientific resources, was able to embark on this uniquely challenging restoration project by assembling a team of skilled and dedicated conservators, conservation scientists and imaging experts, supported by materials scientists and engineers from outside the
museum. This collaborative project not only resulted in a beautifully restored sculpture, but also significant advances in the field of sculpture conservation.1
Innovation from c atastrophe On impact, Adam broke into 28 large pieces and hundreds of smaller fragments. Fortunately, the head, face and torso were relatively unscathed in the fall. The arms, which bore the brunt of the impact, the lower legs, and the decorative tree trunk suffered major damage. From the outset, it was clear that the treatment of the broken sculpture would be a formidable project, posing an unusual series of challenges with little in the way of past practice to draw
on. The conservators had to find a method Historically, the reassembly of largethat would limit handling of the sculpture scale sculpture has relied on the use of and position the heavy fragments precisely multiple metal pins, anchored with weak without abrading the fresh, vulnerable break adhesives like plaster, lead or natural resins. edges. The importance of Adam warranted Even with the advent of structural adhesives critical evaluation of the use of adhesives like epoxy, pinning has remained standard and pins traditionally used by conservators practice. While generally effective in strucand research into less invasive and more tural terms, these methods have been reversible approaches. seen by a growing body of conservators as Investigations began in 2003 with three- overly aggressive and liable to damage the dimensional laser scanning of the major surrounding stone in the event of later stress fragments. Data from the laser scans led on the join. The next phase of research, to a variety of research avenues including therefore, aimed to find a pinning material finite element analysis (FEA), a computer- compatible with marble and appropriate for based engineering technique that can the treatment of Adam. reveal the distribution of force, stress and After evaluating the results of the strain in a structure while taking into consid- materials research, the conservators chose eration the material characteristics of the a materials protocol for assembling the substrate. sculpture. For the adhesive, they selected Informed by the results of the engineering a 3:1 blend of Acryloids B-72 and B-48N, analysis, extensive research and testing acrylic resins commonly used in conservanever before conducted on conservation tion, but which up until that point had not materials was carried out in collaboration been thoroughly tested for use as structural with Columbia and Princeton Universities to adhesives. This adhesive blend resulted determine the best adhesives and pinning in very thin joins and is of comparable materials for the treatstrength to marble. ment. The primar y The treatment of the broken F o r t h e p i n n i n g goals for treatment material, fiberglass sculpture was a formidable were minimal interwas chosen because project, posing an unusual it has a similar stiffvention, reversibility series of challenges with or ‘retreatability’, and ness to marble and finding a means to testin g sh owe d i t little in the way of past achieve ver y tight would not cause practice to draw on joins bet ween the damage in the event fragments. Past research on large sculp- of a future impact. Additional FEA studies ture repair is based primarily on the determined that only three pins were necestreatment of ancient sculpture, which often sary in the final assembly of the sculpture. has large gaps between the joins due to degradation of fracture surfaces over time Rethinking techniques in burial as well as from previous resto- The innovative treatment of Adam followed, ration efforts. Reassembly techniques with emphasis on the use of mock-ups were developed to bridge these gaps and and empirical studies carried out in an depended on structural adhesives, like effort to minimise handling of the fragile epoxy and polyester resins. In contrast, fracture surfaces. The fresh breaks to the the damaged Adam had very tight joins, Carrara marble posed several challenges requiring the conservators to rethink to the conservators, requiring them to these established techniques. The Tullio diverge from traditional sculpture conserteam began their materials research with vation techniques. For example, an several adhesives studies undertaken to external armature was developed that find a system strong and stable enough to was sufficiently substantial to support the withstand the forces in the sculpture, while assembled sculpture without adhesive. The not displacing the joins. armature not only supported the sculpture
during assembly but also served as the method of clamping the fragments once adhesive was applied.2 Following the structural work, the sculpture was carefully cleaned to remove surface grime that had accumulated over the years – a process complicated by its having received applications of animal fats. These fats, analysed to be largely tallow, penetrated the marble, are not readily soluble, and were absorbed differentially, resulting in an uneven yellowish tonality across the sculpture’s surfaces. To clean the surface, an almost dry method was used: vinyl eraser strips slightly moistened with saliva. This process was considered the most controllable method, and by cleaning selectively, an even tonality was achieved. Consideration of filling the losses to the marble could subsequently be undertaken, with the goal of integrating the fills as closely as possible with the surrounding stone. For the fills, Acryloid B-72 bulked with a blend of powdered aluminas and occasionally dry pigment was used to create a base color for the marble. After shaping the fills, they were toned using dry pigments in a polyvinyl acetate medium. In November of 2014, Adam was returned to public view in Tullio Lombardo’s Adam: A Masterpiece Restored, the inaugural installation in the Met’s new Venetian Sculpture Gallery. Adam was exhibited alone and in the round, accompanied by an in-depth account of its conservation on digital screens. At the conclusion of that exhibition, Adam was moved to a niche inspired by its original location on the Vendramin Monument for display as it was originally conceived. The Tullio team continues to tell the story of Adam and is at present preparing a book-length account of the conservation project that will explore the full breadth of the research and treatment. The extremely challenging work of reassembling and reintegrating the fragments of Tullio Lombardo’s Adam is finished, but the knowledge gained from this groundbreaking project will help to inform conservators for years to come. n
Notes 1 Riccardelli, Carolyn, Jack Soultanian, Michael Morris, Lawrence Becker, George Wheeler and Ronald Street, ‘The Treatment of Tullio Lombardo’s Adam: A New Approach to the Conservation of Monumental Marble Sculpture’. Metropolitan Museum Journal, v. 49, 2014. Free PDF download available at http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/The_Treatment_of_Adam_Metropolitan_Museum_Journal_v_49_2014 2 The related article in the Metropolitan Museum Journal, as well as videos that can be found on the Met website, summarise the research, drilling and pinning techniques, and how the armature was conceived, constructed and utilised: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2014/tullio-lombardo-adam
N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 5
IN FOCUS MUSEUM RECOMMENDATION
Making museum voices ring out The draft Recommendation on the Protection and Promotion of Museums and Collections, their Diversity and their Role in Society by François Mairesse, Professor at the University of Paris III – Sorbonne Nouvelle and Chair of the ICOM International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM)
©IBRAM/ LEONARDO ERVILHA
The first UNESCO meeting of experts to discuss the need for an international standard-setting instrument for the protection and promotion of museums and collections, Rio de Janeiro, 11-13 July, 2012
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n 27-28 May, 2015, an intergovernmental meeting of experts was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to amend the draft Recommendation on the Protection and Promotion of Museums and Collections, their Diversity and their Role in Society, prepared by ICOM at the request of UNESCO. The report published at this meeting constitutes the penultimate step in a process that started four years ago and will be submitted to the 38th session of the General Conference of UNESCO in November 2015. A number of existing conventions and recommendations influence the life of museums – including those concerning the protection of cultural property in the event of 6 ICOMNEWS | N°2 2015
armed conflict (1954), the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property (1970) and the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage (2003) – but few texts produced by UNESCO address museums specifically. The last recommendation on the subject dates back to over half a century ago and concerns one aspect of museums in particular: the Recommendation concerning the Most Effective Means of Rendering Museums Accessible to Everyone (1960). The draft takes shape In 2011, at the 36 th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, Brazil submitted
a motion for a resolution concerning the protection and promotion of museums and collections. One year later, the first meeting of experts was held in Rio de Janeiro to discuss the need for an international standardsetting instrument on the subject. Brazil was concerned with protecting and developing the museum network as well as collections of objects not found in museums but which deserve similar protection. Two reports were produced in complement to the meeting: the first, of a legal nature, was written by Patrick J. O’Keefe on the legal and technical aspects of such a recommendation; the second, written by myself, concerned the museum-related aspects. The results of the discussions of
Note 1 The draft recommendation can be found on the UNESCO website at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/museums/recommendation-on-the-protection-and-promotion-of-museums-and-collections
museums. In this context, Member States are asked to protect and promote the museum networks for which they are responsible, to encourage collaborative and participative efforts between museums and communities, and to develop the operations of their institutions both professionally (particularly through professional training) and harmoniously (particularly in terms of funding). The text to be voted upon by the General Conference of UNESCO in November will certainly not be a revolutionary document for many professionals already invested in this field, and the functions and issues cited in the recommendation are not particularly new in certain parts of the world. However, on an international level, this text represents a considerable step, both for the consolidation of the global museum network and for many regions where museums are not yet developed in a sufficiently professional manner. We all know the financial constraints and difficulties that sometimes lead museums, even in more prosperous regions, to favour the organisation of events over research or the preservation of collections. It is hoped that this instrument will remind Member States of their key role in promoting and protecting their museums and collections, as well as the role that museums play in favour of the public, and, more generally, in the development of the knowledge and heritage of humanity – and not only that which benefits the market economy. n
© UNESCO
experts at the Rio meeting and the two reports reflect by consensus on how to integrate the led to the decision to draft a recommendation opinions of the entire international commuon museums rather than a convention, which nity. The rule of compromise and consensus, was thought to be both too restrictive and of while necessary for political harmony, also questionable necessity. It was in this context produces results that can be measured by that the 37th General Conference of UNESCO the great diversity of the museum landscape approved the motion to discuss a draft recom- and its evolution in different parts of the world. mendation on this subject in 2013. From the beginning, ICOM was involved A multi-purpose recommendation in the reflection conducted by UNESCO, both The result of this high-level diplomatic at the level of its General Secretariat and its exercise, which will be presented to the General Conference of entire network. It was for UNESCO in November, this reason that ICOM This text represents a constitutes a major was asked to write the considerable step, both document for the draft recommendation to for the consolidation of the m u s e u m c o m m u be submitted to the interglobal museum network governmental meeting nity, particularly as it of experts. Working on a concerns ICOM’s role and for many regions relatively short deadline where museums are not yet in that community.1 As of just a few months, the developed in a sufficiently previously noted, this is Secretariat launched the first instrument to be professional manner an intensive effort – led voted on by UNESCO by France Desmarais and Raphaël Roig that presents both a comprehensive view of and supported by Anne-Catherine Robert- the role of the world’s museums and issues Hauglustaine – to prepare a first draft of the related to them, and the role of ICOM as a recommendation, in which I was closely representative of the global museum commuinvolved, and seek out the expertise of the nity. This role is greatly enhanced by the draft museum community in order to improve its recommendation, as the definition of the structure and content. The process of drafting museum presented in the recommendation the recommendation was conducted in close is the one developed by ICOM (2007), and collaboration with UNESCO’s Culture Sector the ICOM Code of Ethics is cited as one of the and its experts. After extensive discussions main sources of good professional practices that helped to refine the text, initial responses for protecting and promoting museums. from Member States and comments from More generally, the recommendation national experts, the draft recommendation reaffirms the museum’s functions in the was ready to be submitted to the meeting of areas of heritage preservation, research experts in May. and communication (particularly education) There are a number of significant differ- and highlights collections inventory as one ences between the latest version of the of its essential roles. Of course, at the heart recommendation presented to UNESCO by of the recommendation are current issues ICOM, after consultation with its network, and facing museums, such as globalis ation; the one that was discussed and adopted by the (sometimes ambiguous) relationship consensus by Member State representatives between museums and the economy and during their meeting in Paris in May 2015. quality of life of the regions in which they are The idea of the collection was reintegrated located; developments in information and into the title of the draft recommendation and communication technology; and the social several paragraphs were changed, added role of museums (recalling the Declaration or removed by participants during a two-day of Santiago, Chile). All of these questions working session. Such is the complex nature are particularly important issues cited as of international organisations, which must factors that could influence the future of
More than 160 experts from 70 Member States and 20 observer organisations participated in the two-day Intergovernmental meeting of experts at UNESCO head quarters, Paris, 27-28 May, 2015
N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 7
SPECIAL REPORT MUSEUM ARCHITECTURE
Building meaning How architecture affects our experience of museums by Kali Tzortzi, Assistant Professor of Museology, University of Patras; lecturer, M.A. in Museum Studies, University of Athens and M.Sc. in Management of Cultural Units, Hellenic Open University, Greece
©SMB/DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS. PHOTO UTE ZSCHARNT
Interior of the Neues Museum, Berlin, Germany
M
useum buildings today are shifting away from recognisable types in favour of heterogeneity and experimentation, and becoming more significant in the urban fabric. This, combined with growing emphasis on visitor engagement with the museum, mean that the role of museum architecture in relation to the collections it is designed to accommodate has become a key challenge. But how does architecture affect our experience of museums? It is not only through the aesthetics of the building, but also through the way space is organised to make connections between galleries, influencing how we explore them;
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between objects, shaping how we perceive and read them; and between visitors, affecting how they become aware of each other. Through these potentialities, museum architecture plays a role in the creation of meaning, complementing ‘the more explicit rational, information based content of the display’, in the words of Andrea Witcomb.1 Adding meanings to the display In the redesigned Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford (UK), the new building by Rick Mather was seen as an inspiration for exploring new ways to look at the collections. The intention behind
the new display theme, Crossing Cultures, Crossing Times, is to historic city. The archaeological excavation of an ancient settlement stress cultural connections and influences rather than differences, is integrated into the foundations of the building and systematically a theme that the visitor experiences through the interaction between made visible across exhibition levels, while the Parthenon is seen space and exhibits. Although most of the galleries are dedicated to from the transparent top gallery and becomes the key exhibit of a particular period or civilisation, the architectural organisation of the museum. Visual experience, the architectural structure of the display spaces, and in particular the interlinking of the old and new building and the location of objects in space constitute experiential buildings, the powerful visual axes and open vistas through glass factors in themselves that recreate the sense of moving on the walls and balustrades, stress the interconnectedness of cultures Acropolis: climbing the slopes of the hill, wandering through across distance and time, allowing visitors, as active readers, to statues in the open air, walking around the Parthenon. Viewing discover points of contact and interchange, from goods and raw thus becomes an embodied experience, a sense of history is materials to skills, technologies and designs. experienced as the present, and a heightened awareness of the At the Laténium, Neuchâtel (Switzerland), the physical Acropolis as space is added to the understanding of time. organisation as well as the spatial form of the museum invite the If in all these cases architecture acts in a performative way mainly visitor to experience the ‘space of time’. The visitor moves from through the layout of spaces and objects, in the Neues Museum, the slightly sloping ground level representing the Middles Ages, Berlin, it contributes to the affective impact of the museum through through vertically arranged galleries, to Prehistory, discovering the physical form of the building. Following the restoration work by the layers of time in reverse order, like an archaeologist. But the David Chipperfield, the museum recalls the past not only through openness between levels and galleries its collections but also by creating what As the role of museums in has been called a ‘temporal pluralism’ by creates a free-flowing space and a sense society changes, together of visual continuity that allows visitors to making visible the layers of history inscribed become aware of the display from different with museological concepts on the fabric of the building – including its historical points of view, to sense the and curatorial approaches, original décor of wall paintings and frescoes, continuity of time as well as the relativity of now partially reconstructed, and its traces of museum architecture is chronological divisions, and to be reminded damage from World War II. changing with them that we see the past through the perspective of the present. Contributing to museum sociability Telling the story of memories of the city through its architecture In addition to becoming part of the way visitors construct museum was the task of the building of the Jewish Museum, Berlin (Germany), meanings, architectural space can also bring visitors together, and according to architect Daniel Libeskind. The unconventional spatial render the social dimension of the museum richer in the manner organisation does not suggest a ‘set way to read the building’, nor of city space. Herzog & de Meuron, the architects of Tate Modern, does it create meaning through the visitor’s movement through London, intentionally left void the main open space of the Turbine space. Instead, long-lasting historical events are condensed Hall, creating a public space in the building, which is better linked into single dead-end spaces, like the Garden of Exile and the to the spaces outside the museum than to the galleries within. Holocaust Tower, placed at the end of axes, creating powerful and Designated as a ‘covered street’ by Director Nicholas Serota, it has unpredictable spatial experiences. been seen as a signal of the inclusiveness and accessibility of the Increasingly, the visual experience of the contemporary city itself contemporary museum. can be integral to the museum visit. In the Museum aan Stroom Another interpretation of the social space in the museum is (MAS), Antwerp (Belgium), the display is arranged according created in the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, by the sky-lit to heterogeneous themes pertaining to the history of the city, in rotunda, which provides access to the different parts of the galleries on different levels. These are separated from transparent building, while making visual links both between the galleries circulation spaces, which are organised in a continuous route and to the outside. It thus becomes the unifying visual space of from the entrance to the top level – the MAS boulevard – designed the museum as well as the place where visitors’ movements and as a vertical exploration of the city: on each floor, the visitor sees encounters converge. changing views of Antwerp, as the visual field shifts by 90 degrees, As the role of museums in society changes, together with before opening out in all directions at once on the top floor. museological concepts and curatorial approaches, museum architecture is changing with them. A new perspective is emerging: museum architecture contributes to the move from Generating embodied experiences The visual relation to the city takes on a symbolic dimension, as well a single meaning to an open-ended narrative, adds to the as providing the intellectual framework of the display, in the new intensity of experience and the sense of discovery on the part Acropolis Museum, Athens (Greece). In contrast to limited views of the viewer, becomes the ‘stage set’ challenging established between consecutive exhibition spaces, increasingly expansive interpretations and inspiring new ones, and enhances the vistas are created to the outside, to the contemporary as well as museum as a social space. n Note 1 Andrea Witcomb. ‘The materiality of virtual technologies: A new approach to thinking about the impact of multimedia in museums’, in F. Cameron and S. Kenderline, eds. Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage. A Critical Discourse, Cambridge, MIT Press, 2010, pp. 35-48.
N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 9
SPECIAL REPORT MUSEUM ARCHITECTURE
From core to cosmos
Elemental encounters at the Musée des Confluences By Sara Heft, Publications Officer, ICOM General Secretariat © QUENTIN LAFONT/MUSÉE DES CONFLUENCES, LYON, FRANCE, 2014
The Musée des Confluences, Lyon, France
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n the narrow finger of land that juts into the intermingling waters of the Rhone and Saône rivers in Lyon, France, a tangle of glass and metal glints, mirage-like: the Musée des Confluences, which opened its doors in December 2014, rousing to life a former industrial district that had slumbered in recent years. With a deconstructed silhouette typical (in its atypicality) of Coop Himmelb(l)au, the Viennese architecture firm that designed the building, the Musée des Confluences houses a collection of astonishing breadth and depth, counting some 2.2m objects, artworks and scientific specimens. Permanent exhibitions encompass the origins and destinies of humankind, its cultures and civilisations, and position among other forms of life. The museum’s own origins lie in one of the most celebrated cabinets of curiosities of 17th century Lyon, and what is today a single collection was subsequently amassed over the centuries by a series of institutions, ultimately fused into the Musée Guimet d’histoire naturelle. Named for Lyon-born industrialist and collector 10 ICOMNEWS | N°2 2015
Émile Guimet (1836-1918), it incorporated his collection of Asian art and the city’s extensive natural history collections, as well as those of the Musée de réligions (est. 1879), the Musée colonial de Lyon (est. 1927), and the continent-crossing 19th century Catholic missionaries of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. The historic museum shuttered in 2007, and the radically contemporary aesthetic of its successor may mislead uninitiated visitors into thinking that the Musée des Confluences is devoid of a past, and skeptics into thinking that form eclipses content, or even function – only to discover a museum of exceptional historical, cultural and scientific heft that uniquely converges with its very structure. A museum ‘quite unlike any other,’ in the words of its director, Hélène Lafont-Couturier, at the crossroads of the natural and human sciences and technologies. Atmospheric ambitions Coop Himmelb(l)au conceived a museum with a total surface of 46,000m2, built from 2010 to 2014 , with sky-eyeing features that have been dear to the firm since its founding in 1968 (its very name
is a play on these patterns: himmelblau means ‘sky blue’ in German, Whether you like it or not, it doesn’t leave you indifferent’; and while bau means ‘building’). Visitors enter the museum via the highlights the museum’s extreme functionality for the public and 1,900m2 ‘Crystal’, a 33m-high glass canopy with the ‘Gravity Well’ staff alike (three freight elevators notably lead from the concrete as its focal point, a massive transparent funnel serving as the central base directly up to the gallery spaces, ensuring simple vertical support for the steel structure. ‘This space is at once spectacular, circulation of works when mounting exhibitions). But above all, the and extremely pared-down,’ says Lafont-Couturier. ‘It welcomes director remarks upon the ease with which visitors navigate the visitors in without hesitation.’ Escalators and a sinuous ramp lead museum, how comfortable they feel here, enjoying the collections the eye and body upward into the 10,900m2 ‘Cloud’, containing the and the views alike: ‘the public lingers, [generally taking] about two permanent and temporary exhibition spaces in black box galleries hours to visit, including children, who often don’t want to leave when on two levels. For the director, ‘this is the core of the museum, a their parents say the time has come.’ Given the vast nature of the collections, interdisciplinary teams space for the encounter between knowledge and a form of wonder.’ Museum administration occupies a third level, with a refreshment of experts – ‘religious historians, geographers, astrophysicists, space and terrace at the top, providing panoramic views over the philosophers and more’ – were brought together in scientific committees for each exhibition. The resulting ‘crossed perspectives’ confluence and cityscape. are the lifeblood of the displays, but LafontThe 6,000 tonnes of ‘Cloud’ sit atop a concrete base lying partially below ground Ongoing dialogue animates Couturier emphasises the objective of level, whose 8,700m2 are devoted to the the galleries and pathways, comprehensible discourse: ‘we sought that is simple and generous towards museum’s technical spaces (notably the from entryway to confluence writing to the public.’ Further heightening this reserves), auditoriums and reception areas. It serves a dual function, also providing a pedestrian promenade accessibility, in the galleries, ‘you’re close to the objects: many of leading from the ‘Crystal’ around the building perimetre (or them aren’t in display cases, and there are objects that may be alternatively, directly through the museum for an exhibition- touched’ – a piece of the Moon, a fragment of meteorite. The flow of the building and its attentiveness to visitors, the free visit) to a plaza under the shadow of the hovering ‘Cloud’, supported by 14 concrete columns and three support piers. In this proximity between visitors and objects, the intelligence and clarity sheltered outdoor space, a shallow reflecting pool interacts with with which objects are displayed – all of this serves to spark ongoing the metallic museum surface, and a series of ramps and levels dialogue that animates the galleries and pathways, from entryway flow into a park occupying the tip of the peninsula. Museum visitors to confluence. ‘It’s remarkable,’ says Lafont-Couturier, ‘when we and city dwellers seeking respite are invited to stroll, bike or skate walk through the exhibition halls with our staff badges, the visitors along the riverbanks in a setting where culture is continuous with don’t hesitate to interrupt us, make comments, ask us questions.’ leisure and nature – and where, beyond the museum, a scenic She adds: ‘there are [behaviours] we expected, and others that stretch of city once off-limits to Lyon residents has been reclaimed. entirely surprised and delighted us: in the Eternities hall of the According to Wolf D. Prix, design principal and chief executive of permanent exhibition [editor’s note: devoted to visions of death Cooper Himmelb(l)au, ‘Our concept was based on the idea of and the afterlife], we realised that the public would linger around building a museum that wouldn’t hinder access to nature, but which the display of a female skeleton beneath a mirror, discussing death constitutes a pathway from built elements to nature. The principle of and funeral rites. So we decided to install benches.’ The Musée des Confluences overflows with stories, and fluidity is at the heart of our approach.’ identities: at once civic space, temple of knowledge, treasure trove and downtown hangout, it is an arresting example of how Wandering minds and mouths Within the walls of the museum as well, visitors are invited to 21st centuries museums can play a multitude of roles for visitors meander. On the two exhibition levels, the galleries are spaced from all horizons – and how the very idea of what it means to along wide central pathways, akin to avenues, allowing visitors visit a museum is being radically overhauled in ways that to prolong their contemplation of the knowledge gleaned or are inseparable from museum architecture. In its first year of rediscovered in the exhibitions. Lafont-Couturier evokes Prix’s existence, ‘audiences have made the Musée des Confluences belief in the importance of walking for intellectual enrichment: ‘I their own,’ concludes Lafont-Couturier – with enthusiasm as wholly embrace his vision.’ She recognises that the building has striking as the building’s angles and curves, intertwining urban not earned universal praise – ‘the architecture interpellates you. fabric and natural landscape. n N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 11
SPECIAL REPORT MUSEUM ARCHITECTURE
Inside story
Invisible museum architecture in Brazil by Marina Byrro Ribeiro, architect, specialist in historic building conservation and restoration; Ph.D. candidate in Architecture and Urbanism, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil ‘Lançamento da Obra de Revitalização do Jardim Histórico da Casa de Rui Barbosa’ by Gustavo Serrate/Ministério da Cultura. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ ministeriodacultura/16693814842/. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/2.0/
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istorically, museum architecture gained complexity in transforming preserved palaces into museum spaces, housing galleries and open to an ever-growing public. This partnership between museums and built heritage created identity and a strong museum presence in cities around the world, which remains to this day. Modern architecture reformulated museum space, bringing about new ways to conceive of exhibitions, circulation and lighting. Today, sustainable museums highlight architectural concern for the environment, with buildings seeking to respond to issues of energy efficiency. Although museums have radically changed in terms of their physical forms and interior spaces, their relationship with the city has been maintained through the monumentality of their architecture. To transform neglected areas, urban renewal turns to cultural projects, often structured around museums, as an instrument of visibility. In parallel to this, there is also an invisible museum architecture at work in many existing buildings, intended to resolve issues related to daily museum operations. It seeks to adjust the museum’s physical space, adapting to the needs of the public and of exhibitions, and encounters substantial difficulties in doing so. Architecture within architecture In Brazil, the numerous museums housed in pre-existing buildings, using various architectural solutions, have required frequent studies and evaluations to optimise their operations. The
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of their buildings. Architects must also take into account the conservation parametres defined by the field of preventive conservation. This will enable comparison of climate data, internal microclimate data and conservation parametres to obtain environmental indicators for each museum building, allowing architects to conceive of and execute the architectural changes necessary for the best possible protection of collections objects. The use of bioclimatic strategies in existing buildings, taking local climate into account, can furthermore lead the internal microclimate to meet preventive conservation needs, harmonising museum architecture and museum collections – frequently considered as independent entities in Brazil. Instruments for environmental analysis have been consolidated for the development of bioclimatic museum architecture in these buildings.
The Casa de Rui Barbosa Museum, Rio de Janeiro
Vital measurements imperceptible museum architecture that these In the framework of these efforts, over the course efforts represent has been developed by local of 2015, we have been conducting measurements architects, who study the characteristics of the of climate parametres (temperature, relative buildings and their use humidity and lighting) in order to develop and Invisible architecture seeks using data loggers in implement solutions three different locations to adjust the museum’s as best possible. Rio de Janeiro: the physical space, adapting to inCasa This work could also de Rui Barbosa the needs of the public and Museum, the Villabe considered as of exhibitions ‘architecture within Lobos Museum, architecture’, involving the conservation of works and an outdoor area being monitored for housed within the building; adaptation of the comparison and verification of the environmental building for new types of exhibitions; correction performance of the museum buildings. They lie in of specific low-performing architectural aspects; the neighbourhood of Botafogo, located between and updating of the architectural plan to include two water bodies, Guanabara Bay and Rodrigo features such as shops and restaurants, de Freitas Lagoon, and two sets of mountains. improve accessibility, install air conditioning and The region is subjected to southwesterly winds dehumidifiers to improve visitor comfort and and moisture concentration. It is also one of the collections protection, and more. city’s traditional neighborhoods, with a number of One of the most important problems in a cultural institutions in preserved buildings. museum is that of the inner microclimate created These climatic data are being collected on an by the building, and its interference in the preventive hourly basis, and measurements will continue conservation of collections. The building is a until the end of 2015. Upon completion of our passive agent of conservation1, but in everyday work, we expect to obtain a diagnosis and to museum architecture practice in Brazil, this vital set guidelines for suggested changes in the role has been minimised by the lack of tools museums studied – likely in the scope of ‘invisible enabling reliable analysis and decision making in architecture’ – aiming for improved public comfort architectural projects. It is necessary to develop and collections conservation. We will also strive to stronger databases on temperature and humidity, develop a convenient – and visible – tool, setting in the range appropriate for hot and humid out general procedures that could be applied in climates, and to conduct internal measurements other museums with the same needs, with the of these variables in museums, in order to gain overarching hope of contributing to filling a gap on knowledge of the environmental performance the Brazilian museum landscape. n
Note 1 Franciza Lima Toledo. O controle climático em museus quentes e úmidos. 2003. http://museuvictormeirelles.museus.gov.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Franciza-Toledo.pdf (accessed 10 August, 2015)
Bridging past and future The Kyoto National Museum’s new wing by Melissa M. Rinne, Research Fellow for International Affairs, Kyoto National Museum
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A bow to the past Despite the cutting-edge contemporary feel of its limestone façade, the Heisei Chishinkan retains a distinctly Japanese sensibility. A broad, steel-framed white glass curtain wall extending across the front evokes the wooden latticework and shoji-papered doors and windows of traditional Kyoto buildings; the column-to-beam construction, the wide overhanging eave across the front also reference Japanese architecture. Even the building’s layout alludes to the past: the front entrance hall is located directly over the
underground archaeological remains of a gate of Vast, airy spaces lie outside the galleries, Hokoji, a temple that once housed the 19m-high such as the Grand Lobby overlooking the central Great Buddha of late 16 th –early 17th c. Kyoto. garden; smaller hideaways include the floating Museum visitors approach the new wing via a second floor lounge and the tucked-away patio walkway following an ancient pilgrimage path overlooking Hokoji’s greenery. A glass-walled between Hokoji and a gate of Sanjusangendo – restaurant opens onto the wide lawn of the west the temple across the street containing 1,001 garden and an ancient pagoda. life-size gilded Buddhist statues from the 12th and Advanced technologies 13th centuries. Visitors to the Heisei Chishinkan Wing’s ground The Heisei Chishinkan Wing incorporates the floor galleries pass through a light-filled entrance latest technological advancements in many lobby into a dim, tranquil space with small-scale areas. It was constructed to provide maximum galleries for decorative arts and calligraphy on protection for its collections in the event of a major one side, and a grand hall for sculpture ahead. earthquake: the entire structure is fully earthquake engineered and Moving upstairs to reinforced for strength the painting galleries, The openness permeating visitors may continue the Heisei Chishinkan gives and tenacity, and each and art storage to glimpse down on a sense of place within the gallery area is individually the gilded sculptures greater architectural space protected by buried below through brass grills emulating traditional bamboo or reed blinds. seismic isolation devices. Observant visitors The openness permeating the Heisei can find evidence of this system in the gallery Chishinkan gives a sense of place within the floorboards, where visible borders hide moat-like greater architectural space; yet galleries retain open spaces under the floor to absorb shaking. an intimacy that allows for focus on individual Exhibit cases and artworks are also fitted with their works, particularly appropriate for handscrolls own seismic mounts. These cases and galleries and decorative objects. Unlike the sculptures, are illuminated exclusively with LED lighting, originally worshiped in temple halls, many of the providing high-quality colour rendering while smaller works would have been viewed within the reducing the harmful wavelengths of conventional light sources. The building produces energy confines of tatami-mat rooms. through a solar generation system installed on the roof of the museum offices, saving an annual equivalent of 23 tonnes of CO2 over thermal generation. ‘Taniguchi’s Japanese-inspired contem porary architecture juxtaposes with the original Meiji Kotokan to create a harmony in contrasts,’ says KNM director general Sasaki Johei. The architect himself acknowledges, ‘I think I found my own answer to the mandate I received to forge a structure appropriate to Kyoto. Even 10 years after producing the original architectural design, I hardly wanted to change a thing, suggesting that the building can withstand the test of time – that my architecture is neither new nor old.’ Most visitors agree: by honouring the past, this building for the future feels timeless. n ©KITAJIMA TOSHIHARU
he 2019 ICOM General Conference will be held in Kyoto, Japan, around the theme Museums as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition. One model for connecting past and future may be found in the new wing of the Kyoto National Museum (KNM), which opened in September 2014 as one of the most technologically sophisticated museum facilities in the world. The Heisei Chishinkan Wing, designed by architect Taniguchi Yoshio, known for the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures at the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, houses rotating exhibitions of the museum’s collection. Its name means ‘Heisei-era hall of discovering the new’, and comes from an ancient aphorism: ‘Learn from the old to discover the new’ – which represents the spirit of the building, the museum and the city of Kyoto as a whole. The KNM is home to some of the world’s greatest masterpieces of Japanese art, mostly from the millennium during which Kyoto was capital of Japan (794–1868). Its holdings include museum-owned objects as well as masterworks from temples and shrines, entrusted to the museum for long-term care and safekeeping. The new wing complements the KNM’s original architectural masterpiece, dating from the museum’s establishment in 1897. The French Renaissance style Meiji Kotokan, nestled into the landscape, was designed by Katayama Tokuma (1854–1917), the leading Western-style architect of Japan’s Meiji period (1868–1912), and is opened primarily during special exhibitions in the spring and autumn.
The Heisei Chishinkan Wing of the Kyoto National Museum, Japan
N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 13
HERITAGE IN DANGER DISASTER RELIEF
Concerted response for Nepal ICOM teams up with other international organisations to help museum colleagues after the Nepal earthquakes
by Cori Wegener, Chair of the ICOM Disaster Relief Task Force for Museums (DRTF), Cultural Heritage Preservation Officer, Smithsonian Institution; and France Desmarais, Director of Programmes and Partnerships, ICOM General Secretariat, Permanent Secretary to the DRTF © CORI WEGENER/ICOM/ SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION/ICCROM/ICOMOS–ICORP
and assistance to museum colleagues following a disaster. DRTF Chair Cori Wegener was asked to travel to Nepal as soon as the visit would not interfere with any ongoing humanitarian response.
Hanuman Dhoka Museum, Durbar Square, Kathmandu
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n 25 April, 2015, Nepal suffered the first in a series of earthquakes that caused immense damage and human suffering. The initial quake, known as the ‘Gorkha Earthquake’, had a magnitude of 7.8 and Mercalli Intensity of IX (violent.) Nearly 9,000 people perished and many thousands were left homeless. A series of aftershocks ensued, the most devastating of which was a 7.3 magnitude earthquake near Mount Everest, which killed more than 200 people. A number of important cultural heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley were damaged in the quakes, including Kathmandu Durbar Square Hanuman Dhoka Complex, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Changu Narayan Temple and the Swayambhu Stupa. ICOM and members of its Disaster Relief Task Force for Museums (DRTF) immediately began contacting museum colleagues in Nepal for news on the
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status of staff, buildings, and collections, updating the Nepal Museum Watch List accordingly and sharing information with the ICOM network. The Kathmandu Cultural Emergency Crowdmap was launched by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) using the open source web platform Ushahidi, and updated hand in hand with the International Council on Monuments and Sites–International C o mmit te e o n R isk Pre pa re dn ess (ICOMOS-ICORP) and ICOM. The information it made available enabled volunteers around the world to develop the Nepal Cultural Emergency Report. The ICOM Secretariat immediately allocated resources for Nepal from the Disaster Relief for Museums Fund. Created in 2005 in the wake of the South Asian Tsunami, the DRTF allows ICOM to provide rapid on-the-ground expertise
An unprecedented coordination effort In a wish to avoid duplication, improve coordination and benefit from each organisation’s expertise, ICOM, the Smithsonian Institution, ICCROM and ICOMOS–ICORP undertook a joint international mission to Nepal to assess damage to cultural heritage. At the invitation of the Nepal Department of Archaeology (DOA) and in coordination with the UNESCO Kathmandu Office, the multidisciplinary team began work on 25 May. Members included three structural engineers, Xavier Romao, Esmeralda Pauperio and Arun Menon, and a preservation architect, Rohit Jigyasu, from ICOMOS-ICORP; a conservator, Aparna Tandon, from ICCROM; and Wegener, collections curator and disaster outreach coordinator, representing both the ICOM DRTF and the Smithsonian Institution. The objective of the mission was to assess the needs for stabilisation and security of cultural heritage in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, to coordinate with a national team of cultural heritage professionals capable of leading this critical early phase, and to assist in on-the-ground implementation of First Aid activities. The team visited a number of sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including Swayambhu Stupa and Shantipur Temple, Hanuman Dhoka Palace and Museum, the National Museum of Nepal, Bungmati Temple and Village, Patan Durbar Square, Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, Bajra Yogini Temple and Sankarapur Temple, in Sankhu. The team approach ensured that our Nepal colleagues were not burdened with multiple ‘expert visits’ and that each organisations’ resources were used in the most
efficient manner possible: participants were Museum of Nepal and the Hanuman Dhoka based at the same hotel, shared transporta- Museum as case studies. Key workshop tion and constantly compared notes. The themes included emergency planning and mission report to the Nepalese Department preparation, damage assessment, risk of Archaeology proposed organising two assessment, prioritisation, security, evacu‘First Aid’ workshops, one for collections ation, salvage and triage, and temporary and one for the stabilisation of structures, storage/rehousing. Participants were and the former workshop’s starting date charged with sharing this knowledge with was set for 8 June. That left little time for colleagues at their respective institutions planning and logistics, but collections for implementation in their own collections. were at risk with the monsoon season fast During the assessment mission it approaching. became clear to the team that Nepalese Team members worked incessantly Army and Police were most often the de to coordinate the two facto first responders for The international team workshops. Nepal’s cultural heritage evacuDOA selected 20 approach proved success- ation and salvage; in participants for each response to the Army’s ful in getting rapid emerw o r k s h o p . Te a m s request for a briefing on gency assistance to our assessed appropriate emergency handling colleagues on the ground in a n d m o v e m e n t te m p o r a r y s to r a g e a practical manner facilities for collections of objects, Cori and identified classroom and work spaces. Wegener and Aparna Tandon provided Logistical aspects included local sourcing a brief overview of safety, object handling of personal protective equipment, tools and techniques and basic protective measures course supplies, meals, and local trans- for collections. portation. We were fortunate to have the On the final day of the workshop, the assistance of Red Cross expert Dr Komal participants worked under the supervision Aryal, art historian Dr Dina Bangdel, and of the DOA and alongside the Nepalese DOA conservator Padma Shrestha. Army to assist with the salvage of important architectural fragments from a temple at Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square. The Success on a tight timeline The date of 8 June arrived quickly and the salvaged fragments were rehoused at a workshop opened at Hanuman Dhoka nearby secure space within the temple Palace and Museum in Durbar Square. complex. A closing reception was held in the Participants came from the Nepal National late afternoon, including the presentation of Museum in Chhauni, the Bhaktapur an overview of the course by participants Museums, the Hanuman Dhoka Palace and future plans for their respective instituand Museum, and Patan Durbar Square tions. Each one received a personalised Temples/Museum. Suresh Shrestha of the certificate of completion. The second workshop, Emergency DOA opened the workshop, expressing confidence in the DOA staff and encour- Stabilisation of Heritage Structures, took aging them in their recovery efforts. The place from 17 to 22 June with a new group group observed an already-scheduled of participants. Using the same instrucevacuation of certain collections objects tional framework, the group used a small from the museum by members of the Nepal damaged temple as a case study for stabiArmy and Nepal Armed Police. The coordi- lisation methods that the participants may nation between the first responders and recreate in their own situations. The international team approach proved the museum staff resulted in a successful evacuation and served as a great example successful in getting rapid emergency assistance to our colleagues on the ground in spurring on participants. Hosted primarily at the National Museum in a practical manner. We look forward to of Nepal in Chhauni, the rest of the six-day similar cooperation both for future projects workshop focused on the immediate in Nepal and in the face of future disaster needs of the collections of the National situations. n N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 15
ICOM GENERAL CONFERENCE MILAN 2016
Milan, here ICOM! In less than one year, the 24th ICOM General Conference will welcome 4,000 museum and heritage professionals in Milan, Italy, for a full week of debates, exchanges and networking ©WWW.WIKIMEDIA.ORG
Duomo di Milano
Museum and Cultural Landscapes, from Italian museology to an international perspective The conference theme, Museums and Cultural Land scapes, will explore the concept of the ‘open air museum’, dear to Italian museology, and analyse the relationship between museums and a landsc ape in constant
evolution. It presents both an opportunity and a challenge for museums to revive their mission and strengthen their cultural and social role, as this central issue is a strategic perspective for museums around the world in the third millennium.
With the objective that a ‘Declaration of ICOM on Museums and Cultural Landscapes’ will be approved at the 24th General Conference in Milan, setting new strategic objectives and programmes for contemporary museums,
ICOM, ICOM Italy and the organising committee of the conference plan to identify one hundred innovative museum actions from different countries and cultures, presenting these at the Milan Conference as international best practices. Already in July 2014, the Siena Char ter was produced in the wake of an international conference dedicated to the conference theme, presenting the Italian perspective on the responsibilities of museums towards heritage and its surrounding landscapes. ICOM Italy recently started a second sur vey of Italian museum projects tackling the conference theme. In November 2015, another international conference in Brescia, Italy will once again explore the theme, in the company of experts from around the world, in preparation for ICOM Milano 2016. A full issue of Museum International will feature academic papers on the subject, to be published shor tly af ter the General Conference.
Registration: rates & dates Different rates apply: whatever your ICOM affiliation, country of origin or length of participation, there is a rate to suit you. Visit the conference website to register. Early bird July 2015 – 28 January, 2016 ICOM member (Cat. 1&2 countries), ICOM Foundation member
€350
Advanced 29 January 2016 - June, 2016 €450
On-site July 2016 €550
ICOM member (Cat. 3&4 countries)
€250
€350
€450
Non-member
€450
€550
€650
Accompanying person
€250
€300
€350
Student
€250
€300
€350
Day pass
€150
€150
€150
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©WWW.WIKIMEDIA.ORG
©MUSEO NAZIONALE DELLA SCIENZA E DELLA TECNOLOGIA ‘LEONARDO DA VINCI’
La Triennale – Palazzo dell’Arte ©COMUNE DI MILANO
National Museum of Science and Technology
Ciao, Milano!
Via Dante, Castello Sforzesco
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and one of the most appealing European cities. It is presently undergoing a period of impressive development and renovation in connection with EXPO 2015 – Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. The capital of the Lombardy region represents an extraordinary network that brings together museums, creative and cultural industries, research, education and industrial development. Milan’s skyline is changing and new city districts have been steadily developing over the past five years. Worldfamous architects and designers are presently at work in Milan and its surroundings. In store for Milano 2016: an opening party at Castello Sforzesco, a concert on the rooftop of the Duomo, private visits to the National Museum of Science and Technology and a closing party at the Palazzo dell’Arte of La Triennale – to name just a few of Milan’s museums and monuments that will host social events during the Conference. Excursion day, an ICOM General Conference tradition, will see conference delegates spending one full day touring the host city as well as northern and central Italy. In addition, the ICOM General Conference offers great opportunities to gain insight into the Italian museum landscape with off-site meetings in museums and other institutions in Milan and its surrounding region.
Keynote speakers Six keynote speeches are programmed for ICOM Milano 2016 by renowned figures from an array of backgrounds and disciplines, promising provocative and visionary insight on subjects of interest for the museum community. Christo (USA) The environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude (19352009) created some of the most spectacular large-scale artworks of the 20th century.
Orhan Pamuk (Turkey) Orhan Pamuk is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Michele De Lucchi (Italy) Michele De Lucchi is an architect, and was a prominent figure in movements such as Cavart, Alchimia and Memphis.
Krzysztof Pomian (Poland) Krzysztof Pomian is a historian and philosopher, and has worked extensively on the history of European culture, notably the history of history and history of museums and collections.
Nkandu Luo (Zambia) Nkandu Luo is the Minister of Gender and Child Development and former Minister of Culture and Traditional Affairs of Zambia.
David Throsby (Australia) David Throsby is an Australian economist, particularly well known as a cultural economist.
Find the updated programme at a glance on the ICOM Milano 2016 website: www.milano2016.icom.museum
N°2 2015 | ICOMNEWS 17
ICOM COMMUNITY ©ICOM
Rendez-vous in Paris
The delegation from Cincinnati during the June Meetings
The 2015 ICOM Annual Meetings, held from 1 to 3 June at UNESCO House, were exceptionally rich in discussions for museum professionals, who gathered from around the world to share their thoughts and approaches on a variety of current issues
This year, participants had the pleasure of listening to French neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux, of the Institut Pasteur and Collège de France. Changeux has worked alongside museums for a number of years as a supporter of the arts and through his research on art and the brain. He opened the meetings on Monday, 1 June with a keynote speech entitled Beauty in the Brain: The Neuroscience of Artistic Creation. On the same day, ICOM officially presented a new version of the Emergency Red List of Iraqi Cultural Objects at Risk to the press. This is an updated and enriched version of ICOM’s first emergency Red List on Iraq, published in 2003, and it constitutes a response from the international museum community to the violent events that have rocked the country in recent months, bringing about the destruction of world cultural heritage. The Iraq Red List was officially presented to the press at the Louvre, in the presence of Fleur Pellerin, French Minister of Culture and Communication; Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Louvre; Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General; Hans-Martin Hinz, ICOM President; and Richard Stengel, US Department of State Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. International experts who contributed to ICOM’s efforts to draw up the Red List were also in attendance. On Tuesday, 2 June, the meetings continued with the session of the ICOM Advisory Committee. Mark O’Neill opened discussions with a speech on Defining the Museum in a New
Era, seeking to explore what makes museum professionals tick in order to better serve society in troubled times. Later in the day, a vote of recommendation was held for the host city of the 2019 ICOM General Conference. These conferences are held triennially, bringing together some 3,000 members of the international museum community for a week of discussions on a specific theme. The delegations from Cincinnati and Kyoto had the opportunity to campaign to participants and members of the different committees during the first two days of the Annual Meetings. On Wednesday, 3 June, Kyoto was announced as the host city for the 2019 edition of the General Conference, which will feature the theme Museums as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition. This aims to highlight the changing role of museums in today’s society. Kyoto is home to some 200 cultural institutions, 1,681 Buddhist temples and 812 Shinto shrines. The campaign by Cincinnati was also greatly appreciated, and the American delegation was enthusiastically thanked by ICOM President Hans-Martin Hinz for the motivation and commitment displayed to hosting a forthcoming General Conference. Finally, the themes for International Museum Day 2017 and 2018 were decided upon by an Advisory Committee vote: Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums, and Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics will respectively be the themes in 2017 and 2018. –Ninon Sordi
Museums for a sustainable society Green thumb for International Museum Day 2015
18 ICOMNEWS | N°1 2015
of life’, the symbol and logo of the official IMD poster. Some museums encouraged visitors to come by public transportation or bicycle and offered workshops on recycled materials. The Uganda Museum in Kampala encouraged its visitors to take a tree home or plant one on the museum grounds to help promote sustainable development, an initiative supported by the country’s National Forestry Authority. Proud of its precious collection of mosaics, the Bardo N ational Museum in Tunis also participated in IMD, just two months after the terrible attack there. To mark the occasion, a round table on the topic Mosaics: A Factor in
Sustainable Development was organised by ICOM Tunisia and the Association des Amis du Patrimoine. Other museums took advantage of the occasion to attract visitors who do not usually frequent museums by offering free admission during the weekend and on Monday, 18 May. This desire to create ‘museums for all’ is considered a model of sustainability for certain museums. –Ninon Sordi
The Museum of Pachacamac on the Pachacamac archaeological site welcomed over 250 visitors for IMD activities on 16 May
©ICOM PERU
This year, more than 35,000 museums in 130 different countries, from Peru to Papua New Guinea, found creative ways to educate the public about developing a sustainable society during International Museum Day (IMD). ICOM President Hans-Martin Hinz went to Peru to kick off the week devoted to IMD, at the invitation of ICOM Peru Chair, Luis Repetto Málaga. Celebrations were organised by ICOM Peru in Lima, Trujillo, Cusco and elsewhere around the country, with the support of the Ministry of Culture. Italy’s museums were particularly enthusiastic about this year’s theme, organising a seminar on The Economic Sustainability of Museums in Venice and a round table on Accessibility for Sustainable Museums in Ancona. In other countries, children painted their versions of the ‘tree
ICOM colleagues pay tribute to Manus I met Manus for the very first time after I was elected as chair of ICOM Germany in 1999. With his support I felt encouraged to develop ICOM Germany in a new era and to revitalise ICOM Europe. His philosophy of a membersbased association convinced me entirely: success comes not from a top-down structure, but the opposite. Thanks to Manus, my first priority as Pres ident of ICOM was to put the
©ICOM
Herman Willem Brinkman, former Secretary General of ICOM, affectionately known as Manus by his family, friends and colleagues, passed away on 4 July, 2015 in Thailand. Born on 7 January, 1950 in the Netherlands, Manus served as ICOM Secretary General from 1998 to 2004. He gained prominence as a museum professional in the 1980s, working for the Children’s Museum of the Tropenmuseum, Netherlands for a decade, ultimately as director. He was subse quently director of the Dutch Museum Association, and chaired the Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) from 1995-1998. As Secretary General of ICOM, Manus fought to counter illicit traffic in cultural property, out of his personal wish to act for the respect, equality and promotion of all cultures.
Farewell, Manus
Herman Willem Brinkman, 1950–2015 beautiful person has left us, and we would like to let his wife and all of his loved ones know that we share their sorrow in this sad time of goodbyes. Their pain is our pain. Jacques Perot, former ICOM President (1998-2004)
members first. In June 2014, ten years after his departure from ICOM, we had dinner together in Paris to discuss ICOM’s future. I did not expect this to be the very last meeting with him. Thank you Manus, for all you have done for ICOM and the global museum com munity. We have lost a great colleague and friend. Hans-Martin Hinz, ICOM President
Personally, I keep the memory of a friend and diligent col league who was notably able to oversee the structural re forms undertaken by ICOM at the time, and successfully organise two magnificent gen eral conferences in Barcelona and Seoul. Open to others, he knew how to listen, and his smile stayed etched in your memory. He had many friends around the world and notably in Thailand, where with his wife, Annelie, he spent his last years, ever active and gener ous. A compassionate and
A beautiful mind and soul flew away. I remember him from the unforgettable 2004 General Conference in Seoul with his traditional Korean dress on stage at the farewell party. His memory will surely live through his brilliant services to muse ums of the world. Goli Sabahi, ICOM Iran
What sad news. I worked with him extensively, mostly for the Arab countries. We stayed in touch. A truly sad piece of news. Chédlia Cheikh Annabi, ICOM Tunisia
So sorry to hear this news. Manus was a wonderful muse ologist and person who was devoted to progressive culture and heritage and our field. Lynne Teather, ICTOP
My memory of Manus is that of a courteous, pleasant man, full of good humor and kindness, and a capable Secretary Gen eral of ICOM, deeply invested in his duties. He was able to build relations of friendship,
trust and respect with his col leagues at the General Sec retariat, who were sorry to see him leave ICOM. I share the sorrow of all ICOM members and Secretariat staff who knew him. Marie-Françoise Delval, AVICOM
A very great loss. Manus was hugely influential and support ive in the formation of UMAC. His contribution was invalu able. University museums and collections have lost a true friend. Peter Stanbury, UMAC
He was so young, bright and beautiful. What a tragedy! May his soul rest in peace. Virgil Ştefan Nitulescu, ICOM Romania
Dear Manus, you will always live in our hearts. Thank you for helping us revive the Asia Pacific Alliance of ICOM, and establish the Inclusive Museum Knowledge Commu nity. Your principled approach in professional, personal and community engagement has been exemplary for us. Amar Galla, ICOM Australia
Manus…an important part of ICOM´s history. An excellent friend. Yani Herreman, former ICOM Vice-President (1998-2004)
ICOM Museums for All Prize at 2016 ‘Portable Museums’ Festival In 2016, for the first time, ICOM will participate in the ‘Portable Museums’ (Musées (em)portables) Festival, with the creation of the ICOM Museums for All Prize. This will reward audiovisual works with sensitive and original takes on how ‘non-traditional’ audiences – socially marginalised groups, disabled individuals, immigrants, rural inhabitants, etc. – relate to museums. This is part of ICOM’s efforts to make museums welcoming for all publics. The competition is open to individual and group participants, and the winning film will be widely broadcast on ICOM’s international platforms. ICOM Director General, Anne-Catherine Robert-Hauglustaine, will participate in the festival’s jury for the final selection. All films short-listed by the jury will be screened throughout the SITEM International trade show for museums and tourist sites, being held from 12–14 January, 2016 at Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et du Design in Paris. The award ceremony will take place on 13 January at 12:00pm, with €1,000 going to the winning film, and €500 apiece to the two runners-up. For further details and to register: www.museumexperts.com Deadline for submissions: 1 December, 2015 N°1 2015 | ICOMNEWS 19
PUBLICATIONS
In a word
ICOM PRESIDENT Hans-Martin Hinz
Review by Sarah Hughes, Principle Lecturer in Publishing Studies, Oxford Brookes University, UK
EDITOR IN CHIEF Sara Heft
DIRECTOR GENERAL Anne-Catherine Robert-Hauglustaine
CONTRIBUTORS Lydia Salazar Carrasco Mélanie Foehn Elisabeth Jani Ninon Sordi TRANSLATION Kristina Jackson DESIGN AND LAYOUT, ADVERTISING, PRINTING France Edition Multimédia 70 avenue Alfred Kastler - CS 90014 66028 Perpignan Cedex Tel +33 (0)4 68 66 94 75 francedit@francedit.com COVER IMAGE © QUENTIN LAFONT/MUSÉE DES CONFLUENCES, LYON, FRANCE, NOVEMBER 2014
W
ith the declaration that ‘words are everywhere in the museum’, Margot Wallace leads her readers through the gamut of writing forms to provide guidance on effective delivery of words within the museum and gallery setting. The book draws its contexts for museum writing from Wallace’s expertise in marketing; the role of authorship in curatorial scholarship, for example, is beyond the scope of this book. Chapters are arranged alphabetically and named by either form (blogs and brochures), function (audio tours, solicitation letters and surveys) and, in some cases, audience (volunteer communications). While this arrangement makes it easier for readers to locate advice specific to particular types of communication, it bypasses a focus on issues associated with writing for specific audiences such as online, visitors or non-visitors. The 13 sections inevitably cover this breadth of writing functions for museums only briefly. Overall, the book’s approach assumes that the specific purposes for writing may be effectively accomplished by enthusiastic amateurs and, although the preface advises on hiring writers ‘when you can’, it also suggests that the chapters will help with their supervision. For an international readership there is a somewhat distracting focus on a US readership and contexts relevant to American museums. For example, in the section on environmental graphics, the caption for a high-rise parking garage states, ‘the first view of a museum is often a parking structure’; this is not the case in any of the European museums that I have visited recently. Even for this focused audience, the book sometimes misses its target by aiming to accommodate advice for writing needs across the full range of museums, from small local history institutions to Disney Hall in Los Angeles. However, there is much here that will provide valuable guidance on writing and its relevance to all activities of museums (stores, lectures, membership and volunteers) in the US, particularly those strapped for cash and with staff who not only keep the doors open, but need to understand the role played by writing in keeping the visitors coming. Writing for Museums Author: Margot Wallace Publisher: Rowman and Littlefield, 2014
20 ICOMNEWS | N°2 2015
Next issue In Focus: Museums and cultural landscapes Special Report: Museums and cultural landscapes Case Study: Museums and cultural landscapes If you wish to contribute to the next issue of ICOM News, please contact Sara Heft at sara.heft@icom.museum for details. ICOM Maison de l’UNESCO 1, rue Miollis 75732 Paris Cedex 15 France Tel +33 (0) 1 47 34 05 00 Fax + 33 (0) 1 43 06 78 62 secretariat@icom.museum http://icom.museum
ICOM News is a magazine published by the International Council of Museums in English, French and Spanish, with the financial assistance of the French Ministry of Culture. Opinions expressed in signed articles do not commit ICOM in any way and are the responsibility of their authors.
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