Source: People's Daily - People's Daily
Exterior view of the Museum of the National Center for Art of Reina Sofia, Spain. Photo by Yan Huan, reporter of this newspaper
In the Central Museum Montemardini, Italy, artifacts from the ancient Roman period live in harmony with modern construction machinery. Photo by Xie Yahong, reporter of this newspaper
Inside the National Museum of Uganda, staff introduce exhibits to visitors. Photo by Huang Peizhao, reporter of this newspaper
Museums are an important platform for the protection of history and culture, as well as an important place for disseminating culture and promoting social education. In recent years, more and more countries have paid more attention to the construction of museums, constantly innovated and improved exhibition planning, exhibition viewing models, etc., and held various educational activities to provide more and better cultural services for the public.
Spain –
Serve people with digital transformation
The Reina Sophia National Art Center Museum, known as one of the "Golden Triangles of Art" in Madrid, Spain, houses a large collection of paintings, especially representative works of the period of the transition of Spanish modern art style to abstraction and surrealism. Walking into the museum, almost every exhibition hall is set up with projection and projection installations, some films tell the historical stories or creative background behind the paintings in the exhibition hall, and some are interviews with artists, helping visitors to have a deeper understanding of the creative process. At present, the museum has filmed and produced more than 1,500 video, audio and other programs, and often organizes movie viewing activities to bring art closer to more people.
Spain is one of the most active art centers in Europe. With the continuous development of digital technology, Spanish museums actively promote the digitalization of collection display and viewing modes, strengthen art research and education, and let more people learn and understand works of different art genres in a more intuitive and vivid way.
From October 2021 to January 2022, seven museums and foundations in Spain jointly promoted a digital study, collecting digital cases from world-renowned museums on the one hand, and discussing digital transformation solutions suitable for local museums with entrepreneurs, researchers, etc. on the other. Many museums have expressed the need to increase digital services to enrich the amount of information placed on social platforms and enhance interaction with audiences. Ignacy Miró, director of Culture and Science at the Caixa Bank Foundation, said that in order to adapt to the new exhibition culture and social environment, talent training is crucial. "Digital transformation should focus not only on technology, but also on the stories it builds, creating listening and connecting relationships between people and museums, and between people."
"We need to be clearer that museums are designed and served by people." Avellio Acevedo, a practitioner in the relevant industry, emphasized that the development of digitalization has shown the museum industry how to allow the general public to understand history and art in a more in-depth, whole-process and diversified way. "'Digital visitors' are not only looking for one-way access to museum collections in the digital environment, but more importantly, connecting with other participants, and sharing their interest and insights into art."
Italy –
Classical aesthetics merge with industrial aesthetics
The Montemardini Center Museum is located in an industrial area on the banks of the Tiber River in the southern suburbs of Rome, and is a characteristic museum in the style of "modern times". Behind a row of ancient Roman mythological statues in the exhibition hall is a giant diesel engine produced in 1931, and the oil stains on the fuselage are still clearly visible; In the adjacent exhibition hall, above the huge mosaic is a natural gas pipeline.
The main body of the museum building in the center of Montemardini, formerly the workshop of Rome's first municipal power plant, has been around for more than 100 years and has long supplied electricity to much of Rome. After the power plant was decommissioned in the 60s of the last century, the plant building was vacant. Until 1997, the Special Superintendent of Roman Archaeological Heritage held a large-scale exhibition entitled "Machinery and Gods" in the workshop, which attracted public attention and popularity. According to Selena Guriemi, a museum staff member at the Montemardini Center, many of Rome's precious artifacts could only be stored in the storeroom for a long time due to the lack of exhibition space in some museums, but with the success of this exhibition in 1997, antiquities managers saw the potential to transform the workshop into a museum. In 2005, the power plant was converted into a municipal public museum. Guriemi said it has given more artifacts a place to live and has preserved historical testimonies of the city's development.
The Montemardini Central Museum consists of 4 exhibition halls with an exhibition area of about 3,000 square meters, which have preserved the original structure to the greatest extent possible during the renovation. At present, most of the cultural relics in the exhibition hall are newly excavated ancient Roman architectural interiors in the past 100 years, and the exhibits are constantly expanding. The museum strives to create a suitable environment for visiting. There are many barrier-free accessways for people with disabilities, and the interactive exhibition area helps visually impaired people better understand the background of cultural relics. The museum website offers virtual tours, and high-resolution images and descriptions of the various exhibits can be found online. The museum also regularly holds "Museum Nights", inviting musicians and singers to perform and stimulate the interest of young people in art.
In Rome, which is full of antiquities and monuments, the Montemardini Center Museum is a relatively young museum and the latest attempt by the municipal administration. Nadia Agnoli, head of archaeology at the museum, said that here, classical aesthetics and industrial aesthetics are perfectly blended, reflecting the charm of Rome that blends the ancient and the modern. She said that the museum is planning to transform other areas of the power plant into cultural venues, and will explore more diverse activities and exhibition formats in the future.
Uganda -
Make museums a classroom of national culture
At the National Museum of Uganda, music lover Sarah stands in front of a display case to peruse a dazzling array of ancient musical instruments, read an introduction to the development of ancient Ugandan music, and improvise instruments for visitors to experience. Here is the music gallery of the National Museum of Uganda. Sara loves to come here on weekends to enjoy the traditional music atmosphere and play with various ethnic instruments under the guidance of the staff.
The National Museum of Uganda in the capital Kampala, founded in 1908, was one of the first museums built in the entire East African region. The museum not only collects paleontological fossils, ancient human skull fossils, etc., but also production and life exhibits such as musical instruments, clothing, hunting tools, and transportation, reflecting the development and evolution of Uganda's economy, society and culture.
"With the collision and integration of modern thinking and traditional art, museums can be transformed into 'living' cultural treasures." Lucy, the head of the museum, told reporters that in addition to permanent exhibitions, the museum also provides various free programs including demonstration classes, outreach plans and workshops, aiming to better serve the public, attract people to participate in cultural activities, and arouse people's love for national culture. For example, the museum arranges a variety of themed courses, organizes student visits, and offers a wealth of introductory lectures. "Researchers, current students and ordinary visitors can also apply to use some of the collection's objects, such as specimens and musical instruments, to bring the museum closer to the public," she said. ”
The reporter noticed that the cultural village behind the museum building is also loved by tourists. Walking into the Cultural Village, different styles of custom cottages such as Baturo House, Vendalang House, and Hima House are scattered around, showcasing different architecture and traditional lifestyles from all over Uganda. The Cultural Village also often attracts many primary and secondary schools to carry out traditional cultural education here, where students can immerse themselves in Uganda's indigenous customs, enrich their historical knowledge and absorb traditional cultural nutrients.
People's Daily (Version 15, August 14, 2023)