On September 9, at the site of the multimedia press center of the MIA "Russia Segodnya", an international online discussion was held on the topic: "Museums of the World: New Online and Offline Reality", organized by the Okko multimedia service. The event was attended by representatives of leading museums in Europe and Russia. The discussion was moderated by art critic Federica Rossi.
According to a study by UNESCO and the International Council of Museums (ICOM), almost 90% of museums, or more than 85,000 institutions, closed their doors for various periods of time during the crisis. Their return to life happened with lightning speed due to online formats.
On the air, the panelists discussed how museums coped with the forced closure, what projects were implemented during the pandemic, what non-standard formats of interaction with the audience became the new reality of high art, and how museums around the world unite their efforts in returning visitors.
Alena Vladimirovna Vinokurova, curator of cultural projects of the Okko multimedia service: “The Art Online project, created in partnership with Sberbank, was conceived as a temporary response to the surrounding reality. The global audience interest demonstrated during the closure of cultural institutions was the catalyst for the launch of entirely new formats for presenting culture online. The new reality has formed a trend towards thoughtful consumption of art, in connection with which we are planning further joint projects with museums and about museums, along with the Tretyakov Gallery with Cord, the Tretyakov Gallery with Khabensky and the Opening of Museums project, which gives the opportunity to free online viewing. tours of the world's largest museums in Ultra HD 4K format, created by the Nexo Digital film company."
Moderator of the meeting, Federica Rossi, art critic and architectural historian (University of Florence, Max Planck Institute in Florence). began the conversation with an excursion into the history of the development of museums: “Since the appearance of museums in the modern sense of the word, they have never been a constant, changing over time. Previously, the replication of art took place through reproductions, copies, prints, and later through photographs. Online today offers unprecedented opportunities for acquaintance and study of art, which we get from being at home. Multimedia technology has made art globally accessible, which raises the question of the true authenticity and value of a work of art again.
Representatives of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after V. I. A. S. Pushkin, Central Exhibition Hall "Manege" (St. Petersburg) and Pinakothek Brera.
Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage: “Offline is becoming a luxury. Sites should prepare people before visiting the museum, then they will slowly, calmly read the museum. Through our networking, all of our visitors should be prepared. By combining online and offline, we can ensure museum accessibility in the best possible sense of the word.”
Director of the Pushkin Museum. A. Pushkina, Marina Devovna Loshak assessed the new reality: “The world will not be the same, but I think this is good news. We could not have imagined that he would change so much. Those of our wonderful viewers, with whom we intellectually, deeply communicate within the virtual space, are already accustomed to us in the online format. And we try to do everything to make them comfortable and interesting at home. The most important thing is that we succeed”.
Maria Anatolyevna Dmitrenko, Head of Information and Communication Service, Russian Museum: “Over the past time of active work on our Internet resources, we have noticed that we have our own, to a much greater extent than before, regular visitors who are waiting for the continuation, which have become our friends. The degree of user engagement has become even brighter, deeper and broader than it was. Having joined our channels, people strive to visit the museum live, to reinforce and replenish the knowledge that many of them already have. It is gratifying that in such a difficult time we were able to implement a number of large-scale inter-museum online projects."
James Bradburn, CEO of the Pinakothek Brera and Bridense National Library (Milan): “The crisis was a defining moment in the life of museums because it made us accelerate. Online is becoming not just a supplement to a visit to a museum and not a substitute for a real visit, but provides an experience that is equal to that. In digital format, you can see works of art in very great detail, in a museum this is impossible. Now online is becoming a very important, not secondary, but identical to offline format. This gives us the opportunity to make a revolution. The pandemic actually gave us the key to all museums."
Pavel Sergeevich Prigara, General Director of the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall (St. Petersburg): “The past time has not given us any new ways of interacting with the audience. It only expanded this audience, in a sense, equalizing the inhabitants of the whole world who have access to multimedia, giving them equal access to museums. Now there is a feeling that museums should be more focused on an attentive viewer, on a local audience that is able to return to the museum halls from time to time and conduct a constant dialogue”.
Brandon Sieko, CEO of IT startup Cuseum (Boston, USA), shared information on the changing demand for digital projects from museums: “According to estimates, covid-19 has accelerated digitalization by almost 6 years. Those who set digital technologies as their priority in the development were slightly ahead, but it was the pandemic that acted as the stressful factor that forced to attract all possible resources. Organized chaos has proven to be essential for the emergence of new content that can meet the growing demand for culture that has arisen over the years. As a technology company, we are faced with new challenges in attracting audiences and finding new revenue streams for museums.”
The panellists highly appreciated the importance of global international partnership in modern realities, voicing current plans for exhibition activities and exchange of collections, and the role of online as an equal participant in the popularization of high art.
The discussion was also broadcast on the humanitarian website.
educational project of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The full recording of the discussion is available online.
