How to get to the “Night at the Museum”: the three most intense routes. Promotion "Night of Museums" ("Night at the Museum")
photo by Maya Simakina Out of time and space. How the “Night of Museums” took place in Moscow “Great objects of art are great only because they are accessible and understandable to everyone.” Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy.
Over the past two centuries, this statement of the great Russian writer has been absolutely true. Now, perhaps, I would argue.
In the third millennium, the very definition of “art” has become so blurred that it is already difficult to find the very line where art ends and science or computer technology begins. It is no longer enough for a modern viewer to simply walk through quiet halls and silently contemplate the masterpieces of world painting or architecture. The modern viewer wants action, he wants to be a participant in the process. See art, hear art, be part of this very art.
This year I spent the “Night of Museums” in the capital and walked through three completely different museum sites. Evening gradually turning into night. Sleepy rainy morning. Three museums: MARS Center for Contemporary Art, New Tretyakov Gallery and Artplay Design Center. The future is already here
The MARS Center for Contemporary Art is perhaps one of the most unusual museum venues. Fundamentally new art formats are presented here: audiovisual art, video art, video installations, digital art and VR art (virtual reality). On the “Night of Museums,” MARS delighted with a “space” program and a DJ set from the fashionable Russian trumpeter Maxim Pustovit.
Despite the tight timing, I spent two unforgettable hours in MARS. See the world through the eyes of an alien? Find yourself on another planet? Find out what neural networks look like? The impossible becomes possible thanks to the Generative Gallery exhibition.
Seven works of digital artists from around the world in video projection format. Seven meditative, mesmerizing, completely transforming projects.
A “living” audiovisual essence is how the artists defined the main idea of the exhibition. It can exist simultaneously in different places, uniting artists and viewers anywhere in the world.
Who said that a painting has to be two-dimensional? On canvas? In frame? Is the image flat? Completely optional.
The exhibition “Virtual Mirrors of Konstantin Khudyakov” presents works with a 3D effect. Strange, whimsical compositions, voluminous and glowing in the dark, come to life in the mirrors when you approach them. Do you think that creating your own virtual avatar is something out of science fiction? No no and one more time no. At the exhibition “My Virtual Sculpture” everyone can become an artist in virtual space and create their own sculpture.
We put on a virtual reality helmet, step over the laser grid (it doesn’t hurt at all, but a little creepy at first), go to the red dot and.. see ourselves. You are in the matrix. You and your virtual sculpture. I really wanted to stay in the “future” a little longer, listen to space sets, but I had to move on.
“Eternal classics” adjusted for time and trends.
The next cultural stop was the New Tretyakov Gallery. As the capital's media noted, this year on the “Night of Museums” the New Tretyakov Gallery set a record attendance, surpassing even the results of the “old” Tretyakov Gallery. It is noted that the museum on Krymsky Val was visited by more than 10 thousand people. So what attracted you to what seemed to be one of the most conservative museum sites in the capital? And the fact that she has long ceased to be conservative.
The museum has become much more modern, more understandable for the mass of young viewers. That ominous silence characteristic of old-school museums was replaced by a noisy, young crowd animatedly discussing the exhibitions. In the courtyard of the museum, hip-hop and r'n'b tracks were playing, young guys were dancing.
The New Tretyakov Gallery pleased us with an interesting cultural program for the whole family. For children - workshops and master classes, for adults - a talk show about the culture of the 2000s with the participation of Denis Simachev, Andrey Bartenev and Tatyana Gevorkyan. The Tretyakov Gallery specially prepared an exhibition dedicated to the art of the 2000s for the event. The exhibition brought together completely different works from numerous styles and genres. From the large-scale canvases of Vinogradov and Dubossarsky with echoes of socialist realism, deliberately exaggerated and slightly absurd, to the wax Anna Kournikova jumping under a glass bell.
Monumental painting, strange art objects, graffiti, photographs - everything mixed in a slightly chaotic, but accurately reflecting the original culture of the first ten of the new millennium. On the eve of one of the expected events of 2018 - the World Cup - the Tretyakov Gallery organized an exhibition dedicated to sports in art, “Football and More.” The exhibition features works by famous Soviet artists and sculptors such as Alexander Deineka and Joseph Chaikov, who were passionate sports fans.
Soviet football players, hockey players, gymnasts. Slender, athletic athletes and basketball players. Strict statics and flexible dynamics. Closer to midnight, satisfied spectators, having received a powerful “cultural” charge, began to go home. Statistics don't lie, the numbers speak for themselves. More than 10 thousand visitors per “night” and most of them are those who have not yet turned 40. Make it in two hours
Morning has come and my night of museums is not over yet. The next cultural station was the Artplay design center.
Three multimedia exhibitions in one bottle. In two hours, the works of impressionist and modernist artists, the great and terrible Bosch and an explosive mixture of paintings by famous artists, seasoned with the psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud, float before your eyes.
What attracts the modern viewer to the format of multimedia exhibitions?
The secret is simple. You sit, lounging on a bean bag chair, and they show you, and in some places they also tell you. You can eat popcorn, drink coffee and take selfies, while at the same time paintings by famous artists float spectacularly on the screen, and even with musical accompaniment.
The characters on the canvases come to life. Degas's ballerinas whirl in dance, the abstract geometry of Kandinsky and Malevich becomes dynamic and three-dimensional, and Bosch's crazy world becomes clearer when it becomes possible to examine the triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights” in great detail.
Among the huge variety of formats, styles, genres and trends in art, every viewer can choose the art that catches and inspires, relaxes and makes you think, and expands the boundaries of the conscious and subconscious.
And as one of the great philosophers rightly noted: “Art is like nature. If you don't let it in the door, it will come in the window."
The idea of the holiday arose in the 1970s, when in Europe museums traditionally opened their doors to free admission in order to attract visitors who would certainly return to the museum they liked, having already bought a ticket. Then this action was called “Spring of Museums” and took place, as now, on May 18, International Museum Day. In 1997 in Berlin, this tradition was resumed in a slightly transformed form - in order to increase the attractiveness of the city for tourists and was called the “Long Night of Museums” (Lange Nacht der Museen).
At the beginning, only a couple of dozen museums participated in it. But the first “night” was a great success and the following year another 20 cities in Germany joined the action. Over time, the Long Night of Museums acquired the character of a festival that was constantly gaining momentum. Now the Long Night in Berlin is held twice a year and attracts many spectators.
At the end of the 19th century, here in Berlin, a unique museum center was built, the so-called “island of museums”: several powerful buildings in the classic style for different collections. By that time, German archeology (and to this day perhaps the strongest in the world) had accumulated untold wealth: entire temples from Babylon, hundreds of Egyptian mummies, masterpieces of ancient architecture, and it already had its own history.
But over time, museums ceased to arouse certain interest among visitors. Exhibitions began to be associated with routine, boredom and the dust of time.
Then museum staff decided to show visitors other museums - a kind of entertaining and cultural event. The Long Night of Museums was intended to do more than just show historical, archaeological or pictorial collections.
In addition to the usual tours of existing exhibitions, the city's exhibition grounds prepared a special night program for spectators: concerts, lectures, musical performances, theatrical performances, film screenings, readings, performances, master classes, and art workshops open to the public.
Having turned into a tradition, the festival subsequently became a pan-European project and is held annually not only in Germany, but also in many European countries. One of the fundamental goals is to familiarize people with, attract and interest the cultural heritage of the world.
The annual event received its modern name in 2005: the French proposed making the museum and exhibition event “Night of Museums” international, and in the same year this idea was approved by the Council of Europe. The action is supported by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and is held under the patronage of the Council of Europe.
In 2005, 750 museums in France and 500 museums in Europe took part in the event. In the same year, Belarus also joined the world.
Already in 2006, more than 2 thousand museums from 38 countries of the world became participants in the project. On the 30th anniversary of the Long Night of Museums in Berlin (January 28, 2012), regularly held for 15 years, the organizers welcomed the honorary millionth visitor.
In 2009, 2,300 museums in Europe, including France and Russia, are already participating in the action. In Russia, more than 100 art organizations (federal, city and private museums and galleries) take part in the “Night at the Museum” event. The events varied in size: some were large, and some were intended for 20-30 people, and you need to register for them in advance.
Every year, each museum tries to create its own special cultural event - an opportunity to communicate with friends and art in an informal setting.
Many Moscow museums also opened their doors to visitors the night before, reports MIR 24 correspondent Elizaveta Generalova.
People were queuing at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts before dark. After all, the main theme of this year’s event is “Masterpieces from the Vaults.” Visitors to the exhibition were able to see things that were previously hidden in storage. For example, the sculpture “God Vishnu with those coming,” an engraving by Katsushika Hokusai, as well as the painting “Flight into Egypt” by Bartolome Esteban Murillo.
It was possible not only to admire the masterpieces from the storerooms, but also to learn their history. Special lectures were given by museum staff.
“In particular, I will be presenting a painting by the 17th century Spanish artist Murillo. She was exhibited in the Hermitage, Catherine bought her. Purely artistically, it is the final accent in Murillo’s work, since it is one of the master’s later works,” says Svetlana Zagorskaya, deputy head of the department of art of old masters of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.
Members of the club of young art critics introduced the guests to the permanent exhibition. “I’m very interested in working with people, telling them something new about historical events, works of art,” says Victoria Spasenova, a member of the club of young art historians.
For this night, each museum prepared its own cultural program. While schoolchildren are conducting excursions in Pushkinsky, literally across the road, in the galleries of Ilya Glazunov, a ball is taking place.
Here you could immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the 19th century and, together with the participants of the historical reconstruction club, get acquainted with the rules of court etiquette. Everyone was also able to learn to dance the waltz, polonaise, mazurka and quadrille.
“I flew from the USA. I was very lucky to get to the Night of Museums. It’s great that here you can dance and get acquainted with the work of Russian artists,” says the tourist.
In Moscow, about 200 venues joined the “Night of Museums” event. Some of them had queues of many kilometers long. For example, in order to learn about the history of medicine, people were willing to wait at the entrance for four hours.
Under the guidance of medical students, one could perform a craniotomy with one’s own hands, sew up a wound and amputate a limb.
Visitors trained not only on dummies, but also on animal body parts. Overnight, three pigs became patients in the makeshift operating room.
“You can almost feel like a doctor from any era. Here we have a plague barber, a cabinet of curiosities, and 19th-century models showing various skin diseases. The pharmacy is medieval, where visitors prepare their own medicines,” says Konstantin Pashkov, head of the department of history of medicine at the Evdokimov Museum.
The guides admitted that this part of the exhibition is not for the faint of heart: two visitors fainted from what they saw. But they definitely had unforgettable impressions from this “Night of Museums”.
Since 2005, a cultural event has been held in Moscow "Night at the Museum", in which more and more museums, galleries and exhibition halls take part every year. This action is dedicated to the Day of Cultural and Historical Heritage.
So May 18 will become the most “museum” day of the year: from 10:00 to 18:00 Moscow will celebrate Cultural Heritage Day. Then - until midnight - the city-wide event "Night at the Museum" will take place in the capital.
On this night you can visit places you haven’t been able to get to for a long time, see unusual museum events, listen to concerts and take part in master classes. On the day of the event, most cultural sites are open until 24:00. Admission to institutions that will take part in the museum night is free.
And although Night at the Museum is more suitable for young people and adults, some participants prepared special programs for children and family audiences. Here are just a few of these events:
The review opens with the Moscow Zoo, which traditionally invites adults and children to spend a “Night at the Zoo”. The zoo has prepared a program dedicated to its 155th anniversary, during which guests can attend the lecture “Animals - Heroes of Fairy Tales.” She will talk about fairy-tale characters and their real prototypes. After the lecture, guests will enjoy the interactive program “What is a Zoo?”, where in a playful way children will learn about the function of the zoo and what the zoo’s collection is and how it is formed. Everyone will be able to take a walking tour of the zoo’s territory “When Night Falls” and watch how the animals prepare for bed.
Event time: 18:00-22:00.
Participation with a ticket to the zoo.
The State Darwin Museum invites night owls, lovers of all life on earth, and promises them neither more nor less - to open a “Barbershop for Bulbul”. The museum presents animals, birds and even reptiles with long, multi-colored, lush beards, mustaches, and crests. In addition, here you can attend the lesson “The World under the Microscope”, visit the interactive exhibition “Walk the Path of Evolution” and the educational center “Know Yourself - Know the World”, see new exhibitions, take part in the opening of the season on the roof and complete the quest “Invasion of intelligence".
Event time: 18:00 - 24:00
Free admission.
The Biological Museum will take part in the night event. Especially for this evening he prepared a program dedicated to microbes.
Museum guests will be treated to permanent exhibitions and ongoing exhibitions. Parents with children will be able to listen to the presentation “Glowing Microworld”, take part in the master class “Microbes with your own hands” and the lesson “Micromonsters”, see real predators from the plant world and the exhibition “Supermicrobes. The struggle for life”, “Our common home: the nature of Moscow”, “Such an extraordinary ordinary turtledove”, “Darwin. Life in portraits”, “The Pereslavskys were: Lake Pleshcheyevo National Park”, “Almost like people” and “Walking across three seas”.
Cost of the master class "Microbe with your own hands": 150 rubles.
Cost of the lesson "Micromonsters": 200 rubles.
Entrance to the museum is free.
The “animal theme” at the museum night is supported by the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, which invites children and their parents to its “behind the scenes” - on unique excursions through the closed areas of the museum.
The quest “Skeletons” will take place in the Bone Hall of the museum. Bulgakov's mystery." Lectures “The Best” and “Monster Ball” will be held at the Biolecture Hall. The premiere of "Night" is the excursion "Zoology in the history of the Russian state", during which guests will be told about animals in the historical symbols and heraldry of the Russian state.
The events will take place from 18.00 to 24.00.
Some events are available for a fee.
Entrance to the museum is free.
You can spend a space museum night at the Cosmonautics Museum. Here you can take sightseeing tours of the exhibition; exhibitions “Backstage of star heroes through the lens of Valentin Cheredintsev”, “Rocket Masters”, “Satellite Communications. On Earth and in Space" and "Oleg Gazenko. Notes from a space doctor"; and end the evening with poetry about space in the museum’s cinema hall.
The events will take place from 18.00 to 24.00.
Entrance to the museum is free.
However, if the nightly purpose of the visit is driven solely by spiritual food, then the “gourmets” have a night program at Kolomenskoye. Here, in the Kazan Garden, a street festival dedicated to the flowering of the royal gardens, “White Night in Kolomenskoye,” will take place. Thematic areas combined into a quest will be located in different parts of the garden. To complete it, guests need to visit several gaming areas, participate in competitions and master classes. After completing all tasks, participants receive a prize. In the royal palace you can see historical miniatures. And here you can take part in the detective investigation “Who lived in Kolomenskoye in the Iron Age.”
Time: 19:00-23:00.
Free admission.
The Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve prepared a large night concert program. Performances will take place simultaneously at different venues of the museum. The dance performance “Improvisation in the Museum” will take place in the Atrium of the Bread House. Participants in the action will move from hall to hall, telling their story and the history of the Place through choreography. The evening will end with a tour of “Tsaritsyno at Night” through the central palace part of the architectural complex.
Time: 18:00-23:30.
Admission with free tickets.
The night program at the Kuskovo estate will begin with sightseeing tours. Guests will have the opportunity to see the exhibitions “Portrait Gallery of the Kuskovo Estate” and “Collection of A.V. Morozova. Porcelain, ceramics, glass” in the Big Stone Greenhouse, as well as a new project “The Past in the Present. To the 100th anniversary of the Kuskovo Estate Museum" in the Hermitage pavilion. Young visitors will be able to go on a quest journey through the architectural and park ensemble and test their knowledge in the “History in Faces” quiz at the exhibition “Portrait Gallery of the Kuskovo Estate”. The evening will conclude with a musical program.
Time: 18:00-23:00.
Admission with free tickets.
On May 19, in the evening and at night, the State Museum of A.S. will open its doors to visitors. Pushkin and its branches. In the special program: free admission to the main exhibition, exhibitions and events.
In museums you can visit exhibitions, excursions “...the fire contributed a lot to its decoration...” and “A.S. Pushkin and his era”, watch the film “The Soul of Pushkin”. And in the house-museum of I.S. Turgenev will host an interactive program “Mysterious Turgenev” based on the works of the writer.
The action starts at 18:00.
Free admission.
Night exploration of “book” topics can be continued in the branches of the State Literary Museum. There is something for everyone - the program includes many excursions and lectures, book presentations, film screenings and performances. From 18:00 you can get acquainted with the exhibitions of apartments and houses-museums of writers for free.
Thus, in the Silver Age Museum, visitors will be invited to attend excursions around the museum and the “Songs of the Motherland” concert. In the museum-apartment of A.N. Tolstoy's children and parents will be able to watch funny interludes in the spirit of friends of Max Voloshin's house, who called themselves "stupid people." During an interactive tour of the Prishvin Museum, everyone will receive a note from the writer and solve the museum charade by answering a questionnaire about the museum. For the wittiest answer you can receive a memorable prize.
Starts at 18:00.
Free admission.
According to tradition, the Bulgakov House will be open the longest on this Night. His daily program includes: presentation of a new walking tour “Margarita’s Mansions”. Next, guests will enjoy: free tours of the museum, excursions on Tram 302-BIS, a performance by the musical theater “Operetta on Taganka,” night walking and bus excursions.
Time: from May 18, 14.30 to May 19, 06.00.
Entrance to the museum is free. For some events, pre-registration is required.
For those who decided to celebrate "Night at the Museum" not in Moscow, welcome to the museums of the Moscow region. This night could not be ignored, in particular, by the Serpukhov Historical and Art Museum.
In the children's program: excursions for the little ones “Adventures of a pencil”, “Let's go to the museum. The world around us", "Let's go to the museum. Fine Arts" and master class "Kargopol Toy". Here you can also draw on the asphalt and enjoy a musical installation. The museum invites adult visitors to theater excursions.
Event times: 12.00-24.00
Entrance to the museum is free.
Of course, in a review it is difficult to cover all the events that will take place in cultural institutions of our city on Museum Night. More detailed information, which is updated daily, can be found
