недеља, 29. новембар 2015.

Šime ide za Amerike (USA): Washington DC 3/4 museums + miscellaneous




Moje obećanje da ću svake nedelje da objavim po jedan blog se malo odužilo, ali evo najzad i trećeg u nizu :)
My promise that I'll write a blog entry every week has been diluted a bit, however here's the third one :)

Gledajući fotografije sa putovanja, imam osećaj da jedan deo njih nedostaje. Da li zbog toga što sam mislio da „ima vremena“, pa sam na kraju ostao bez njih, ili što sam ih slučajno obrisao, misleći da sam ih sačuvao? Snalaženje sa novim (pametnim) telefonom (za njegovog ne toliko pametnog vlasnika) je sigurno imalo svog udela u celoj priči.
Verovatno ste već iskusili poriv da fotografišete da bi ste zapamtili, posebno ako se tip koji vizuelno pamti, kao i ja. Što može da ima svoju krajnjost u putovanju radi fotografisanja, a sa malo doživljaja, tj. iskustva onoga što fotografišemo. Sa druge strane, gledajući neke fotke iz detinjstva, sećam se pojedinih životnih situacija baš i samo zahvaljujući fotografijama, jer ne mogu drugačije da ih zamislim nego što se nalaze na slici. Mogu da zamislim dotičnu situaciju kao gif, ali ne i kontekst, osećaj, mirise, i bilo koje druge događaje pored onoga koji je prikazan.

Going through my travel photos, I have a strong feeling that a part of them is missing. Because I was thinking that “there's still time” to make them, which resulted in not having them at all, or because I had accidentally erased them, while thinking they are uploaded?
You have probably been many times in a situation to take photos to remember smth, specially if you are a visual type, like me. Which can be a pretext to obsessively take photos during travel, at the expense of experiences – living what we are photographing. On the contrary, seeing some of my childhood photos, I do remember some situations just and thanks to photos, because I cannot imagine them in any other way than as they are represented. I can try to imagine a specific situation as a gif, but not the context, feelings, smells, and any other details apart from the picture.

Ako ne vidite zeca, vama trebaju naočari / If you don't see the rabbit, you are the ones who need spectacles


Posle ovog razmišljanja sa ciljem opravdanja zašto neke fotografije nećete videti, idemo u drugu virtuelnu turu po muzejima i galerijama u Vašingtonu (aka WDC).
After this reflexion, with a single aim to justify why some of the photos are not there, let's take another virtual tour of museums and galleries in Washington DC.


Jedna od kustoskinja Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), o kome sam ranije pisao, mi je rekla da su u koncipiranju istorijske postavke radili sa dizajnerima iz Diznilenda. Na prvu pomisao, muzeji i zabavni parkovi nemaju puno toga zajedničkog, ali sam se i sam uverio koliko je njihova postavka bila vizuelno dopadljiva, razrađena i interaktivna. Možda je pravo pitanje ovde to da se iskoriste pogodnosti nekog drugog polja, a u skladu sa sopstvenim načelima. Smitsonijanov prirodnjački muzej prati sličnu liniju u dizajniranju postavke, što možete da vidite u fotografijama ispod.

One of the curators of Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), I wrote about last year, told me in a conversation that they were developing the new permanent historical exhibition with Disneyland designers. Sounded strange at the beginning – what is connecting museums and theme parks, but I got to realize that their setting was visually appealing, elaborated and interactive. Maybe the right question to ask here is how we can use achievements from other fields, all in line with our own principles. Smithsonian's natural history museum is following a similar thread in the design of the exhibition setting, which you could notice on the photos below.





Da, bilo je skučenih, rekonstruisanih staništa pojedinih životinja sa živim primercima. I da, bilo je i buba – iza stakla i u rukama volontera, za „upoznavanje“. Od ogromne bubašvabe do bube-list. Sreća, sreća, radost :)

Yup, there were cramped, reconstructed habitats of certain animal species with live examples. And yes, there were bugs – behind the glass and in the hands of volunteers, to touch. From a giant cockroach to leaf-beetle :D

Prema broju ljudi koje sam video – ispred i unutar muzeja – čini mi se da je jedan od najposećenijih. Zamislite broj dece koju dovode na Beogradski sajam knjiga, samo umesto knjiga imate dinosauruse i preparirane životinje u pozadini.

According to the number of visitors – in and out of the museum – it seems to be one of the most visited ones. Imagine all the kids coming to Belgrade's Book Fair, just swap books with dinosaurs, live and stuffed animals.


Zanimljivo mi je bilo da posle dinosaurusa – jedne od definitivno najposećenijih postavki – vidim nešto što je možda bilo manje spektakularno, ali važno iz pozicije struke i ekologije. Prvo, mogli ste da vidite panele sa ilustracijama, koji su govorili o životinjama koje su: a) izumrle davno, b) u izumiranju i c) za sada, bezbedne. Posle toga, negde na razmeđi kustoskog odeljenja i postavke koja je bila zatvorena zbog rekonstrukcije, nalazila se tabla gde su kustosi i dizajneri okačili svoje planove, nacrte i ideje kako će ta nova postavka izgledati 2019. Radi se, a i zna se šta se radi!

After the dinosaurs – definitely one of the most popular exhibits – I saw smth that was maybe less spectacular, but important from a professional and ecological viewpoint. First, you could see illustrated panels, talking about animals which were: a) long gone from the planet, b) in extinction and c) for now, safe. Afterwards, somewhere between the curatorial department and a hall in reconstruction, one could find a board with plans, drafts and ideas by museum curators and designers, showing how the new setting would look like in 2019. Transparent work in progress!




Za kraj, muzej je imao i jednu privremenupostavku posvećenu Africi, sa istorijsko-društvenim fokusom, koja nas vodi na narednom muzeju.

For the very end, the museum had a temporary exhibition dedicated to Africa, with a historical-social focus, which is a perfect intro to the next museum on my list.


Dok sam pisao kustoski rad 2012, naišao sam na ovaj muzej i radovala me je činjenica da ću najzad imati prilike da ga vidim uživo, tj. van publikacija i sajta. Ugrabio sam priliku da odem ne znajući da se to popodne održavao razgovor sa nigerijskim umetnikom Bruce Onobrakpeya, čiji radovi su zastupljeni u kolekciji. Poradovalo me je što, pored tradicionalne umetnosti, imaju jedan deo posvećen i savremenoj. Posle me je jedna od kustoskinja pozvala da dođem na predstojeću izložbu, čije su postavka i otvaranje bili u punoj pripremi.

While I was writing my curatorial thesis in 2012, I found this museum in references, and was happy to finally see it in person, apart from books and Internet. I took my chance for a visit, not knowing that the same afternoon it had a talk with a Nigerian artist Bruce Onobrakpeya, present in their collection. It was a refreshment to see that, apart from traditional art, they had some contemporary too. Later on, one of the curators invited me to the next opening.


Izložba „Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue“ iz mešane kolekcije Vilijema (Bila) Kozbija Juniora i Kamile Kozbi (koja je bila prvi put javno izložbena) i dela muzejske zbirke, predstavila je tradicionalnu i savremenu afroameričku i afričku umetnosti. Iako je u to vreme Bil Kozbi bio na veoma lošem glasu zbog aktuelnih optužbi za silovanja u SAD medijima, izložba je privukla dosta posetilaca i bila usmerena ka umetnosti samoj koja nije dugovala svoj značaj javnim skandalima. Takođe, time je muzej obeležavao 50. godina postojanja.

Exhibition “Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue” from a joined collection of William H. Cosby Jr and Camille O. Cosby (exhibited for the first time) and the museum's collection, showcased traditional and contemporary Afro American and African art. Although in that time Bill Cosby was widely present in the US media due to rape accusations, the exhibition draw a lot of visitors and was dedicated to art alone, not owing its significance to public scandals. Important to note is that the museum was celebrating it's 50th anniversary.

NMAfA, Franko Khoury

NMAfA, Franko Khoury

Kasnije, intervjuisao sam kustoskinju izložbe i glavnu kustoskinju muzeja, Kristinu Mulen Krimer (Christine Mullen Kreamer) za predstojeći broj časopisa AFRIKA: Studije umetnosti i kulture, gde ćete iduće godine moći da pročitate više o samoj izložbi.

Later on, I interviewed the exhibition's curator, and the chief curator of the museum, Christine Mullen Kreamer, for the forthcoming journal AFRIKA: Studies in art and culture, where next year you could read more about it.

Muzej je nastao 1964. godine, kao privatna zbirka, koja je u kontekstu borbe za civilna prava kraja '60-tih imala cilj da podstakne razgovor između kultura. Iako muzej nema aktivistički ili oštar post/dekolonijalni pristup, mislim da je njihov angažman primetan u širenju znanja i razumevanja prema afričkom kontinentu, kroz umetnost, gde se itekako mogu razbijati predrasude i stereotipi. Kako je Kristina napomenula u intervjuu, „To su ti mali 'aha' momenti, kako ih zovemo, koji možda mogu da ohrabre dalji proces učenja, da promene mišljenje posetilaca kroz davanje izazova onome što već znaju – ili misle da znaju – o Africi. Takođe je važno da posetioci razumeju da se Afrika stalno menja...“.

The museum was founded in 1964, as a private collection, with a visible emphasis on a dialogue between cultures in the context of civil rights movement in the 1960s. Although the museum doesn't have an activist or a sharp post/decolonial approach, I think their work is notable in the dissemination of knowledge and understanding towards the African continent, through arts, where you could surely fight prejudices and stereotypes. As Christine mentioned in the interview, “These are little “aha” moment we called it that maybe encourage ongoing learning, change visitors' perspectives through challenging them about what they know – or think they know – about Africa. And it's also important for visitors to understand that Africa is continually is changing...”.

Na širem društvenom planu, mislim da je važno spomenuti da su ti meseci (druga polovina 2014.) bili obeleženi u medijima kroz incidente policijskog nasilja prema crncima, propraćenog kroz (re)akciju #BlackLivesMatter. Cela situacija je povukla kako pitanja (još uvek) prisutnog (institucionalnog) rasizma, kao i upotrebu sile i oružja policajaca. Što je najstrašnije, par nedavnih incidenata koji su dobili medijsku „popularnost“, otvorili su javnu diskusiju o svim ostalim sličnim situacijama, koje su isplivale na površinu... Više o samoj akciji možete pročitati na Wikipediji i preko Huffington Post-a koji sam najviše pratio u to vreme.

On a wider social plane, important to mention is that those months (second half of 2014) were marked in the media through police brutality towards black people, and the reaction #BlackLivesMatter. The whole situation triggered questions of (still) present (institutional) racism, as well as the use of force and weapons by the police. The horrible thing was that, after those recent incidents received media “popularity”, the discussion was opened about all other similar incidents, which surfaces out... more about it you could read on Wikipedia and Huffington post, which I was reading a lot during those days.


Stekao sam utisak da su dinosaurusi i avioni+svemirske letilice vodili „mrtvu trku“ u broju posetilaca i dece. Posvećen istoriji avijacije i „osvajanju neba“, mogli ste da vidite unutrašnjost putničkih aviona, cele avione i jednu sobu posvećenu braći Rajt (Wright) sa njihovim originalnim avionom koji je 1903. napravio prvi uspešan let.

My impression was that dinosaurs and planes+spacecrafts were having a dead heat, regarding the number of visitors and children. Dedicated to the history of aviation and “conquering the sky”, you could see many planes from the inside, whole planes and a hall dedicated to Wright brothers with their original 1903 plane.


It is a phenomenal place to be... to glance right and see the world, glance left and see the universe, and realise for a moment that you're holding to your known existence with one hand (Chris Hardfield)

We never should really call spacewalks around the Space Shuttle or space station "a walk", because you don't actually walk. It's a lot more like swimming. "Kathryn Sullivan)



Drugi deo je bio posvećen svemirskim istraživanjima – od rekonstrukcija istraživanja i nalaza sa drugih planeta, preko edukativnih filmova, do iskorišćene opreme i letilica poput Sojuza i Command Module Apollo 11 (ono u čemu su sletali na zemlju). Meni zanimljiva je bila i izložba savremene umetnosti „Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activityposvećena svemirskim „šetnjama“, čiji su autori bili i sami astronauti, sa dosta inspirativnim citatima. U to vreme sam i „otkrio“ obradu Bouvijeve Space Oddity, kanadskog astronauta Krisa Hadfilda (btw, čekirajte i njegov Ted Talk).

The second part was focused on space explorations – from reconstructed researches and findings from other planets, educative films, to original equipment and spacecrafts like Soyuz and Command Module Apollo 11 (the landing thing). For me, there was an interesting exhibition “Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity” dedicated to spacewalks, whose authors were also the astronauts themselves, with many inspiring quotes. Somewhere in that time I also “discovered” a cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity, by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield (btw, check his Ted talk too).

Za kraj o Smitsonijanu, posetite njihov online časopis / to conclude with the Smithsonian, see their online magazine:

Da baš ne bi ispalo da su sve izložbene institucije = Smitsonijan, evo nekoliko i drugih mesta koje sam obišao.
Avoiding to equalize my visit to art institutions with Smithsonian, here are a couple of other spaces I visited.

Jedini kulturni centar sam posetio u samom mestu gde sam živeo, u Arlingtonu, bio je nažalost pred zatvaranjem, iako mi se činio kao jako zanimljiv i aktivan umetnički prostor. Formirana od strane Arlington public arts, ova kupolasta građevina je u sebi imala par izložbenih prostora, prostor za izlaganje air (artist in residence) umetnika, lobi sa besplatnim internetom, višenamensku salu.

The only cultural center I visited in the very place I was living in, in Arlington, was near its closure, although it seemed as a very interesting and active art space. Formed by Arlington public arts, this dome-shaped building had a couple of exhibition spaces, artist in residence (air), lobby with free wifi and a multipurpose hall. 

Znao bih ko je umetnik da im nisu totalno skinuli i sajt... I don't know who the artist is, since their website was shut down...
 

U galeriji gostujućeg umetnika sam upoznao umetnicu Elsabé Dixon, poreklom iz Južnoafričke republike, sa projektom „LIVE / LIFE: Discussions on Living Environments“ posvećenom životnom ciklusu svilenih buba. Drugim rečima, tokom jesenjih i zimskih meseci, mogli ste da vidite jajašca, gusenice, čaure, bube i ponovo jajašca, koji su poslužili kao baza (ili „saradnici“) za formiranje instalacija na zidovima i podu. Od recikliranih materijala – iz domaćinstava, kao i nus-produkta transformacija svilenih buba, Elsabé je postepeno razvijala postavku, zajedno sa susretima i saradnji sa posetiocima, umetnicima i naučnicima, koji su dolazili na izložbu i na takozvane tea talks. Izložba je bila istinski rad u toku, zasnovana na dostupnim mogućnostima i spontanim interakcijama. I ja sam bio gost na par „čajanki“, gde sam i upoznao gosta Kustosiranja #32, Donalda Rasela (Donald Russel).

In the air space, I met the artist Elsabé Dixon, born in South Africa, which was developing her project “LIVE / LIFE: Discussions on Living Environments” dedicated to the life cycle of silk bugs. On other words, during autumn and winter months, you could see eggies, worms, cocoons, moths and eggies again, which served as a basis (or “collaborators”) in forming wall and floor installations. From recycled materials – domestic, as well as by-products of silk bugs' transformation, Elsabé was gradually developing the setting, together with meetings and collaboration with visitors, artists and scientists, who were invited to the exposition and “tea talks”. This truly work in progress exhibition, was grounded on available posibitlities and spontaneous interactions. I was also one of the tea talks guests, where I met About and Around Curating #32 guest, Donald Russel.







Učeći španski jezik, skenirao sam mogućnosti da se malo više približim (acercarme) umetnosti i kulturi Latinske Amerike. Na sasvim drugom delu grada, nalazi se Meksički kulturni institut, koji sam obišao u par navrata, uključujući i za Dan mrtvih, o kome će biti reči u sledećem blogu.

Learning Spanish, I was scanning possibilities to get closer (acercarme) to the arts and culture of Latin America. On the opposite part of the city, there's the Mexican Cultural Institute which I visited a couple of times, including for the Day of the Dead, which will be the topic of my next entry. 

Budućnost je prostor, prostor boja zemlja, boja oblaka, boja vode, vazduha, crni prostor za puno snova, beli prostor za sav sneg, za svu muziku... / The future is space, space color earth, color of clouds, color of water, air, black space for many dreams, white space for all snow, for all music... (Pablo Neruda)




U skladu sa prvo revolucionarnom, a zatim i zvaničnom državnom umetnošću koja je obeležila prvu polovinu XX veka u Meksiku (muralismo), institut je iznutra ukrašen muralima koji govore o istoriji, kulturi i običajima, prateći stepenice. Istinski uvod u ono što vas čeka u Meksiko sitiju. Takođe, dobro mesto da pokupite brošure o studijama i pojedine časopise na španskom jeziku.
Ovde sam bio na razgovoru sa meksičkim umetnikom Alejandrom Pintadom, gde sam upoznao koleginicu Veselu Sretenović, zahvaljujući kojoj sam otkrio još jedan zanimljiv muzej koji sledi.

According to initially revolutionary, and later official state art which marked the first half of the 20th century in Mexico (muralism), the institute is decorated from the inside by murals telling the story of history, culture and customs, following the stairways. It is a good introduction to what awaits you in Mexico City. Also, it is a good spot to find brochures on studies and some magazines in Spanish language.
Here I attended a talk with Mexican artist Alexandro Pintado, where I also met a colleague Vesela Sretenović, thanks to whom I discovered another interesting museum, which follows.

Par mesta koje sam obišao, ali za koje više nažalost nemam fotografije, a zaslužuju da se spomenu, su:
A couple of places I visited, but lacking photos, deserving to be mentioned, are:

Prvi muzej moderne umetnosti u SAD, pri tome privatan, osnovan od strane kolekcionara Dankana Filipsa, nalazi se blizu Dupont circle, na severu WDC. Ukoliko vas zanima ovaj umetnički period, pored Nacionalne galerije umetnosti i delimično Muzeja američke umetnosti (SI), ovo je prava adresa za vas.

The first museum of modern art in the US, and a private one, was founded by the collector Duncan Phillips, located near Dupont circle, on the northern part of DC. If you are interested in this art period, apart from the National Gallery of Art and partially American Art Museum (SI), this is the best address for you.

Spolja i iznutra, podeljen je u dve zgrade – staru i novu, koje su međusobno povezane. Stari deo je privatna kuća Filipsa, u kojoj se nalazi deo kolekcije, koji ponajviše odiše kolekcionarskim šmekom privatnog (i bogatog) doma, s mirisom starine i drvenarije. U novoj zgradi se nalazi knjižara/prodavnica i nekoliko galerija; okolo zgrade se ponekad nalaze instalacije, a u bašti i Centar za proučavanje moderne umetnosti. Bio sam na otvaranju obimne izložbe “Human Equations” o Man Ray, koja je imala naglašeni matematički aspekt i šekspirovski njegovog stvaralaštva, a opet u konverzaciji sa manjom izložbom do, namenjenom savremenim umetnicima, u kojoj se nalazila izložba umetnika Hiroshi-ja Sugimoto-a.

Outside and inside, it is divided inti two buildings – old and new one. The old building was the collectors' private house, where a part of the original collection is located, which for the most part has a feeling of a private (and rich) home, with the smell of antiquity and woodwork. The new building has a (book)store and several exhibition spaces; around the building one can sometimes find installations, while the garden is the location of the Center for the Study of Modern Art. I attended a vast exhibition “Human Equations” on Man Ray's art, with a mathematic and Shakespearian focus, which was also in a conversation with a small nearby exhibition, dedicated to contemporary artist, by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto.

Moja otkrića / my discoveries in this museum:
Rothko Room (meditativna, koja skoro da ima utisak kapele / meditative, almost a chapel-feeling)
Laib Wax Room (napravljena od voska sa neverovatno jakim mirisom / made from way, with a great smell)
Migration series – Jacob Lawrence (više nego aktuelna tema i posle 70-tak godina / an urging theme, even after 70 years)


Dalje na severo-zapadu, na putu ka Američkom univerzitetu, obišao sam vašingtonsku katedralu, koja se izgleda nalazi u oblasti crkava i hramova.

Further on the north-western part of the city, toward the American University, I saw the Washington cathedral, which is located in a seemingly church-and-temple area.

Dotični univerzitet poseduje sopstveni muzej, koji prati umetničko odeljenje univerziteta, kao i Katzen arts center koji izlaže dosta savremenih umetnika. Bio sam na izložbi „Gods of War!“ i prezentaciji rada umetnice Filis Pletner (Phyllis Plattner), istovremeno i profesorke fakulteta, čiji me je rad podsetio malo na pseudo-ikone Aleksandra Todorovića. Preuzimajući pojedine vizuelne kodove, stil i detalje srednjevekovnih, renesansnih i baroknih sekularnih i religioznih slika, komentariše savremeno društvo i propituje religiozni fanatizam, odnosno opravdanost i vezanost religije i nasilja. Opet u kontekstu Meksika, deo rada čine lutkice koje prikazuju revolucionarne Zapatiste inkorporirane u hrišćanskim predstavama.

The mentioned uni has a museum of its own, which accompanies the department of art, as well as the Katzen Arts Center focused mainly on contemporary arts. I visited „Gods of War!“ exhibition and the presentation of artist Phyllis Plattner, also uni's professor, whose work reminded me a bit on the pseudo-icons of Aleksandar Todorović. Appropriating several visual codes, style and details of religious Christian paintings (Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque), she comments the contemporary society and questions religious fanaticism, ie justification and connectedness of religion and violence. Again in the context of Mexico, a part of her ouevre are revolutionary Zapatista dolls (some info here), incorporated into Christian vidsual vocabulary.

Idući blog završava WDC i načinje Meksiko :)
Next blog is both a closing of WDC and introducing Mexico :)

Za kraj, moja prijateljica Jax (nisam je spominjao ranije?), sekcija „razno“ i Thievery Corporation kao muzička pozadina.
At the end, my friend Jax, “miscellaneous” section and another local band – Thievery Corporation.

Jax

Jax




Lokalna vatrogasna stanica / Local fire station (?)

RIP Lou Reed (1942-2013)

Moj Japan / My Japan



Slika Lazara Vujaklije u Srpskoj ambasadi / Lazar Vujaklija's painting in the Serbian embassy

Opet vatrogasci / Firefighters again


Porasla mi je kosa / My hair was long... or high

Ne šišati...

...Ili šišati?

Diskusija na španskom - za ili protiv abortusa / Spanish discussion - abortion or prolife

Arlington park
Ovo me je podsetilo na Senjak - ne pitajte zašto, ne znam!

I, da, pokušavao sam da kuvam! Da vam napravim malo zazubice ;P 
Oh, yes, forgot to mention that I was trying to cook! Is your saliva already working? ;)





Нема коментара:

Постави коментар