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   Lack of culture is a characteristic
of our time The Director of the Hermitage told an AiF Petersburg correspondent about scandals and provocations - Scandals in the cultural sphere are, of course, the curse of Saint Petersburg, says Mikhail Piotrovsky. But lately there have been more and more scandals around the Hermitage itself. First there were attempts by activists to prohibit certain exhibits in the museum, and just recently legislative assembly member Milonov proposed conducting a prayer “of all confessions” in the Winter Palace in honor of the 400-year anniversary of the Romanov house. On the front lines - I get proposals like that every year, there is nothing new about it. Of course, we won’t permit any prayers in the Winter Palace. As for Palace Square, have at it. I wrote to Milonov that the idea of prayers does not fit with the Hermitage’s plans and policy. We have a program for the creation of a system of ceremonial events that can be held in the Winter Palace. On December 25th, the day when the French were driven out of Russia, an honor guard carried out the old banners and prayers were held. When we restore the Great Church of the Winter Palace, in honor of the Romanov family, we will place personal items and exhibit pieces connected with their religious life there. Scandals in the cultural sphere are, of course, the curse of Petersburg, and its pride; critical problems are always resolved here. In Moscow, money tends to smooth things over, and in Petersburg conflicts always get sharper. We are at the center of the harshest battles between good and evil. AiF-Petersburg: Why do you think it is that the recent period has seen all of the so-called “defenders of morality,” the Cossacks and the orthodox becoming so active? - You shouldn’t bring the Cossacks into this! They’ll be offended. The Cossack movement is important in Russia, there is even a Cossack Council, which my deputy, Georgiy Vilinbakhov, is a member. The “pseudo-Cossacks” have nothing to do with the real thing. And priests say that when they talk to “pseudo-orthodox” their hair stands on end for how ignorant they are. We live in a virtual world, and “virtual images” have emerged, which have an active existence in informational space. This is a characteristic of our time, when the desire to create provocation shapes many people’s actions. A lack of culture is a given today, the task culture sets for people is to change that situation. The most important thing is for people to start thinking and contemplating. A sense of dignity AiF-Petersburg: How much has Petersburg’s image abroad suffered due to those scandals? - People’s conception of the city has not really been spoiled. They ask lots of foolish questions in the west. The image of “gangster Petersburg” produced by the same city has spoiled much more than the issues with sexual minorities and cultural scandals. In reality, the more news, the better. After all, there aren’t that many people that are interested in Russia, and in Petersburg in particular. The people we care about know what kind of city it is. AiF-Petersburg: What threats to culture are emerging aside from the “struggle for morality?” - Privatization and the extensive redistribution of property and power that are going on everywhere. A museum is the only institution in the country that has preserved its public dignity and has not allowed itself to be privatized. So there’s a tasty morsel left. We are threatened by raiders. Of course, that was always the case, but it is especially true now. AiF-Petersburg: To what extent do museums help to form a national idea? - Our national idea is the preservation of a sense of our own historical dignity. I like that way of putting it more than the word “patriotism.” It is museums that preserve cultural dignity. AiF-Petersburg: What does the government “gain” by supporting culture? - In order for a country to compete in the contemporary world, it needs to have a very high level of culture. That means that the government has to support it. Otherwise it will lose respect. What the authorities directly receive from culture is tranquility in society and the production of good ideas. A lot of government documents have recently come out that mention museums. But the most important of them deal with how much the number of visitors ought to grow. How many museum workers must be laid off? The tendency to view culture as part of leisure is growing stronger and stronger. It is difficult to find precise criteria for the success of museums. But global practice shows that the most important thing is not the number of visitors, but active engagement in society by museums. Matryoshka nesting dolls are forbidden AiF-Petersburg: Why can’t we get a law about patronage of the art made? Are they afraid that swindlers will use it to get out of paying their taxes? - We don’t need a special law about patronage of the arts. We just need to change two or three clauses in the Tax Code. Some changes have already been made. For example, starting on January 1st there is a tax cut for private individuals that give money to cultural institutions. There isn’t one for corporations yet. Since there are a lot of swindlers in Russia, it makes sense that the authorities are afraid that they will cheat in this area too. Our position is simple; let them sneak around, so long as they give us the money. But the way, special laws on patronage of the arts are quite rare around the world, they only have them in America and Canada. A tax deduction has only just been instituted in France. AiF-Petersburg: Problems are emerging with the process of transferring museum rarities to the Church. Is the dispute between the Hermitage and the Alexander Nevsky Monastery still ongoing? - The headstone of Alexander Nevsky must stay in the Hermitage. Let the government, which looted churches and melted down a huge amount of church items make a copy for the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. But if there are wonder-working icons in museums, then their place is in the church. Relics should also be in the church. A few years ago, the Hermitage entered into negotiations about how to return the relics connected to icons to churches. We are ready to begin the ceremony. AiF-Petersburg: Is it true that there are a few taboos among Hermitage workers? For example, they never call the city “Piter?” - In the Hermitage, we never use the word “Piter,” just “Petersburg.” We have a few other taboos. For example, we will never sell matryoshka nesting dolls. AiF-Petersburg: In your opinion, what does it mean to be a cultured person today? - Being a cultured person means understanding that our differences are wonderful. Aggression is the main sign of a lack of culture. Elena Petrova http://www.spb.aif.ru/culture/article/53984 |
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