Mikhail Piotrovsky: Museum Satellites Are Changing Orbits

Kazan has the splendid, long-established Hermitage–Kazan Centre. It is a part of the Kazan Kremlin museum-preserve. Mintimer Shaimiyev created it when he was President of the Republic of Tatarstan, and he was present at the opening of the exhibition now as well.

During the Hermitage Days a master class on restoration was held. That is an important element of collaboration between museums. There were also seminars and conferences on the experience of inclusive practices, which are being actively introduced in the museum world. We also opened an exhibition devoted to Alexander the Great in Kazan. It is a celebrated exhibition that has been held in the Hermitage, in Holland and in Australia.

It tells about Alexander’s Eastern Campaign, about the lands that he conquered, where as a result of his campaign a distinct cultural phenomenon arose – Hellenism, which today might be called Eurasian. A union of East and West. Lev Nikolayevich Gumilev wrote in his memoirs about how he came up with his theory of Passionarity. While a prisoner in the camp, he reflected on why Alexander the Great set off for India. There is no rational economic explanation for the Macedonian’s campaign. And that is how the theory of Passionarity arose.

The Hermitage is the only museum in the world that can tell about Macedonia, Hellas, Asia Minor, Persia, Central Asia and India. All of that is linked to Alexander the Great. There is also an account of how he became a worldwide hero and how his image became transformed. The Hermitage is a universal museum, capable of creating a dialogue around a single story.

We took some wonderful things to Kazan. There is a famous diadem, a cameo with a depiction of Zeus, a shield that protected an elephant, murals from Central Asia, paintings by Tiepolo and Pittoni… A strong exhibition.

In parallel lectures were given by members of the Hermitage staff. I devoted my own lecture to the image of Alexander the Great in Islamic Culture.

The name Alexander is magical for the Hermitage. Alexander Nevsky, Alexander I – the victor over Napoleon. Alexander II and Alexander III are also major Hermitage figures.

Today the museum’s exhibition strategy is common for all the satellites. It is the history of Russia, the imperial culture of the Russian Empire, the Hermitage as a special cultural phenomenon. In Kazan the exhibition about Alexander the Great is now in residence, in Vyborg it’s “19th-Century Foreign Portraitists”, Spanish art in Yekaterinburg, a display of French art will be opening in Omsk…

Let’s put it this way: in the system of the “Hermitage universe” the Earth’s axis has shifted. The Hermitage satellites might change their orbit and content. We are working actively within Russia. In prospect is the building of roads to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf…

We take good exhibitions to the regions so as to share them. That is part of the strategy under conditions of cultural import-replacement. Another part is the exchange of experience. The Hermitage centres have their own substantial work going on.

In Kazan, we discussed local experience of inclusive practices and talked about our own experience. The exhibition about Alexander the Great was prepared by our Department of Classical Antiquity. It is actively engaged in inclusive projects. Copies of sculptures that can be touched have been installed in the Hermitage. Another project has been created In conjunction with the Bolshoi Drama Theatre: using a QR code it is possible to listen to actors from the theatre reading Classical texts. This provides the museum with additional opportunities to expand its audience of visitors.

In Kazan a lot of attention gets paid to children’s audiences. Therefore, in addition to the scholarly account of Alexander the Great, the exhibition includes items aimed at both adults and children. Both groups are interested in putting together a large mosaic of Alexander’s battle with the Persian king Darius. At the exhibition you can watch an animation about war elephants and experience smells that may have existed in Ancient Greece and the Ancient East back in those times.

Tiepolo's painting of Alexander the Great and Diogenes closes the exhibition. A famous episode: Alexander asks how he can help the philosopher and Diogenes demands that he stops blocking out the sun. Next to the painting is a barrel and instructions on how to climb into it. You can’t do something like that in the Hermitage halls. In Kazan, though, this fits in with the style and design of the temporary exhibition. A special, innovative style that is characteristic of that city.

The story of museum innovations in inclusion is revolutionary. They open up new possibilities not only for people who cannot see or hear well. Everyone wants to touch the sculpture – it's a special experience. Mistakes and excesses may occur in the inclusive revolution. A museum should not turn itself into Disneyland. Still, some elements of entertainment can be used.

There is a lot of talk now about the digital revolution and digital culture. The thing most discussed is the QR code passport. We are pondering whether it will be easier or harder to use. On the one hand, we already know that a digital approach may produce even more paperwork. On the other hand, it can save paper, time and emotions.

The pandemic staged an experiment in remote working. The latest technology makes it possible. We have developed and legally formalized a mixed scheduling system. Someone who does intellectual work can do it one or two days a week without coming to the Hermitage, while keeping in constant contact with the museum over the Internet, working on a computer. The arrangement is not terribly new. At the Academy of Sciences, they have “library days” twice a week.

In the museum sphere this is a managerial revolution. Most importantly, we are saving human capital as a result. I keep repeating: the objects in a museum are half the story. The rest is the people. They ought to work intensively and effectively.

Last year, the Hermitage practically returned to pre-pandemic levels and even surpassed our plans. We opened more than fifty exhibitions, almost half of them in Russian cities, published more than fifty books, conducted thirty archaeological expeditions with two sensational discoveries, 2.6 million people visited the museum, and 30 million visited our social networks. The money earned made it possible to make one day a week free of charge for pensioners. 15% of visitors come into the Hermitage for free, as many again come at a discounted price. This is an important indicator of effectiveness.

The result is good, in part because there has been a certain release of human energy with the right amount of control.

This material was published in the Sankt-Petersburgskie Vedomosti newspaper, on 1 March 2023 with the headline “Museum Satellites Are Changing Orbits”