Heterotopic Heritage in Hong Kong: Tai Kwun and Neo-Victorian Carceral Space

The prison is specifically identified by Michel Foucault in his essay, ‘Of Other Spaces’ (1967), as an exemplar of “heterotopias of deviation”. Reified in neo-Victorian production as a hegemonic space to be resisted, within which illicit desire, feminist politics, and alternate narratives, for example, flourish under harsh panoptic conditions, the prison nonetheless emerges as a counter-site to both nineteenth-century and contemporary social life. This article investigates the neo-Victorian prison museum that embodies several of Foucault’s heterotopic principles and traits from heterochronia to the dynamics of illusion, compensation/exclusion and inclusion that structure the relationship of heterotopic space to all space. Specifically, I explore the heritage site of the Central Police Station compound in Hong Kong, recently transformed into “Tai Kwun: the Centre for Heritage and the Arts”. Tai Kwun (“Big Station” in Cantonese) combines Victorian and contemporary architecture, carceral space, contemporary art, and postcolonial history to herald the transformation of Hong Kong into an international arts hub. Tai Kwun is an impressive example of neo-Victorian adaptive reuse, but its current status as a former prison, art museum, and heritage space complicates the celebratory aspects of heterotopia as counter-site. Instead, Tai Kwun’s spatial, historical, and financial arrangements emphasize the challenges that tourism, government funding, heritage, and the art industry pose for Foucault’s original definition of heterotopia and our conception of the politics of neo-Victorianism in the present.

Bringing Arts Integration to Youth (BRAINY) at Colorado State University

In this chapter, the authors demonstrate how a university Art Education program assists the university art museum and trains students to lead tours for BRAINY (BRinging Arts INtegration to Youth), the museum's educational program for Title I schools. The authors present how they guide student educators to develop tours for BRAINY by applying different interpretive strategies. The impacts that BRAINY creates for the visiting students and local communities include 1) the enhancement of civic engagement for young citizens, 2) high-quality art experiences for Title I schools, 3) the extended community program—Family Day. The impacts on student art educators are 1) knowing how to teach art in different learning contexts that are outside of the classroom, 2) applying the questioning strategies to their classroom teaching for probing art dialogues with students, 3) learning to be prepared but also flexible for unexpected situations. This chapter provides a practical and positive example to address a wonderful collaboration between an art museum, community members, and higher education.

Usability and Accessibility of the ArtontheBrain™ Virtual Recreation Activity for Older Adults With Low Vision Due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Experiencing visual art can inspire, be an overall positive leisure activity, and has been linked to improved cognition, especially in older adults. Access to artwork in a museum environment can comprise a variety of barriers, including difficulties linked to its visual experience for persons that are visually impaired. The present study explored the barriers and facilitators experienced by 15 older adults (age 65 to 93) living with age-related macular degeneration when using an iPad to access ArtontheBrain™, a virtual art museum recreation experience created by members of this team. Using the Concurrent Think Aloud method, participants were asked to continuously comment on their experiences with the application while being audio/video recorded. Indeed, codes were determined by identifying frequently stated and emphasized ideas or behaviors of participants using the ArtontheBrain™ application. Transcripts underwent thematic analysis and indicated that the main access barriers were linked to control of the contrast, magnification, and the tactile interface on the tablet device. The learn and play activities as well as the text-to-speech feature were identified as facilitators for ArtontheBrain™ engagement. The present findings should also be considered in the larger context of application development, as this study provides insight pertaining to the needs of low vision individuals regarding usability and accessibility.

Thoughts and Highlights Involving an Urban Museum Education Partnership and a University

This chapter examines the partnership between an urban art museum and a university. It involves museum educators, art education faculty, and undergraduate students. It specifically explores the development of hands-on museum activities for elementary students created by the university participants. The chapter is written from a higher education perspective. It provides a description of all facets of the partnership from its planning to the completion of the museum activities. The partnership provided the university students authentic museum experiences and ways to make professional connections with museum professionals. Recommendations for those who wish to develop university/museum partnerships are shared.

Exploring the Experience of Contemporary Dance Practices in the Context of Global Art Choreography in the Museum Space

The purpose of the article is to examine modern projects in the field of choreography, interconnected with art museums that open doors for choreographers and together embody creative ideas. It is this creative, largely subjective, controversial dialogue between the museum and dance, accompanied by comments of art historians, choreographers, and artists, that gets its meaning in the presented material. The novelty of the study lies in assessing the main directions of choreographic activity, which can be mutually transformed so that the museum and dance function successfully in modern conditions and build a new communicative space with the audience. Through a creative analysis of the modern experience of dance practices, it is possible to discover the principles and trends that are destined to breathe new life into the museum space. The considered examples of organising a museum space with theatrical and plastic direction interacting with it clearly demonstrate that modern visual strategies, associated primarily with its interactive substance, affect the communicative and exhibition space of the museum in different ways. A choreographic performance was analysed as part of a diverse event taking place on the territory of the cultural and historical museum complex; inclusion of dance in the dynamics of the halls of the interior spaces of the museum; entry of a choreographic performance, theatrical actions into the exhibition space of expositions; the museum itself inviting artists, choreographic schools and studios to conduct regular classes and masterclasses within the walls of the museum to popularise its collections, and other examples of forms of interaction between the art of dance and the art museum.

The View of Yakutsk Town in art from the collection of the National Art Museum of The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Визуальные образы, сохраненные в виде рисунков, гравюр, фотодокументальных материалов, являются важной частью реконструкции исторического прошлого народа. Раннее конструирование образа г. Якутска нашло отражение в рисунках и гравюрах российских и зарубежных исследователей и художников XVII–XVIII веков. Так, Вторая Камчатская экспедиция, работавшая в 1733–1743 годах по государственному заказу, одним из направлений своей работы избрала визуальную фиксацию и точную информацию по географии, этнографии коренного населения региона, проспектов городов. Цель представленного в статье исследования — выявление и комплексный анализ ранних изображений города Якутска в графических произведениях XVII–XVIII веков. На основе гравюры художника Гравировальной палаты Академии наук А.Г. Рудакова с рисунка И.В. Люрсениуса, рисовальщика академического отряда Второй Камчатской экспедиции, и графической работы французского пейзажиста Л.Н. Леспинасса из собрания Национального художественного музея Республики Саха (Якутия) показано значение видовых проспектов г. Якутска как ранних художественных репрезентаций города Якутска. Сделан вывод о том, что эти материалы способствовали накоплению сведений о Якутске, одном из старинных городов Сибири. Visual images that were preserved in the forms of drawings, engravings, and photographic documentations are an important part of the reconstruction of the historical past of the people. The early reconstruction of the image of Yakutsk was reflected in drawings and engravings by Russian and foreign researchers and artists of the 17th and 18th centuries. Thus, the Second Kamchatka expedition, which worked under the state order in 1733 to 1743, was aimed at visual fixation and accurate information on geography, ethnography of the indigenous population of the region, city avenues. The purpose of the study is to identify and comprehensively analyze the early images of Yakutsk in the graphic pictures of the 17th – 18th centuries. Based on the works of the draftsman of the academic detachment of the Second Kamchatka Expedition I.V. Lursenius, the artist of the Engraving Chamber of the Academy of Sciences A.G. Rudakov, the French landscape painter L.N. Lespinass from the collection of the National Art Museum of The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the significance of the view avenues of Yakutsk as early artistic representations of Yakutsk is shown. It is concluded that these materials contributed to the accumulation of information about Yakutsk, one of the ancient towns of Siberia.

“Chinese table screen” from the collection of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia): on the question of determining the plot

Статья посвящена изучению музейного памятника декоративно-прикладного искусства XIX века «Китайский настольный экран», раскрытию его сюжета, уточнению времени создания. Экран, как и большие ширмы, использовался в интерьере зданий, исполняя утилитарную и эстетическую функции, применялся для защиты пламени свечи от движения воздуха. Особенность традиционного китайского экрана — это его мобильность, декоративность и привлекательность используемых в декоре материалов. Как элемент традиционной культуры он отражал идею корреляции вещей в мире, нес в себе понятия красоты и совершенства в художественно-эстетическом оформлении интерьера. Всякая вещь — это уникальный кодовый знак этнокультуры, указывающий на своеобразие национального характера, представления об окружающем мире. Несмотря на то что со сменой эпох менялся стиль, декор, вводились новые материалы, отшлифованная веками традиционная вещь оставалась удобной и эстетичной, отличалась безукоризненной отделкой и высокой практичностью. На основе анализа художественного произведения и изучения специальной литературы автор интерпретирует сюжет, изображенный на настольном экране. В ходе исследования предмета на изображении были выявлены такие мифологические персонажи, как популярная даосская «восьмерка бессмертных», представителей которой часто изображали на произведениях изобразительного и декоративно-прикладного искусства, легендарный Лао-цзы, древнекитайский философ VI–V веков до н. э., один из основателей философского учения Дао. На панно с даосскими святыми узнаются: древнее божество Си-ван-му — хозяйка персиков долголетия, покровительница домашнего очага Хэ Сянь-гу, Шоу-син — божество долголетия, красавица и чадоподательница Би-ся юань-цзюнь и божественный земледелец Шэнь-нун. Все они прибыли на пир к царице Запада Си-ван-му. This article is devoted to the study of the museum monument of decorative and applied art of the 19th century “Chinese table screen”, understanding its plot, clarifying the time of creation. The screen, like large screens, was used in the interior of buildings, performing utilitarian and aesthetic functions. Moreover, it was used to protect the candle flame from air movement. The peculiarity of the traditional Chinese screen is its mobility, decorativeness and attractiveness of the materials used in the decor. As an element of traditional culture, it reflected the idea of the correlation of things in the world, carried the concepts of beauty and perfection in the artistic and aesthetic interior design. Every object is a distinctive code sign of ethnoculture, which indicates the uniqueness of the national character and perceptions of the surrounding world. Despite the fact that with the change of epochs, the style, decor changed and new materials were introduced, the traditional objects polished for centuries remained comfortable and aesthetic, distinguished by impeccable finish and high practicality. Based on the analysis of the artwork and the study of special literature, the author interprets the plot depicted on the table screen. During the study of the object and its image, author identified such mythological characters as the popular Taoist «eight immortals», whose representatives were often depicted in paintings, prints and decorative arts, the legendary Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher of the 6-5th centuries BC, one of the founders of the Dao teaching, sitting on a bull. On the panels with Taoist saints, the ancient deity Xi wangmu — the mistress of longevity peaches, the patroness of the hearth He Xiangu, Shouxing — the deity of longevity, the beauty and child-giver Bixia Yuanjun, and the divine farmer Shennong are also recognized. They all came to the feast of the Queen of the West Xi Wangmu.

«PORTRAIT OF A LADY» OF THE BOICHUCK SCHOOL FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE FUNDS. COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION RESULTS

The article features the results of the comprehensive examination of an outstanding piece from the Mykhailo Boуchuk school, «Portrait of a Lady» from the NAFAA funds. The research was done by the Associate Professor of the Department of the Technique and Restoration of Artwork of NAFAA, Tetiana Tymchenko, Ph.D, and the Leading Researcher of the Bureau of scientific and technical expertise «ART-LAB» Svitlana Biskulova, Ph.D, in connection with the planned restoration of the artwork. Since 2018, «Portrait of a Lady» has been attributed to Mykola Kasperovych (1885–1938), an outstanding painter, restorer and researcher. The reasoning is provided in the expert conclusion of the Head of the Ukrainian Art Department of the end of 19th — beginning of the 20th century of the National Art Museum of Ukraine Olena Kashuba-Volvach. The article lists the peculiarities of the techniques, technology, condition of the artwork from the NAFAA funds. In particular, it reveals the peculiarities of the preparatory drawing, imitation of the monumental art techniques by means of the easel painting, and individual techniques of working with paints. The paper specifies the time of the portrait creation, which indicates 1923 — probably, the year of the work creation, and the age of the lady from the portrait, 30 years. The technological examination of the portrait in the Bureau of scientific and technical expertise «ART-LAB» confirmed the dating of the work to the period of the 1920s – 1930s. The article clarifies important components of the portrait technology: in particular, it has been found that the ground is chalk-glue and the paints’ medium is casein-oil tempera; among the pigments the zinc white with an admixture of lead white, yellow and red ochre, Ivory black pigment (burnt bone), mixed green pigment (burnt bone and yellow ochre) were identified. The examination revealed the traces of restoration interventions of different times. The paper features a number of considerations regarding further research of Boychukists’ creativity from the point of view of technology.