Report for IMWD2020 #SportsIMWD

Report for IMWD2020 #SportsIMWD

IMWD is happy to share the REPORT  (PDF) for the 6th Int’l Museum Workers Day#SportsIMWD.

Inspired by our recent partnership with Global Sports Heritage Association (GSHA – /’ɡeeʃə/), International Museum Workers Day invted culture, heritage and museums workers around the world to celebrate ‘Sports Heritage’ as the theme for the 6th IMWD2020 which took place on the last Thursday in October, 10.22.2020 #SportsIMWD.

We honor the pledge taken by GSHA by acknowledging that physical education, physical activity and sport all form part of humanity’s non-tangible heritage which include dance, recreational, organized, competitive, casual, traditional and indigenous sports and games.

Like GSHA, IMWD is committed to recognizing UNESCO’s International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport which is a rights-based reference that orients and supports policy- and decision-making in all aspects of sport.

Challenges brought about by the Covid-19 Pandemic have further sealed our commitment to advocating for an appreciation of sports heritage in ways that will give stakeholders a better understanding of their place in contemporary society. We believe that promoting sports – its culture, history and heritage -, as a form of intangible heritage, may be regarded as an added tool for cultivating the ability to make informed, strategic decisions toward balancing and optimizing the impact of policy options and priorities at different levels.

This is why we invite sports, culture, heritage professionals around the world to join the 1st GSHD Global Sports Heritage Day on February 22, 2021.

Sport As Non-Tangible Cultural Heritage

Sport As Non-Tangible Cultural Heritage

Established in May 2020, Global Sports Heritage Association GSHA (GSHA – /’ɡeeʃə/) is a non-profit organization with the mission to promote sporting culture, history and heritage in various sport fields, across generations, and around the globe, with equal emphasis on recreational sports and physical activities.

GSHA acknowledges that physical education, physical activity and sport all form part of humanity’s non-tangible heritage which include dance, recreational, organized, competitive, casual, traditional and indigenous sports and games.

“As a part of our founding principle, GSHA honors UNESCO’s International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport which is a rights-based reference that orients and supports policy- and decision-making in all aspects of sport.

We do so by advocating for our partners and audiences to commit to the Charter so that its principles can become a reality for all human beings, especially as it relates to cultural norms and practices, and future sports heritage.

GSHA’s contribution to the UNESCO Charter is therefore grounded in the belief that advocating for an appreciation of sports heritage gives stakeholders a better understanding of their place in contemporary society. We believe that promoting sports heritage may be regarded as an added tool for cultivating the ability to make informed, strategic decisions toward balancing and optimizing the impact of policy options and priorities at different levels.

GSHA is committed to the idea that diversity of physical education, physical activity and sport is a basic feature of their non-tangible value as well as their regional & appeal. Traditional and indigenous games, dances and sports, in their modern and emerging forms, express humanity’s wealth of cultural heritage which must be preserved, researched, promoted, and celebrated.

GSHA strongly promotes inclusive access to sport, and for developing an appreciation for sports heritage by all without any form of discrimination. We are particularly keen to serve as a platform to promote gender equality in all aspects of sports, their histories and future practices.

We aim to highlight historical precedence in various fields of sports and physical activity to professional as well as amateur athletes, referees, public authorities, sports organizations, owners of sports-related rights, the media, non-governmental organizations, administrators, educators, sports-lovers and other stakeholders.

GHSA urges everyone — culture, heritage and art organizations, sports organizations, non-governmental entities, the business community, the media, educators, researchers, sport professionals and volunteers, participants and their support personnel, referees, families, as well as spectators — to commit to UNESCO’s International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport.”

STORYBOARDS | An Art Exhibition of Contemporary Art by Homa Taj

A brief look at Homa Taj Nasab’s multimedia (paintings, video, installation) solo exhibition, STORYBOARDS at NCTV18 Film & TV Station on Nantucket, August 2018

A look back at MUSEUMVIEWS founder, Homa Taj Nasab’s multimedia (paintings, video, installation) solo exhibition, STORYBOARDS at NCTV18 Film & TV Station on Nantucket, August 2018.

For more images and information, visit Homa Taj | Gallery I.

The Olympic Games in Asia

 

This year, the entire Olympic Movement has mobilised to celebrate Olympic Day online.

Olympic Day was founded in January 1948, to commemorate the creation of the International Olympic Committee which was formally established on June 23, 1894 to promote competitive sport as a revival of the ancient Olympic Games.

MuseumViews wholeheartedly embraces the Olympic motto Citius, altius, fortius, (Faster, Higher, Stronger.)

Since Olympic Day coincides with the (5th day of) International SILK ROAD WEEK, we celebrate the Olympic Council of Asia’s The Asian Games whose 2022 edition (年亚洲运动会), or XIX Asiad (第十九届亚洲运动会), will be held from September 10-25, 2022, in the UNESCO inscribed city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. 

“Hangzhou is one of a number of excellent example cities that acted as ‘hubs’ along the Silk Roads. These were centres of intense exchange where different civilizations and their cultural elements moved from one place to another through trade across the land and maritime routes interacting with each other as they did so. As travellers would settle in other lands, living amongst local people the result would be great cultural exchange and synthesis (UNESCO).”

Early in the 20th century, the Far Eastern Championship Games, a predecessor of the Asian Games, were held in Manila in 1913 with 6 participating nations.  

 

Ph. 1923 Japanese Sport Art Postcard Poster Art of “The 6th Far Eastern Championship Games”

In 1951, Asian countries came together to form The Asian Games (Asiad), a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. From the first event in New Delhi, India, until the 1978, the Games were organized by Asian Games Federation (AGF). Since 1982, they have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). 

The governing body of the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games, The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) currently counts 45 National Olympic Committees as members.

Japan and the Philippines are the oldest of the 45 Asian National Olympic Committees, recognized in 1911, and East Timor is its newest, since 2003. The headquarters of the OCA is located at Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Asia has hosted the Summer Olympics three times, in Tokyo, Japan (1964), Seoul, South Korea (1988), and Beijing, China (2008). In 2021, Japan will host the Games for the fourth time. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics have been postponed to July 23-August 8, 2021.

The most recent Asian Games were held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia from August 18 to September 2, 2018. The next Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China, September 10-25, 2022.

Members of the Olympic Council of Asia includes the transcontinental country of Kazakhstan, but does not include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey or Russia. 

According to UNESCO, “The port city of Hangzhou, the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang Province East China, has been a strategic hub along the Silk Roads since ancient times. Known as ‘the House of Silk’, the city was one of the seven ancient capitals of China with silk fabrics uncovered in the region dating back 4,700 years to the Neolithic Liangzhu culture (3400-2250 BC).

The history of Hangzhou’s foreign trade in silk, tea, porcelain and other commodities dates back thousands of years. Its location on the East China Sea made Hangzhou a natural centre for trade, and, during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 CE) it became one of the largest ports in China.”

The China National Silk Museum (中国丝绸博物馆) Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province is a co-organizer of Silk Road Week – courtesy Landworks Studio, Inc.

Hangzhou will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. The capital of Zheijiang Province, Hangzhou was officially awarded as the host city on September 16, 2015 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, during the 34th OCA General Assembly. Nearby cities Ningbo, Shaoxing and Huzhou will also be the part of competition venues. 

For the time, in XIX Asiad, athletes from Oceania will be able to participate in the Games, approval by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

Congcong, Lianlian, and Chenchen, known collectively as the smart triplets “Memories of Jiangnan” were unveiled online in April 2020 as the official mascots of the Asian Games. These robotic superheroes originated from the UNESCO World Heritage Liangzhu Archaeological Site in Liangzhu City, the West Lake, and the Grand Canal.

The official motto of the 2022 Asian Games is “Heart to Heart, @Future” which aims to reflect the ability of the digital age to connect people from all over the continent through the Asian Games.

44 venues will be used during the Games, which 30 venues are already existing in the city, 10 are under construction and another 4 venues are in the planning stage.

The Olympic Council of Asia has announced that the Games would feature 40 sports, including the 28 permanent Olympic sports as well as events in other non-Olympic sports. 

In February (4-20), 2022, Beijing will become the first city in the world to have hosted both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games.

With a vision of “Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow,” Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 will build on the legacies of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and is set to inspire millions of sports lovers across China to embrace winter sports.

109 events in seven Olympic winter sports will be held in the three competition zones of central Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

During Beijing 2022, seven new events — women’s monobob, freestyle skiing big air (men’s and women’s), and mixed team events in short track speed skating team relay, ski jumping, freestyle skiing aerials and snowboard cross — are added to the sports programme. This promises to bring about the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games in history, with more female athletes (45.44 %) and women’s events than at any previous Games.

The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 will coincide with the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), the most important holiday in China. Local residents are looking forward to welcoming athletes from around the globe to enjoy the Chinese New Year festivities, cultural rich cities of Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou.

Conversations with Courtney Ann Stewart (Senior Researcher, Islamic Arts)

Tughra (Insignia) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–66) c. 1555–60, Turkey, currently The Met Museum of Art, NY
Courtney Ann Stewart, courtesy SUNY Purchase University, NY

Name : Courtney Ann Stewart | Country : New York, USA | Years Active : 15 | Website : Courtney Ann Stewart & Senior Research Assistant, Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

Q – How do you describe your work to people who don’t know anything about your field?

I study beautiful and interesting objects that were made in places where Islam had a significant presence. 

Q – What inspired you to become a curator?

People are transformed through stories that touch them personally. Museums have great potential to teach, transport, and even heal. I’ve always wanted to be a part of that.

Q – Why did you choose this particular field (of research)?

The artistic and cultural contributions of Islam to the world stage are often ignored, misunderstood, or assimilated into other narratives. I find Islamic art beautiful and fascinating and want to help others to see this too.

Q – What is the most memorable object you’ve researched, or worked with?

Once, when I was examining an 18th-century Moroccan Amazigh (Berber) necklace in the Met’s collection, I found a secret compartment in a pendant. When I opened it a piece of fragrant incense fell out! It was an incredible reminder of the individuals who originally created and owned the works of art that one sees in museums. My imagination ran wild picturing the person who wore the necklace and enjoyed the sweet scent of the perfume, years before it came into the museum collection.

Calligraphic Galleon, A.H. 1180/ A.D. 1766–67, ‘Abd al-Qadir Hisari, Ottoman Turkey, currently The Met Museum of Art, NY

Q – Do you recall when was the first time you heard of the phrase “Silk Road”? What was your first impression of it?

I really don’t recall, but it certainly conjures an image of beauty, craftsmanship, and exchange.

Folio from the “Tashkent Qur’an” late 8th–early 9th century, Uzbekistan, About one third of the original manuscript is housed in the Hast-Imam Library in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, currently The Met Museum of Art, NY

Q – What is your most memorable experience of travelling along the Silk Road?

Last year I took a train journey from Tashkent to Kokand, in Uzbekistan. It was my first time in the region, and I don’t speak any of the local languages. Somehow I ended up communicating with the man sitting next to me, and we ended up sharing his bread. His incredible generosity made a huge impression on me, which was only reinforced as I met other Uzbeks and spoke to visitors about their experiences. It definitely warmed my cold New York City heart!

Q – Which city or region along the Silk Road are you looking forward to visit, for the first time?

I dream of visiting the varied and vast landscapes of Mongolia.

“Rosette Bearing the Names and Titles of Shah Jahan”, Folio from the Shah Jahan Albumrecto, c. 1645; verso: ca. 1630–40, India, currently The Met Museum of Art, NY

Q – What language(s) spoken along the Silk Road have you studied, or would wish to study?

I would love to learn Persian (Farsi)! It sounds so beautifully musical.

Q – What is the hardest part of your work that people don’t realize?

Working in the museum field is very competitive, and job security is difficult, at least in my experience. For that reason, I’ve always worked on a number of side projects to support my main work, including teaching, consultant work, and guiding international tours. It requires having many irons in the fire at any given time, but working on a number of projects has also been incredibly stimulating and rewarding.

Q – What is your dream (or even fantasy) research project?

It would be amazing to collaborate with a lab like GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and a few museums with important gem collections, in order to analyze gemstones in historical Islamic jewelry, in the interest of determining a site origin of the gemstones.

With some stones, like diamonds, this is not currently possible. In other cases, for example, emerald, it is achievable. Analysis of the large number of samples already taken by GIA may allow us to identify a country of origin, or even specific regions for the source of certain stones, and would help to determine historical trade routes or patterns.

I think that would be absolutely fascinating, but would require the collaboration of a large number of people and institutions. Maybe one day!

– “Rosette Bearing the Names and Titles of Shah Jahan”, Folio from the Shah Jahan Albumrecto, c. 1645; verso: ca. 1630–40, India, currently The Met Museum of Art, NY

The Lovers, A.H. 1039/ A.D. 1630 by Riza-yi `Abbasi, Iran, currently The Met Museum of Art, NY

Q – If it were possible, what historic figure would you like to meet? Why?

I admire the entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit of Fatima al-Fihriyya, who patronized the construction of the al-Qaraouiyine mosque and madrasa in Fez, Morocco, in the 9th century. She and her family were immigrants from Tunisia who relocated to Fez, and after her father passed away, she used her inheritance to support the construction of this now-famous mosque.

The madrasa of al-Qaraouiyine is considered to be the oldest degree-granting university in the world, and contains one of the oldest libraries.  Over its 1,200-year history, students have travelled from all over the world to study Islamic history, theology, languages, and sciences.

I wonder if she would be surprised at the incredible legacy of her patronage and the positive effect of education on the thousands of students who have passed through the school’s doors.  

Q – What movie best depicts a historic or aesthetic aspect of the Silk Road?

I would love to know more about cinema that depicts the Silk Road and look forward to the responses of others. Instead I will answer with a television show. Long Way Round was a 2005 documentary series featuring actor Ewan MacGregor and his friend Charley Boorman traveling by motorcycle around the world. The episode where they travel through Kazakhstan is an incredible portal to the contemporary Silk Road. The terrain itself proved to be the most arduous of their entire journey, but it also depicts astonishing hospitality and their encounters with fascinating history and culture. Though this is a present-day depiction of the Silk Road, I think their experience can also illustrate the historical challenges and rewards of travel in this region.

Mihrab (Prayer Niche), A.H. 755/A.D. 1354–55, Isfanan, Iran, currently The Met Museum of Art, NY

Conversations with Vikki Zhang (Artist)

All art courtesy Vikki Zhang

Name : Vikki Zhang | Country : China | Years Active : 6 | Website : Vikki Zhang 

Q – How do you describe your work to people who don’t know anything about your field?

I am a freelance illustrator who primarily works on books, advertising, packaging, film posters, textile designs, etc. I am also setting up my brand, in which I designed cheongsams for kids. You can find my artwork on book covers, silk scarfs, magazines, billboards, porcelains, and so on.

Communication is the core of commercial illustration. My job is helping clients/writers find a creative solution, visualize their stories/concepts engagingly in my art style. I enjoy being an illustrator, as each project links me to fresh cool people.

I make personal work in spare time. I held two solo shows in Shanghai and Beijing 798 art zone. This year, my first art book will be published.

All art courtesy Vikki Zhang

Q – What inspired you to become an illustrator?

I had that idea since I was a kid. When I read a great story, I had a strong motive to draw the characters and scenes, design their wearing and home. During that time, illustrators from Japan were popular. Through their interviews, I learned how to be an illustrator, an artist, as well as some watercolor skills. Although I was learning traditional Chinese painting.

I am certain that story-telling and building a strong artistic voice are what I wish to pursue in the future.

I went to New York after finishing a BFA program in Beijing. The fantastic environment in New York – artist friends, museums and shows, publishers, indie stores, comic fairs… – keeps inspiring me.

All art courtesy Vikki Zhang

Q – How did you develop your current style of painting?

My fondness of history, old stuff, cultures, handicrafts, fantasy, fairies, costumes, surrealism … make up the cabinet of curiosities in my mind. I like adding a little magic, not too much to flavor the real-life settings. My stories usually took place in a world of multiple cultures, times, spaces crossing over, where humans, animals, plants, and unknown species live together harmoniously. Influenced by my passion for fashion and heritage, the characters shown in my illustrations are usually overdressed, surrounded in a delicate world where each corner is filled with beautiful treasures that I have seen in museums or documentaries. I always keep a sketchbook by hand to record those things.

I like asking myself “What if “ questions to push myself to think further. “What if” break boundaries; “what if” twists the impossible and makes it look reasonable. The habit to challenge the existing rule, the eagerness to create something fresh, gradually forms my art style.

Q – What is the most memorable object you’ve researched, or worked with?

The illustration I did with the National Silk Museum, located in Hangzhou, China, for Silk Road Week.

The winged horse is the theme of the event’s logo. We began the project with articles provided by director Zhao, about comparing winged horse patterns on silk thrived in China, Japan, France, and Persia. I’ve never been able to find those tiny differences before reading the research, which gave me new insights at the sketching stage. Silk Road is quite a big theme, we narrowed it down, just focusing on symbolic animals from various lands connected by Silk Road.

Except for winged horse, there were dragon, tiger, camel, deer, double-headed bird, lion, peacock…accompanied by people from China, Persia, Indian, Arabia, and others, to show goods and ideas exchanged through the trade road. Animals show up frequently in my other works. I wish to convey my expectation of protecting the Earth and biodiversity through my artwork, where humans and nature live on a balanced and harmonious basis. That’s another voice hidden in these image, in the context of the outbreak of COVID-19 and many other natural disasters.

According to the description of brocade material in the article. Mrs. Sun from the museum’s design department suggested weaving the illustration as the final representation. So I looked into animal patterns from ancient fabrics and utensils to find a decorative expression.

The composition was inspired by the classical pattern of two winged horses standing symmetrically with a flowering tree as axis. The flowering tree symbolizes life, placed in the center, surrounded by five groups of animals and characters flowing from land to heaven. The idea of the background came from a documentary about the West Market in the Tang Dynasty, where business flourished when merchants coming from along silk roads gathered to trade.

Conversations with Vikki Zhang (Artist)
All art courtesy Vikki Zhang

Q – Do you recall when was the first time you heard of the phrase “Silk Road”? What was your first impression of it?

From history class in high school. The first impression is the endless queue of camels marching in the desert.

Q – What is your most memorable experience of traveling along the Silk Road?

I was born in Jiangsu, China, along the Silk Road. My mom works in Hangzhou, so I have had the chance to visit the city which is famous for silk, and where China National Silk Museum is located. The beauty of this city is based on the fact that she embraces both the modern skyline and so many historic heritages, which is very similar to how Silk Road connects the past and future. 

Q – Which city or region along the Silk Road are you looking forward to visiting, for the first time?

Dunhuang. I will bring my sketchbook and watercolors.

Q – What language(s) spoken along the Silk Road have you studied, or wish to study?

I speak Chinese. Too many languages I wish to learn. A new language is a new soul. I want to learn Arabic first.

All art by Vikki Zhang

Q – What is the hardest part of your work that people don’t realize?

The hardest is the time balance. Usually, there are multiple projects carried on simultaneously. But to produce a great work I need to focus completely on the work that is in front of me and not become distracted by other jobs’ deadlines.

Q – What is your dream (or even fantasy) research project?

To work on aspects of architectures from the Tang Dynasty (circa 618-907 AD).

Q – If it were possible, what historic l figure would you like to meet? Why?

The person I would like to meet is not famous. She is a no-name singer who’s skilled at Chinese lute, she lived the most ordinary life when life on the Silk Road was thriving. She played and sang for Silk Road travelers and merchants who stopped at Lou Lan (楼兰). People who heard her music would treat this memory like an ever-shining ruby embedded in their travel stories. I wish to see her fabulous costumes, listen to the mythical rhythm, and share the adventure stories she heard from the audience.

All art courtesy Vikki Zhang

Q – What movie best depicts a historic or aesthetic aspect of the Silk Road?

The Deer of Nine Colors (九色鹿), an animation film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio in 1981, adapted from a story painted on one of the frescoes in Dunhuang Caves (Thousand Buddha Grottoes, 366-1000 AD).

Q -What music or soundtrack most embodies the sound of the Silk Road for you?

 Silk Road Fantasy by The Repertoire of the National Traditional Orchestra of China.

Q – What fundamental change(s) in your work do you anticipate in the post-pandemic world?

I temporarily switched my work place from New York to China.

Q – What modern day cultural trend (sports, music, art, architecture) has its roots in the Silk Road – that majority do not know?

I would love to talk about Persian Miniature Paintings, a richly detailed art form that flourished from 13th through the 16th centuries.  It has great influence on modern-day’s book design, textile, packaging design, and of course, illustrations. The geometric architectural elements, structural composition, empty area of solid color with action moves around, narrative playfulness, two-dimensional perspective with elements overlaid on each other… are still popular expressions we illustrators love to use in our work. 

Dunhuang Scores (Dunhuang Yuepu, 敦煌乐谱)

Discovered in a sealed cave by the Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu on June 25, 1900, Dunhuang manuscripts are a cache of important religious and secular documents discovered in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China, they date from late 4th to early 11th centuries. The music in the above video is performed by the Central Traditional Orchestra (中央民族乐团) of Beijing and the Shanghai Traditional Orchestra (上海民族乐团), conducted by Liu Wenjin (刘文金), Huang Xiaofei (黄晓飞), and Qu Chunquan (瞿春泉). The pipa soloist is Wu Yuxia (吴玉霞). Vocalists include Jiang Jiaqiang (姜嘉锵), Li Yuanhua (李元华), Shan Xiurong (单秀荣), and Zhai Xianli (翟宪力), among others.

Conversations with Roshan Mishra (Curator)

 

Mandala of Hevajra, circa 1461, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, via Global Nepali Museum

Name : Roshan Mishra, Director/Curator | Country : NEPAL | Years Active : 7 years | Website: Taragaon Museum   & Global Nepali Museum 

Q – How do you describe your work to people who don’t know anything about your field?

The word “curator” may sound too complicated for people who are not from an art background, particularly for the people from my part of the world, so it requires lots of explanation. Though I am known as a director and a curator, I wear many hats within this role, which makes it always difficult to describe.

When I speak with people from different backgrounds I try to reflect their own level of understanding. I believe this allows them to understand the basics of my work when I synchronize my language with theirs. And, of course, school kids would need a different interpretation compared to adults, and adults from non-art background would require a different version to understand my responsibilities. 

Q – What inspired you to become a curator?

My inspiration has multiple layers, including my own work as an artist, and being the son of an artist. My motivation is driven by the artwork, artist, audience and the space.

What has inspired me to become a curator is the process of interpretation which is key in igniting dialogue between objects in an exhibition, and making the works come to life. I love discussing and understanding the friction between the artist’s intention and their final interpretation. As a curator, I look for the gaps, voids and vacuum areas – of these in-between spaces. Also, the idea of being a keeper and a custodian of objects of art and history equally inspired me to become a curator.

Taragaon Museum, Katmandu, Nepal
Taragaon Museum, Katmandu, Nepal
Roshan Mishra at the Taragaon Museum, Katmandu, Nepal, courtesy R. Mishra

Q – Why did you choose this particular field (of research)?

Art runs in my blood. My late father Manuj Babu Mishra (1936-2018) was an eminent artist of Nepal with whom I studied and practiced art. However, I didn’t just want to have the skills passed on from my father but wanted to take those skills and gain my own experiences because I knew that, one day, I would become a custodian of my father’s heritage. 

My relationship with contemporary art and the vision to develop my father’s collection into a museum, my connection with my culture and heritage, and the intention to contribute to Nepali art field have all contributed to my choice to become a curator.

In addition, Taragaon Museum where I currently work as a director has provided me a tremendous wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise. This institution has deeply connected me with the worlds of architecture, contemporary art, documentation and archives. 

Q – What is the most memorable object you’ve researched, or worked with?

I have come across a set of hand drawings and maps of a vernacular settlement, which is about 10 kilometres away from the central Kathmandu, that were produced in 1968 by a group of Danish architects. This is done with a graphite pen on a tracing paper and is produced with a 3D aerial view. These days, the drawing are all made in a CAD program. 

Bungamati settlement 1968, courtesy Nepal Architecture Archive / Saraf Foundation / Danish Architects Group
Sanwei Mountain Buddha, Silk Road Exhibition, National Museum of China, Beijing, 2019, courtesy Sohu.com

Q – Do you recall when was the first time you heard the phrase “Silk Road”? What was your first impression?

I recall hearing it from my father who travelled to many countries along the Silk Roads. So, my first impressions were formed by my imagination visualizing an adventurous road with hills, forest, mountains, rivers and desserts.

Q – What is your most memorable experience of travelling – along the Silk Road?

Beijing, in 2019, when I was fortunate to visit the National Museum of China and see the Silk Road Exhibition. It was a great encounter with 234 pieces from 13 different countries, along the Silk Routes.

Q – Which city or region along the Silk Road are you looking forward to visit, for the first time?

I am not a great traveler, but I will love to visit Xi’an in Shaanxi Province as it is one of the oldest cities on the ancient Silk Road.

Q – What language(s) spoken along the Silk Road have you studied, or would wish to study?

I have not studied any of the languages along the Silk Road. I would wish to study Mandarin.

Q – What is the hardest part of your work that people don’t realize?

Thinking about hard work or difficulty is our mindset. I don’t see anything as hard. When we have choices and become judgmental or quantify things obviously we feel the weight of it. I am driven by my passion, but not by its load, therefore I honestly can’t say what is the hardest part.

Q – What is your dream (or even fantasy) research project?

I have many projects on my bucket list, fantasy is unrealistic, and therefore I would like to mention my two dream projects that are more realistic.

As mentioned earlier, I am working on opening a museum dedicated to my father’s art (Mishra Museum). Though I am his son, I still need to spend a substantial amount of time researching his work and life. I dream of the museum’s opening, in the very near future.

In addition, I run a virtual museum called Global Nepali Museum which currently documents Nepali objects that are displayed in different museums around the world. The documentation is an ongoing process but along with that I want to research about many of the objects that are displayed in the virtual site.  

Along with these two, I would like to work in an international large scale contemporary art curatorial research projects, where I could curate or co-curate a show.

Q – If it were possible, what historic figure would you like to meet? Why?

This sounds like lucid dream! I would have love to meet Leonardo Da Vinci because he was not only an artist we admire, he was also an inventor, sculptor and architect. Wandering about his studio or a workshop, where I can sit with him and go through all sort of creations, … and I definitely would not miss a selfie with him.

Nepali Monalisa by the late Manuj Babu Mishra, 2006
Nepali Monalisa by the late Manuj Babu Mishra, 2006

Q – What movie best depicts a historic or aesthetic aspect of the Silk Road (spirit) – in your opinion?

I am not huge movie person. The only movie I can think of is Dragon Blade (2015).

Q – What music or soundtrack most embodies the sound of the Silk Road for you?

The music of legendary Japanese recording artist Kitaro’s Silk Road album. I also remember my father playing it while he was painting at his studio.

Q – What fundamental change(s) in your work do you anticipate in the post-pandemic world?

Every crisis opens up a door for opportunities. Rather than having a footfall counter at our museum door, in coming days we may heavily rely on the footfall datas that we extract from our social medias and website. Our working pattern could fundamentally change and we will probably have different measures to evaluate our work performance. The learning process would be different, our activities could limit to touch sensitive screens. The tangibility and the face to face encounters with objects could reduce significantly because of ongoing social distancing regulations. Our platforms could become more interactive and we may reach out to audiences we never have reached out before.

Having said this in a third world countries the stories could be very different. ICOM has already predicting that 13% of the world’s museum may never reopen. For those who survive after this pandemic, our USP will change, tourism might not be a sustainable option for many of us for some time. Instead of being global we will look inward and become local. I think the museums that closed during this pandemic will be a very different when we open them to the public again. We will eventually identify alternative solutions, become resilient and come out of it even stronger.

Q – What modern day cultural trend (sports, music, art, architecture) has its roots on the Silk Road (& in Nepal) – that majority do not know?

There are many. Yoga and meditation have their roots on the Silk Road, as well as in Nepal.

Speaking more specifically about Nepal, besides Mt. Everest and Buddha’s Birth place, there are so many other things about the country that many people don’t know about. For example, Nepal has over 120 ethnic groups and languages with centuries of heritage. Luckily, restoring their culture, heritage, art, architecture, culinary traditions, and festivals are becoming more common leading to vibrant contemporary cultural practices.

Kitaro – Theme from the Silk Road: The Rise And Fall of Civilizations, a Tokushu documentary series, April, 1980.

Conversations with Rahma Qassim Jabir Al-Farsi (UNESCO)

Name : Rahma Qassim Jabir Al-Farsi | Country : Sultanate of Oman | Years Active : Focal Point Silk Roads of Sultanate of Oman since 2016 | Website : UNESCO 

Q – How do you describe your work to people who don’t know anything about your field?

I am the Director General of Museums at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture of Sultanate of Oman, and the Chair of the National Committee of Museums. I am also the Director of Media and Communication for the Sultanate of Oman Focal Point to UNESCO Silk Roads Program.   

Our work includes collecting, analysing and transmitting information and data on Silk Roads heritage and activities in our countries to be integrated in the UNESCO Silk Roads Online Platform. We inform national stakeholders about the activities related to Silk Roads undertaken by UNESCO and its partners. And, we also encourage and advise national authorities and stakeholders in initiating, implementing and promoting activities related to Silk Roads. Then, there is the exchange of experience and expertise with other members of the Network to facilitate cooperation and partnership. Lastly, we contribute to the promotion of mutual understanding, intercultural dialogue, reconciliation and cooperation among nations and people sharing the Silk Roads common heritage.

Q – What inspired you to become a curator?

I studied archaeology at the Jordanian University in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan during which I was exposed to the glorious cultural heritage of the Sultanate of Oman which extends for more than 5000 years. Oman’s strategic geographical location, its central role in maritime navigation in the Indian Ocean as well as the trade and cultural links with neighboring and farther countries, have contributed to its formation as a meeting-point between various civilizations through the ages.

My work and experiences in archaeology and the museum field have enriched my understanding of the Maritime Silk Roads. Collaborating with different archaeological missions in Oman has enhanced my work in this field, in addition to my experiences in media and communication which contribute to representing my country in UNESCO’s Silk Roads Program.

“Sohar” Ship in the (Sindbad Trip), November 1980, courtesy Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Oman

Q – Why did you choose this particular field (of research)?   

I really appreciate The Silk Roads’ focus on dialogue, diversity and development. I feel deeply committed to these three ideas.

My responsibilities are to promote the historical role of the Sultanate of Oman at crossroads of commercial and cultural routes; the role of Omani sailors in ensuring marine exchanges along the Silk Roads; Oman, the cradle of cultural interactions and tolerance; and, Oman as the anchor of stability and a platform for collective sustainable development in today’s globalized world.

Lion of Sohar, ‏courtesy The National Museum of Oman

Q – What is the most memorable object you’ve researched, or worked with?

I’ve helped organize many exhibitions relating to archaeology which has presented me with the great opportunity to learn about many objects, from different eras.

One example is the “Lion of Sohar”which is a small ceramic artifact which depicts a seated figure on top of a lotus flower, on the back of a lion. It is considered the most important piece of all archaeological discoveries in Sohar-Sultanate of Oman. The object was discovered in 1981 during the excavation of French mission working in Sohar from 1981-1986. The piece originates from China, dating back to circa 13th century AD, during the late reign of “Sung” dynasty (ruled from 960-1279 CE) or the beginning of the reign of Yuan dynasty (ruled from 1279-1368 AD).

Q – Do you recall when was the first time you heard the phrase “Silk Road”? What was your first impression of it?

It was the first time I read “The Integral Study of the Silk Roads, Roads of Dialogue 1988-1997”. The UNESCO Maritime Silk Road Expedition was one of the highlights of these collaborations between the Sultanate of Oman and UNESCO. The expedition was organized thanks to the generosity of the late His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said of Oman, who granted the use of his Royal Yacht, the “Fulk Al-Salamah” to UNESCO for more than six months (October 1990 to March 1991). About 100 scientists and 45 journalists from 34 countries were able to participate in this 154-day study trip, and exchange ideas about the cultural interactions, common heritage and plural identities that emerged and developed along these maritime routes over the centuries. The UNESCO expedition travelled over 27,000 kilometers from Venice (Italy) to Osaka (Japan), visiting 27 historical ports in 16 countries along the Maritime Silk Roads. 

This expedition was an appreciation of the late His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said of Oman to the scientific benefits of the integral study and its positive results. One of the most important goals of the expedition was to understand the extent to which civilizations and cultures in the East and the West have influenced each other. It was also to discover all the technical and scientific information that have been transferred through commercial exchanges of various commodities, especially silk, which attracted the interest of kings and wealthy people since the 2nd Millennium BC.

The late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Royal Yacht the “Fulk Al-Salamah”, courtesy Ministry of Heritage and Culture
Valencia Fallas festivity, Spain, Inscribed in 2016 on UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Q – What is your most memorable experience of travelling along the Silk Road?

I have travelled to many countries alongside the Silk Roads such as the historical city of Ateshgah in Azerbaijan, and Ashq-Abad in Turkmenistan. Also Iran, Turkey, but the most memorable experience was in Valencia-Spain, the Fallas Festival (March 15-19, 2016) as one can witness the most beautiful silk dresses parade in the streets. Visiting the famous central market, the old town and the historical sights were equally memorable.

Q – Which city or region along the Silk Road are you looking forward to visit, for the first time?

China.

Al-Idrisi’s world map from ‘Alî ibn Hasan al-Hûfî al-Qâsimî’s 1456.

Q – What language(s) spoken along the Silk Road have you studied, or would wish to study?

Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to study any language yet, I wish to study the Chinese language. Also, I would like to add that the Arabic language is the most common language for some countries located along the Land and Maritime Silk Roads and I encourage everybody to study it.

Q – What is the hardest part of your work that people don’t realize?

To promote and update the new generation especially the youth about the “Silk Roads” as we have to work hard through different media platform to reach out to this demographic.

Q – What is your dream (or even fantasy) research project?

Design a cultural-maritime tourist route along the Sultanate of Oman coastline, concentrating on the historical ports that relate to the Maritime Silk Roads.

Q – If it were possible, what historic figure would you like to meet? Why?

The geographer Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi: In the 12th Century the Idrissi confirmed that the city of Sohar in Oman was prosperous and that there were ships sailing from there to the shores of China. Also, Abu Obeida, Abdullah bin Al-Qasim from the town of (Siya) near Bahla in Oman. He travelled to China in 750 AD to create a commercial ties during the rule of the Tang dynasty.

Tim Sivrin guided Omani shipwrights in the construction of the “Sohar”, courtesy Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Oman

Q – What movie best depicts a historic or aesthetic aspect of the Silk Road?

Sinbad Journey (3) parts Sohar Ship – produced by Sultanate of Oman TV 1983.

SYND 2 12 80 British Adventure starts SINBAD style voyage from Oman on ancient vessel Sohar.

SYND 3 12 80 Explorer getting ready to travel from Oman to China on replica of ancient vessel.

(About Sohar Ship) :

On the occasion of the Sultanate of Oman the 10th National Day in 1980 and its well to promote the historical relations with People’s Republic of China. The late His Majesty Qaboos bin Said al Said, Sultan of Oman instructed and directed the (Sindbad Trip) which was activate  through the reconstruction of an Omani commercial ship (Sindbad Trip) following the model used in the middle ages and the first centuries of Islam, as these kind of ships used to sail across the traditional routes used by the Omani Sailors who were known as a seafaring nation pioneers.

The ship was constructed in traditional way in seven months using hand-sawn wooden planks sewn together, with nearly 400 miles (640 km) of hand-rolled, coconut-husk rope. The ship sailed from Oman to China using astrology, astronomy and navigation tools. “Sohar” ship  left Oman on 21 November 1980. Navigating by the stars, Tim Severin and his crew of 25 travelled nearly 6,000 miles (9,600 km) in eight months. From Sur they sailed east across the Arabian Sea, south down India’s Malabar Coast to Lakshadweep and on to Kozhikode, India. The next phase of their voyage took them down the coast of India to Sri Lanka. They were becalmed in the doldrums for nearly a month, suffered broken spars, and were nearly run down by freighters, but arrived in Canton, China on 6 July 1981. 

Nomad Games Oman, courtesy Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Oman

Q – What music or soundtrack most embodies the sound of the Silk Road for you?

There are many Arabic soundtracks but the most recent one in 2020 is a soundtrack of a new Syrian series titled “Silk Market (Souq Al Harir)” composed by Iyad Rimawi. Also, music from Asia & Arabia -The Silk Road Lounge – Music for the Soul. And, of course, let’s not forget Turkish music.

Q – What fundamental change(s) in your work do you anticipate in the post-pandemic world?

I think fundamental change(s) are:

– Work will concentrate more in digital in communication.

– There will be more trends toward 3D videos for the museums, important historical monuments and touristic location attractions…etc.

– [We will be] creating more apps for the youth to promote the Silk Roads concept.

Q – What modern day cultural trend (sports, music, art, architecture) has its roots in the Silk Road – that majority do not know?

The shared heritage along Silk Roads remain in: Traditional Sports, Traditional Games, Traditional Festivals, Food and Gastronomy.

Stay tuned for MUSEUMVIEWS’ forthcoming #SportsHeritage celebrations on the #SilkRoad during the first annual #SilkRoadWeek, June 19-24, 2020.

Nomad Games Oman, courtesy Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Oman

Bloomsday 2020

Bloomsday in Dublin – a celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses, 2018, courtesy Discover Ireland
Berenice Abbott, JAMES JOYCE 1926 Gelatin silver print Print Date 1935–55, The Museum of Modern Art, New York

RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland’s National Public Service Broadcaster) is set to broadcast an almost 30-hour production of James Joyce’s Ulysses to celebrate the annual Bloomsday festival.

Named after the novel’s protagonist Leopold Bloom, Bloomsday is a celebration of the life of the great Irish writer James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (February, 2 1882-January 13, 1941). The event is observed annually in Dublin and around the world on 16 June, the day his groundbreaking novel Ulysses (published 1922) takes place in 1904.

RTÉ’s fully dramatised production was originally broadcast in 1982 to celebrate the centenary of Joyce. Totalling 29 hours and 45 minutes in duration, it will begin at the same time as both Stephen Dedalus’ and Leopold Bloom’s journey through Dublin begins in the book: 8am on 16 June. Responding to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, RTÉ will mark the occasion with this unique and ambitious broadcast online.

Ulysses will broadcast from 8 am on the 16th of June on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra.

Jim Jennings, Director of Content, RTÉ, said: ‘With the rise in popularity of audiobooks and podcasts at the moment, this is a real cultural treasure from the RTÉ Archives, which we are delighted and extremely proud to make available to audiences globally via our DAB channel and website. If you’ve never felt brave enough before, this is an ideal way to get into Joyce’s masterpiece. Guided by the exquisite performances of the RTÉ Players you will find yourself immersed in this stunning production within minutes. For those who have already read the book or enjoyed the original production in the 1980s, here is an opportunity to re-visit this unequalled moment in world broadcasting.’

The production was recorded by Marcus MacDonald, directed by William Styles, and performed by the RTÉ Players, featuring Pegg Monahan, Patrick Dawson, Ronnie Walsh, Brendan Cauldwell, Colette Procter, Barbara McCaughey, Kate Minogue, Denis Staunton, Laurence Foster, Conor Farrington and Déirdre O’Meara.

James Joyce with Ulysses publisher, Sylvia Beach, courtesy The Irish Times
James Joyce by Jacques-Emile Blanche, oil on canvas, 1935, NPG London

To complement the broadcast, RTÉ has created a permanent website (rte.ie/ulysses) that will include 20 ‘explainer’ programmes, ‘Reading Ulysses’, hosted by Gerry O Flaherty and Fritz Senn. This comprises 18 episodes, plus an introductory programme with contributions from Edna O’Brien and Joseph O’Connor, and a programme hosted by Bernard Clarke and featuring Barry McGovern on the music in the book. RTÉ is also including Joycesongs (music from the book performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra) and other audio and visual archive material.

Speaking of new writing, follow the blog of the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States of America, Daniel Mulhall & His Excellency’s daily dose of #IrishPoetry on Twitter.

In addition, RTÉ has commissioned a series of short essays focusing on a fundamental activity of James Joyce’s Ulysses – walking. Called Walking Out, in the days approaching Bloomsday a new short essay will be published daily from acclaimed fiction writers and essayists Nuala O’Connor (Wednesday10 June), Joseph O’Connor (Thursday 11 June), Cristín Leach (Friday 12 June), Ian Maleney (Monday15 June) and Mary Costello (16 June, Bloomsday). 

Lastly, don’t miss “Joyce on Film,” the wonderful online presentation by the Irish Film Institute and Bloomsday Festival – a programme of short films from the IFI Irish Film Archive. This collection of films will be available to view for free on the IFI Player and suite of apps from June 12th 2020.

First major Bloomsday with Flann O’Brien, Patrick Kavanagh & co., in Dublin 1954

Yeats Day 2020

Yeats Day 2020

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face

(When you are Old and Grey, 1892)

Irish actor Liam Neeson reads WB Yeats’ Easter 1916, courtesy RTÉ

 

June 13th marks the 155th birthday of the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats(13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) , and the founder of the world renowned The Abbey Theater (Amharclann na Mainistreach), in 1909.

In 1923, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Yeats Society Ireland are inviting all Yeats fans and lovers of poetry and literature around the globe to celebrate #YeatsDay by recording and uploading their favourite Yeats poem. 

National Library of Ireland is calling on Yeats and poetry lovers to brush up on their knowledge of the life and works of the great writer with a quiz game on their Facebook page.

His Excellency Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador @Embassy of Ireland to the United States; Darina Gallagher, Manager @James Joyce Society; and Susan O’Keefe, Director @Yeats Society Sligo will host a stellar group of guests at “A Transatlantic Celebration of Yeats Day & Bloomsday” with the Embassy of Ireland, DC, the Joyce Centre, Dublin & the Yeats Society, Sligo – Jun 12, 2020 03:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada).
 
More info on the days’ programmings, visit Yeats Society.
Dominic West reads “The Second Coming” by WB Yeats, courtesy RTE Ireland

Conversations with Kristine Rose-Beers (Conservator)

Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi, The Shanama (Book of Kings), circa 1010, collection Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland – Film by Elaine Wright and John Forde, © The Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library

Name : Kristine Rose-Beers ACR | Country : Ireland | Years Active : 18 | Website : Chester Beatty Library &  Twitter

Q – How do you describe your work to people who don’t know anything about your field?

I am a manuscript conservator: I help to preserve ancient books.

This generally leads to questions about precisely how I conserve things, or what is the oldest thing I have ever worked on!

Q – What inspired you to become a conservator?

As a child I loved both art and science. In conservation we have the opportunity to use both. The only other career I seriously considered was forensics, but there’s actually a lot of overlap between the two fields.

Q – Why did you choose this particular field (of research)?

I specialise in the conservation of Islamic manuscript material. Initially, I thought I wanted to work on panel paintings, but I learnt that if you work on oil paintings, you actually spend a lot on time looking at varnishes. Manuscripts feel more tangible. The link between the maker and the object today feels more immediate and their three-dimensionality makes them fascinating machines.

Q – What is the most memorable object you’ve researched, or worked with?

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some spectacular objects, including some of the very first multi-quire codices (books) made in Egypt c.600 CE, as well as beautiful Persian and Ottoman manuscript bindings. However, it’s difficult not to think of the manuscript that I’ve been working on for the past few years, CBL Is 1404. This large parchment Qur’an manuscript was made in the first decades of the eighth century, under the patronage of the Umayyad Caliphate, who governed the Islamic world from Damascus between 661 and 750 CE.  

Q – Do you recall when was the first time you heard of the phrase “Silk Road”? What was your first impression of it?

I can’t remember when I first heard of the Silk Road, but I must have been quite small as I associate it with early memories of learning about ancient history. It makes me think of long slow journeys through remote landscapes and precious materials such as Ultramarine and paper.

Q – What is your most memorable experience of travelling along the Silk Road?

I love Istanbul. The first time I went there I was completely overwhelmed by the layers of history, sound, scent, and sights in this city. I think of eating fish cooked on the banks of the Bosporus and stopping to listen to the layers of sound as the Muezzin’s begin the call to prayer.

Q – Which city or region along the Silk Road are you looking forward to visit, for the first time?

The lapis lazuli mines in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, are somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. I haven’t seen very much of the Silk Road and I aspire to see some of the great cities it connected. Samarkand and Tehran are high on my wish list.

Q – What language(s) spoken along the Silk Road have you studied, or would wish to study?

I am not a linguist, rather I study and ‘read’ the materials of the books I conserve. I would love to learn Arabic.

Kristine Rose-Beers working on St Andrews Qur’an, with (& photo courtesy) Keelan Overton, 2018.

Q – What is the hardest part of your work that people don’t realize?

I think that the weight of decision making before a conservation treatment can take place is not always something people are aware of. Conservators are technically capable, and have excellent hand skills, but there is a huge amount of consideration, documentation, and planning necessary before we get to repair something.

Although all conservation treatments are carried out in the interest of preserving an historic object, the interventive process of conservation—particularly rebinding manuscripts—creates a new object.  Each intervention we make changes the item we are conserving, and risks unintentionally losing significant information. As such, we are continually evaluating how best to preserve the cultural and material integrity of the objects we work with.

It is not possible for a conservation treatment to be entirely neutral – it will always be an amalgamation of historic features and contemporary conservation techniques. In my opinion, a conservation intervention should not make a dramatic visual impact, instead it should be subtle and complementary to the original manuscript.

These considerations maintain core conservation values – namely the need to respect the cultural and codicological features of the manuscript – whilst also maintaining contemporary conservation standards of stability, reversibility, and minimal intervention. 

Chester Beatty Quran (CBL Is 1404), AD early 8th century, collection The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland

Q – What is your dream (or even fantasy) research project?

I’d love to spend more time investigating the production and use of parchment in the Islamic world. This is a subject I have begun to explore through my work on CBL Is 1404, but there is much more to do. I’d also really like to do more teaching. I think that conservation internships offer the ideal way to share practical experience with early career conservators, but it can be challenging to find the resources to support these schemes.

Q – If it were possible, what historic figure would you like to meet? Why?

I’d love to meet the makers of the manuscripts I conserve, so that I could quiz them about their materials and techniques.

(Detail from) Ruzbihan Qur’an, Ruzbihan Muhammad al-Tab‘i al-Shirazi, Mid-16th C, Shiraz, Iran (CBL Is 1558), collection Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland

Q – What movie best depicts a historic or aesthetic aspect of the Silk Road?

Goodness, I don’t know! If you want to gain a sense of the combination of art and science that is used in Conservation, then the Austrian-German film The Counterfeiters (Die Fälscher, 2007) gives an incredible sense of the materiality of paper and printing. It’s not strictly conservation, but the technology and paper are very well observed. The film is set in the concentration camps in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. It fictionalises the true story of bank note forgery employed in Operation Bernhard.

Q – What music or soundtrack most embodies the sound of the Silk Road for you?

If I want to pretend that I am in Istanbul on a cold, grey, Irish day, I listen to Taksim Trio’s 2007 album and make myself a pot of coffee.

Q – What fundamental change(s) in your work do you anticipate in the post-pandemic world?

Social distancing has already had an immense impact on our practical conservation work. At the Chester Beatty we work collaboratively and share thoughts and ideas together every day in the lab. At the moment we are working remotely and communicating via email or video calls. I think these technologies will remain in use for daily work meetings, and that international travel for conferences, loans and exhibitions will reduce—at least for a while.

Q – What modern day cultural trend (sports, music, art, architecture) has its roots in the Silk Road – that majority do not know?

Paper is such a ubiquitous material that it is largely taken for granted. I think most people are astounded to hear of the long history and journey of this technology from China, through the Islamic world, to Europe along the Silk Roads.

Blue silk dragon robe, 19th century, China, CBL C 1053, The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland

Conversations with Petya Andreeva (Art Historian)

Music Video inspired by the The Story of the Weeping Camel (Mongolian: Ингэн нулимс, Ingen nulims, Tears of the Camel) directed and written by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni. The German-Mongolian docudrama was Mongolia’s submission for the 2004 Academy Award Best Foreign Film category.

Name : Petya Andreeva | Country : United States (active), Bulgaria (native) | Years Active : 3, Since 2019, Assistant Professor of Asian Art and Design History at Parsons School of Design in New York City | Website : The New School (Parson)  

Q – How do you describe your work to people who don’t know anything about your field?

I am an art historian studying ornament in ancient China and Central Eurasia. I study mobility and its implications for art production and circulation in the interconnected ancient world. During seasonal migrations and forced re-settlements, humans have continuously come across new ecosystems, brimming with unfamiliar flora and fauna. I research the ways in which early Eurasian nomads visualized, re-enacted or embellished their shifting natural environs (particularly animal species) through their personal adornments such as belt buckles, plaques, torques, headdresses, horse trappings. I am equally fascinated by the concept of “portable luxury”, the transport of precious goods on one’s body, horse or camel-back, and their subsequent display in one’s final resting place. Such shifts in natural and constructed environments always change the meanings of these objects and mark the biographies of their owners in more ways than we realize.  

Q – What inspired you to become an art historian?

I came to the United States with the intention of pursuing a BA in Political Science, but during my first year at Colby College, I discovered the benefits of being immersed in a liberal arts curriculum. I took a course in Asian art as a core requirement and thus felt incredibly inspired and motivated to continue my education in East Asian Studies and Art History, largely under the guidance of my Asian art professor Dr. Weitz and the rest of the East Asia department. Stimulated by my teachers‘support, by junior year, I already knew that I wished to give the same level of support to other students in the future, hence my aspiration to have a career in higher education.

Q – Why did you choose this particular field (of research)?

I now consider my research highly interdisciplinary and trans-regional but this was not always the case. At the start of my doctoral journey, I wanted to focus on a narrow research area and take a more traditional research path, one closely aligned with the academic canon. Under the incredible guidance of my advisor Dr. Nancy Steinhardt, I decided to broaden my interests and discovered the immense potential of Central Eurasian studies. Now I work mostly on the prehistory of the Silk Routes, a period marked by the intense commercial and cultural activities across the Eurasian steppe belt. I choose to focus on the material and visual cultures of non-sedentary communities, as I find that pastoral nomads have continuously lived on the “outskirts” of art-historical scholarship, rarely placed at the center of scholarly inquiries and historiographies. Challenging and revisiting the canon is an integral step in decolonizing art-historical scholarship, curriculum and curatorial practices, and I have thus joined recent efforts to place overlooked-communities and marginalized histories in the art-history textbooks. I find this period and subject particularly crucial, as the Eurasian steppe routes and nomadic peoples served as a catalyst of major formative processes developing along the Silk Routes.

Q – What is the most memorable object you’ve researched, or worked with?

This is a hard choice, but I would have to go with the gold treasures found in modern-day Kazakhstan, particularly the “Golden Man” of Issyk. This refers to a burial of an Iron-Age nomadic chieftain, whose body was found covered in 400 golden plaques of superb design and craftsmanship. A close contender would be a gold headdress topped by a turquoise bird excavated from Aluchaideng in modern-day Inner Mongolia.

Q – Do you recall when was the first time you heard of the phrase “Silk Road”? What was your first impression of it?

It must have been during my freshman-year Asian art survey course. I have always had a “love-hate” relationship with the term. Coined by a German explorer in the 19th century, this recent term carries colonial undertones, which in turn bring about a multitude of methodological problems. Pre-modern Eurasian societies never attached a particular name to this complex network of maritime and terrestrial routes, which are better served by a plural noun (routes or roads vs. road). I do find, however, that in some contexts, the already widely-familiar term “Silk Road” retains a certain degree of usefulness, as it does the main job of indicating the extremely inter-connected nature of the ancient world to a wider audience which may already be familiar with the silk trade. It should be noted that silk was only one of the many crucial items circulated across those routes.

Q – What is your most memorable experience of travelling along the Silk Road?

I find nothing to be as soul-soothing as a trip in the Gobi Desert. Additionally, my research trips to Dunhuang, Turfan, Urumqi, and Xi’an in China and several sites in Kazakhstan and Mongolia were particularly unforgettable.

Golden Man (Zolotoy Chelovek), National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, 5th -3rd c BCE
Golden Man (Zolotoy Chelovek), National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, 5th -3rd c BCE
Samarqand, Uzbekistan, courtesy Uzbekistan Travel

Q – Which city or region along the Silk Road are you looking forward to visit, for the first time?

I am greatly looking forward to visiting Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan. In the future, I hope to become more familiar with the Southern Silk Route and visit ancient sites in South Asia.  

Q – What language(s) spoken along the Silk Road have you studied, or would wish to study?

I would love to study Persian in the future.

Q – What is the hardest part of your work that people don’t realize?

My biggest yet most enjoyable challenge has always been making the (global) ancient world relevant and interesting to undergraduate students, particularly those who take my classes as part of the curriculum requirements. I am a professor at Parsons School of Design, and so the majority of my students are designers, architects and artists. I try my best to translate my historical research into tools which they would find beneficial and stimulating in their own work. I think it is a myth that students always gravitate toward “modern” and “contemporary” art and culture. My recent experience has shown that this is in fact no longer the case, particularly in the field of art history and artistic research. There is a tangible “hunger” for the long bygone, and there is a real need to view globalization in a larger historical framework, particularly in light of the challenges our world is facing at present. More and more students realize this and show intellectual curiosity toward ancient studies and non-Western art.

Q – What is your dream (or even fantasy) research project?

Being able to do fieldwork in every single city within the Afro-Eurasian Routes (alas impossible in one lifetime).

Q – If it were possible, what historic figure would you like to meet? Why?

Peter the Great. His fascination with nomadic art and Russia’s southern periphery sparked major excavations of nomadic art. His famed Siberian collection of nomadic treasures is now housed in the Gold Room of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, one of my favorite museums and a must-see for anybody interested in the art of the Silk Routes.

Nomads’ Gold. On the “Siberian Collection” of Peter I, courtesy SCFH (Science First Hand)

Q – What movie best depicts a historic or aesthetic aspect of the Silk Road?

The Story of the Weeping Camel.

Q – What music or soundtrack most embodies the sound of the Silk Road for you?

I am very fond of Tuvan throat-singing and other musical traditions of the diverse communities in South Siberia.

Q – What fundamental change(s) in your work do you anticipate in the post-pandemic world?

My research is highly dependent on fieldwork in Central Eurasia. I look forward to a time when I can resume my travels safely. So far, remote teaching has presented me with the challenge of disseminating my highly-visual materials and resources, via a tiny computer screen, and simultaneously retain their integrity and usefulness to students. At these unprecedented times, unlimited access to Silk Road initiatives and online resources is invaluable, and I hope more and more cultural institutions will make their materials accessible. During the pandemic, I worked on my upcoming book on images of fantastic fauna transmitted along the Eurasian steppe; as I finish this project, I plan to move toward exploring alternative trade routes, particularly the Black Sea trade network which became increasingly significant toward the end of the Mongol empire.  

Q – What modern day cultural trend (sports, music, art, architecture) has its roots in the Silk Road – that majority do not know?

The Ikat and other textile patterning techniques employed in the making of Central Asian textiles have their pre-modern antecedents. Felt textiles, particularly shyrdak carpets produced by Kyrgyz and Kazakh communities, also have a long history traceable across the Silk Roads. Interestingly, many of the deer-like patterns found on such textiles echo the patterns of Iron-Age felt textiles found in nomadic tombs in Central and North Asia.