Exchanges

Not just an exhibition space but a research centre too
Interview with Séverine Le Guevel, the museum’s international relations manager, who intends to develop a broad policy of dialogue with the countries of origin of the collections.

"The idea of equality between cultures" is what the Quai Branly museum intends to promote and it can now be visited by lovers of non-European arts and cultures. Indeed, the institution, which brings together the collections of the national museum of the Arts of Africa and Oceania and the ethnology department at the museum of Mankind, claims it will be distinctive for its "radical new policy which is in complete contrast with the colonial past".

But the museum, whose creation was decided in 1996 by the French president, Jacques Chirac, is also distinctive in other ways, such as the building itself. Standing in the middle of a wooded garden, the main building, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, resembles a footbridge on stilts protected by a long, high, curving glass palisade. Another fascinating feature is an enormous living wall, covering the administrative building with a mixture of 15,000 plants of 150 different species. It was designed by Patrick Blanc, a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique [French national centre for scientific research]. The quality, diversity and presentation of the collections it contains cannot fail to amaze visitors.

The exhibits are arranged in geographical areas (Oceania, Asia, Africa and the Americas) and meeting-point spaces (Asia-Oceania, Insulind, etc.). The arrangement places special stress on the "historical depth of the cultures presented" and takes a themed approach. In a central mezzanine, the contributions of 20th-century anthropology are presented too. More than 3,500 of the museum’s 300,000 works will be on permanent exhibition. Some of them will not pass unnoticed. This is particularly true of the Moai Head, a monumental sculpture shipped from Easter Island in the 19th century, and the Seligmann Mast, a gigantic red cedar totem pole made by the Indians of British Columbia.

Not just an exhibition space but a research centre too

The collections have benefited from a campaign of preventive conservation (checking and updating the inventory, decontamination, cleaning, computerisation, 3D photographs) unprecedented in France. An acquisitions policy has also been introduced to enable the museum to obtain around a hundred exceptional pieces, to build up the collections and in particular to fill "the gaps that colonial or scientific history has left in the geographical representation of these cultures" [2].

So that the objects in reserve too may be revealed in all their splendour, these will be the star exhibits in temporary exhibitions. Contemporary events and creative work will also have their place. The first long exhibition proposed after the opening is called "What is a body?". There will also be a programme of performances (music, dance, theatre, etc.) linked to the collections. Lastly, visitors will be able to extend their knowledge in the media library, which has a considerable collection and provides free access to 25,000 works.

Supervised by the Ministry of Culture and Communication and the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research, the museum aims to become a high-flying centre of research and education, firmly committed to an interdisciplinary approach. Thus, as well as anthropology, the centre will refer to archaeology, linguistics, history, art history and aesthetics too.

www.quaibranly.fr

Florence Raynal
journalist

Interview with Séverine Le Guevel, the museum’s international relations manager, who intends to develop a broad policy of dialogue with the countries of origin of the collections.

"Our goal is to promote exchanges."

International cooperation is a strong element of the Quai Branly museum’s policy. What is the philosophy behind this?

Séverine Le Guevel : We would like to forge new and lasting links with the countries from which the collections originate, free of the misunderstandings and controversies of the past. Our goal is to be both an internationally recognised scientific and cultural centre of reference and to establish a dialogue by developing multi-disciplinary cooperation schemes that promote reciprocal exchanges. This concerns fields as varied as the preservation of historic assets, conservation, contemporary art, etc. Furthermore, we intend to demonstrate our commitment to diversity in the arts and dialogue between cultures.

How is this conveyed?

First through bilateral cooperation in the form of loans and collaborations related to the collections, especially in the context of co-production of exhibitions. For instance, with Peru, we have an ambitious project for an exhibition of funeral clothes which will follow joint restoration work.

Another important scheme is with the Porto Novo School of African Heritage in Benin, which we are putting on with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Called "Museums working for development", it will involve 26 African museums and is aimed especially at boosting their attendance. We are also getting involved in multilateral cooperation projects by participating in various international networks.

Lastly, we are developing cooperation in research and education. In particular, this involves welcoming foreign professionals for short work placements or long-term researchers in residence.

How has the museum been perceived abroad so far?

We are surprised by the interest it has aroused and by the number and variety of requests it receives. It is very positive. However, our collections also provoke questions about the use we intend to make of them. We have chosen transparency, because we felt it was important to get a dialogue going, including discussion of the most thorny questions. The proof of this is that all the works and commentaries will be available on line. We are aware that this will provoke some reactions as a result of cultural differences; for example, regarding items that are "banned from view" in their country of origin because they have a magical or sacred power. So we have given considerable thought to finding the right balance between respect for cultures and our primary purpose. This is achieved through close consultation with the Paris embassies of these countries.