ETNO MUZEJSKE STRANI
MUSEUM NEWS
STALNE POSTAVITVE V EVROPSKIH
ETNOGRAFSKIH MUZEJIH
NA PRAGU NOVEGA TISOČLETJA
Irena Keršič
V sedmi številki Etnologa smo poročali o rednem letnem sestanku nadonabih
in regionalnih dopisnih članov NET-a (Network of Eurpean Ethnography and Social
History Museimis), ki je potekal septembra 1997 v Ljubljani in na Bledu, in bralcem
obljubili objavo prispevkov udeležencev na temo Stalne postavitve v etnografskih
muzejih na pragu novega tisočletja (vključno z neevropskimi zbirkami). To temo
smo namreč izbrali za uvodni del sestanka z namenom, da bi se seznanili z
različnimi izkušnjami, ki jih imajo sorodni muzeji v Evropi, čeprav se zavedamo,
da gre pri njih za drugačna teoretična izhodišča, z drugačno tradicijo, ki se zrcali
tudi na povednosti stalnih razstav.
Če etnografske muzeje definiramo kot muzeje identitet - nacionalnih,
regionalnih, lokalnih in osebnih, potem se moramo zavedati ogroženosti obstoja
kulturnih razlik na vseh nivojih zaradi tendenc, ki se kažejo prvenstveno na
poUtičnem in gospodarskem področju. Kulturne identitete, ki jih evropski
etnografski muzeji hranijo, proučujejo in preko razstav posredujejo javnosti,
postajajo predmet vse večje pozornosti.
Zato smo tudi povabili kolege iz evropskih etnografskih muzejev, ki
sodelujejo pri NET-u, da predstavijo svoje muzeje oziroma njihovo videnje stalnih
razstav na pragu tretjega tisočletja.
Danes, ko smo priče kompleksnim procesom integriranja v Evropi in
globalizaciji zlasti na gospodarskem področju, se zdi, da je ohranjanje, kaj šele
razvijanje nacionalne identitete, nepotrebno. V današnjem času, ko govorimo
npr. o svetovni civilni družbi ali o evropskem državljanstvu, učinkuje neka
nacionalna identiteta kot anahronizem. Ne bi pa smeH spregledati, da jezik in
kultura v najširšem smislu predstavljata močno družbeno vezivo, ki je potrebno
modernemu človeku. Poleg tega je velik pomen nacionalne identitete tudi v tem,
ker v nas krepi občutek, da sodelujemo pri medgeneracijskem projektu (tako z
generacijami, ki so živele pred nami, kot tudi s tistimi, ki se še niso rodile), torej
pri projektu, ki povezuje daljnjo preteklost s sedanjostjo in tudi s prihodnostjo.
(R. Rizman, 1998).
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Irena Keršič
Zato je tudi tako potrebno pri Slovencih vzbuditi zavest, da je Slovenski
etnografski muzej muzej osrednjega nacionalnega pomena (D. Hribar,1993), za
kar namreč doslej ni imel objektivnih možnosti. Zgoditi se mora tisti predpogoj,
na katerega Slovenski etnografski muzej čaka že celih petinsedemdeset let, torej
od ustanovitve - dobiti mora prostor, prenovljeno muzejsko palačo, v kateri se
bodo sanje številnih etnologov prizemljile, kjer bomo z dobrimi, obiskovalcem
prijaznimi razstavami zainteresirali širšo javnost, ki se bo, tako upamo in želimo,
na naše delo tudi odzivala. Ko bo razstavna palača na red, bomo lahko prikazali
sintetično etnološko identiteto in sodobne identitete slovenskega etničnega
ozemlja in slovenskega nacionalnega ozemlja.
Na stalni razstavi pa želimo predstaviti tudi medkulturne in medetične
vplive slovenske z drugimi evropskimi in neevropskimi etničnimi kulturami. V
njegovi sodobni kulturni identiteti pa predstaviti predvsem narodno identiteto.
Za uvod letnega sestanka NET-a smo kolegom iz evropskih etnografskih
muzejev predstavili projekt, imenovan Slovenski etnografski muzej, kot ga je
predstavila naša direktorica mag. Inja Smerdel. (I. Smerdel, 1996). Kolege smo
seznanili s svojimi načrti za muzejsko razstavno palačo na Metelkovi, s svojimi
osnutki in zamislimi za stalno razstavo, ki bo sestavljena iz več enot in jih bo
mogoče obiskati ločeno ali pa si jih ogledati v celoti v določenem zaporedju.
Vsebinska zasnova prvega dela stalne razstave je idejna zamisel zgodbe o
človeku oziroma bolje - o imaginarnem paru - ženi in možu in njunih družbenih
vlogah, ki jo je domislila mag. Janja Žagar. (J. Žagar, 1996). Znotraj te zgodbe o
ljudeh se bo obiskovalec seznanil še z naravnim letnim in letnim delovnim
ciklusom ter naravnim dnevnim in dnevnim delovnim ciklusom. Vsebinska
opredelitev drugega dela, ki jo je zasnoval mag. Andrej Dular, ima povsem
drugačno strukturo in zajema:
• prikaz regionalnih značilnosti,
• razstavo posameznih muzejskih zbirk,
• razstavo nepremične dediščine,
• abecedarij gospodarskih in drugih dejavnosti,
• razstavo Slovenci in svet ter
• raziskovalno sobo za "raziskovalno" delo in razvedrilo mlajših muzejskih
obiskovalcev. (A. Dular, 1996).
Kolege iz evropskih etnografskih muzejev smo popeljali skozi razstave, ki
smo jih pred prenovo razstavne palače začasno postavui v naši upravni stavbi;
predstavili smo jim razstavni triptih, ki na simbolni ravni nakazuje našo bodočo
razstavno politiko v drugi muzejski stavbi, namenjeni predvsem stalni in občasnim
razstavam ter pedagoškemu in andragoškemu delu. Skupaj smo se najprej spreho-
dih skozi eno najstarejših zbirk našega muzeja, t. im. Kabinet čudes - Baragovo
zbirko iz severne Amerike: korak od kabineta čudes k modemi znanstvenorazisko-
valni zbirki (avtorica: mag. Mojca Terčelj, oblikovalec: Jurij Kocbek).
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Stalne postavitve v evropskih etnografskih muzejih na pragu novega tisočletja
Okna zbirk. Pogled v muzejski thesaurus (idejna zamisel: mag. Inja Smerdel,
oblikovalka: Mojca Turk) je bila druga predstavitev. Z njo želimo nakazati
identiteto in vsebino naših zbirk in tudi vsebino naše bodoče stalne razstave;
predstavitev pa ne pomeni koncepta bodoče razstave.
Sledila je zadnja od treh predstavitev, imenovana Vrata kroga, ki govori o
prvem dejanju stalne razstave, o rojstvu in zgodnjem otroštvu na Slovenskem
(avtorica: mag. Janja Žagar, oblikovalec: Tomaž Marolt).
V vse tri pripovedi, prikazane na simbolnih razstavah, so se kolegi zlahka
vživeli, saj smo jim predhodno poslali separat Etnologa št. 6, v katerem so
direktorica mag. Inja Smerdel, mag. Janja Žagar in mag. Andrej Dular dvojezično
predstavili naše vizije za stalno razstavo, ter dvojezični brošuri avtoric mag.
Mojce Terčelj o Baragovi zbirki in mag. Janje Žagar o rojstvu in zgodnjem otroštvu.
Po sprehodu skozi razstavni triptih in predstavitvi naših načrtov ter diskusiji
smo sedli za skupno mizo in kolegi iz evropskih muzejev so predstavili svoje
prispevke, ki jih z njihovim prijaznim privoljenjem danes objavljamo v Etnologu.
VIRI IN SLOVSTVO
Dular, Andrej: Idejna zasnova stalne postavitve SEM - galerijski del.- V: Etnolog 6 (LVII).
Ljubljana 1996, str. 71-78.
Hribar, Daša: O simbolnem pomenu Slovenskega etnografskega muzeja.- V: Etnolog 3 (LIV).
Ljubljana 1993, str. 279-281.
Rizman, Rudi: Multüculturalizem in izzivi globaHzacije.- V: XXXIV. seminar slovenskega jezika,
literature in kulture. 29. 6. -18. 7.1998. Zbornik predavanj. Ljubljana 1998, str.125-135.
Smerdel, Inja: Projekt, imenovan Slovenski etnografski muzej.- V: Etnolog 6 (LVII). Ljubljana 1996,
str.17-58.
Žagar, Janja: Podobe neke kulture aH predmeti o ljudeh - idejni osnutek razstavne zgodbe.- V:
Ehiolog 6 (LVII). Ljubljana 1996, str. 59-70.
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ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUMS
AND PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE NEW CENTURY
Irena Keršič
In the seventh volume of Etnolog we reported on the regular annual meeting
of the national and regional corresponding members of NET (Network of
European Ethnography and Social History Museums), held in Ljubljana and
Bled in September 1997, and promised our readers that we would publish the
papers of the participants on the theme "Permanent exhibitions in ethnographic
museums at the threshold of the new millermium (including non-European
collections)". The reason we chose this topic for the introductory part of the
meeting was to become better acquainted with the different experiences of related
museums in Europe, though we are aware, that they are based on different
theoretical premises and have different traditions which are so eloquently reflected
in their permanent exhibitions.
If we define ethnographic musevims as museums of (national, regional, local
and individual) identities we have to be aware that the survival of cultural
differences is threatened at aU levels by certain tendencies prevailing primarily in
the political and economic fields. Cultural identities, preserved, studied and -
through exhibitions - presented to the public are the subject of increasing attention.
For this reason we invited our colleagues from various European
ethnographic museimis who collaborate with NET to present their museums
and their views on permanent exhibitions at the threshold of the new millennium.
Now that are witnessing a complex integration process in Europe and
progressive globalisation, especially in the economic fields, it appears as if there
is no need at all the preserve, let alone develop national identities. Now that we
are increasingly considering a global civil society or a European nationality,
particular national identities seem to be anachronistic. We should not, however,
overlook that language and culture in their widest sense function a strong social
connective tissue, which modem man needs. Moreover, the aspect of national
identity is also important because it strengthens our feeling that we collaborate
in a cross-generation project (with the generations that preceded us as well was
with those yet unborn), or, in other words, in a project which connects the remote
past with the present as well as with the future. (R. Rizman, 1998)
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Ethnographie museums and permanent collections at the threshold of the new century
It is therefore also necessary that the Slovene Ethnographic Museum
establishes itself in the minds of the Slovenes as a museum of primary national
significance (D. Hribar,1993), a goal for which the objective means were not
given in the past. A precondition has to be fulfilled for which the Slovene
Ethnographic Museum has been waiting no less than seventy-five years, that is
from its foimdation: the museum must acquire suitable premises, a renovated
museima palace, in which the dreams of nimierous ethnologists can be realised,
and in which we shall be able to stimulate, through exemplary visitor-friendly
exhibitions, the interest of the general public which we would like to respond to
our work. When the exhibition palace will be ready, we shall be able to present
a synthesis of both the ethnological and modem identity of the Slovene ethnic as
well as national territory.
The permanent exhibition wül also manifest the cultural and ethnical interac-
tion of the Slovene culture with other European and non-European ethnic cultures,
and it wiU above all present the national identity in its modem cultural form.
To introduce the annual meeting of NET we presented to our colleagues
from various European ethnographic museums the project, entitled the Slovene
Ethnographic Museum, elaborated by our director Inja Smerdel. (I. Smerdel,
1996). We informed our colleagues on our plans for the museum's exhibition
palace in Metelkova, our concepts and ideas for the permanent exhibition which
wiU consist of several units to be visited either separately or viewed in their
entirety in a certain order.
The concept of the contents of the first part of the permanent exhibition
was the idea to tell the story of man, or better that of an imaginary couple - a
man and a woman - and their social roles. The concept was elaborated by Janja
Žagar. (J. Žagar, 1996). In the context of this story about people the visitor will
become acquainted with the natural annual and daily working cycle. The concept
of the second part was elaborated by Andrej Dular, has a completely different
structure and consists of:
• a presentation of regional characteristics
• an exhibition of individual museimi collections
• an exhibition of the immovable heritage
• an ABC of economic and other activities
• an exhibition "The Slovenes and the world", and
• a research room for "research" work and amusement by the younger
visitors of the museum. (A. IXilar, 1996).
We guided our colleagues from various European ethnographic museums
through the exhibitions which we had set up temporarily - that is imtil the exhibition
palace is renovated - in our administiative building and presented them an
exhibition biptych which on a symbolic level prefigures our future exhibition policy
in the second museum building, which wiU be intended primarily for the permanent
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Irena Keršič
exhibition, for occasional exhibitions and for pedagogic and adult education
activities. To begin with we first visited together one of the oldest collections in our
museum, the so-called cabinet of curiosities - the Baraga Collection from North
America: the progress from a cabinet of curiosities to a modem scientific research
collection (author: Mojca Terčelj, design: Jurij Kocbek).
Windows to the collections, a view of the museum's thesaurus (concept:
Inja Smerdel, design: Mojca Turk) was the next presentation. Through it we
wanted to indicate the identity and contents of our collections and also the
contents of our future permanent exhibition, but the presentation does not mean
that this is the final concept of the future exhibition.
Then followed the last of the three exhibitions, called door to a circle, which
relates on the first act of tiie permanent exhibition, that is about birtii and early
childhood in Slovenia (author: Janja Žagar, design: Tomaž Marolt).
Our colleagues easily related to tine three narrations, shown in symbolic
exhibitions, because we had sent them in advance an offprint of Etnolog, volume
6 , in which director Inja Smerdel, Janja Žagar and Andrej Dular in bilingual
texts presented our visions of the permanent exhibition and a bilingual brochure
Witten by Mojca Terčelj (the Baraga Collection) and Janja Žagar (on birth and
early childhood).
Following our stroll through the exhibition triptych and after the
presentation and discussion of our plans, our colleagues presented their papers,
which they kindly allowed us to publish in this volume of Etnolog.
REFERENCES: see p. 377
BESEDA O AVTORICI
Irena Keršič. dipl. etnologinja in umet-
nostna zgodovinarka, višja kustodinja za
naselja, stavbarstvo in stanovanjsko kulturo v
Slovenskem etnografskem muzeju v Ljubljani
(od 1980). Poleg revialnih objav o stanovanjski
kulturi je pomemben tudi njen prispevek k
vedenju o teoretičnih in praktičnih vidikih
muzejev na prostem. Je nacionalna dopisnica
NET-a za Slovenijo. ,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Irena Keršič is a graduated ethnologist
and art historian, senior curator for settlements,
architecture and living culture at the Slovene
Ethnographic Museum in Ljubljana (since 1980).
Beside articles in journals on living culture she
has made a significant contribution to the
knowledge about the theoretical and practical
aspects of open-air museums. Mrs. Keršič is
net's corresponding member for Slovenia.    ,
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