博物馆内的表演空间

Joanna C.Lee

小瓊：如今，世界各地新的博物馆层出不穷，这让我留意到一个日益增长的趋势：博物馆的活动空间越来越多样化，我们能在展厅内看到或大或小的音乐表演。然而有人提醒我，大都会艺术博物馆可能是过去十年中这方面的先驱之一。

小薇：确实，我记得那是中国演艺界第一次对大都会艺术博物馆的现场表演感到兴奋。2012 年11 月，在大都会艺术博物馆的“明轩”——一个以苏州园林为原型的中国庭院，作曲家谭盾与舞蹈家黄豆豆联袂推出了实景园林版昆曲《牡丹亭》，由“昆曲王子”张军主演。

小琼：你能想象在纽约看昆剧就如同身处江南水乡苏州吗？那些极少数的幸运观众（因为“明轩”是一个很小的空间）真正享受到了这种身临其境的体验。由于观众的需求非常高，博物馆还开设了同步网络直播。事实上，多年后，米奇·维安科依旧在这一空间里展示了《紫式部之月》，同样也可以通过互联网点播。

小薇：我的确注意到，每当这样的作品在装置呈现时，都会为同时进行的现有展览提供额外的体验。对于《牡丹亭》来说，配以一个名为《中国花园：亭阁、书斋，退隐之地》的展览；而《紫式部之月》，则与《源氏物语：点亮日本经典》结合在一起。这是一个非常巧妙的项目设计，为原本静态的展览带来了一个全新的维度（有现场音乐、演唱、舞台）。

小琼：确切地说，是音乐和歌剧让展览生动起来，让博物馆的体验变得更加丰富！事实上，许多人在博物馆里度过了一整天的时光。博物馆可以满足各种各样的受众需求，比如美食、咖啡馆，在那里你可以花几个小时和朋友聊天；在礼品店，你可以选购生日和圣诞节礼物！

小薇：不过，博物馆也肩负着非常重要的教育使命。与任何一座发达城市一样，博物馆是市民自豪感的象征，学校也会组织学生参观以丰富他们的学习实践。

小琼：新冠疫情为参观博物馆开辟了新的途径。现在我们可以通过网络进行虚拟访问，也可以随时重温这些有趣的地方进行的表演！

Joan： Nowadays with so many new museums beingbuilt all over the world， I do notice one growing trend：their event spaces are more and more versatile，and weve seen all sorts of musical presentations—large or small—that take place inside exhibitionrooms. However， Im reminded that the MetropolitanMuseum of Art is probably one of the pioneers in thisin the past decade.

Valery： I do remember the first time when Chinasperforming arts circles were excited about a liveperformance at the Met Museum. In November 2012，in the Astor Court—the Chinese courtyard modeledafter a Suzhou garden—a condensed version thatincluded input by Tan Dun and Huang Doudou ofPeony Pavilion was presented， with leading actorZhang Jun.

Joan： Can you imagine watching Kun opera inNew York as if youre in Suzhou？ The lucky few inthe audience （since it was such a small space） trulyenjoyed an immersive experience. The museum alsoset up a live webcast too， because demand was sohigh. In fact， the same space was used many yearslater to present Murasakis Moon by Michi Wiancko，also available on demand through the internet.

Valery： I did notice that every time such productions

were mounted， they provided something extra foran existing exhibition that was running concurrently.For Peony Pavilion ， it coincided with Chinese Gardens： Pavilions， Studios， Retreats. For MurasakisMoon ， it was in conjunction with The Tale ofGenji： A Japanese Classic Illuminated . This is veryclever programming， and brings a completely newdimension （of live music， singing， staging） to anotherwise static exhibition.

Joan： Indeed， music and opera bring stories alive！And the museum experience becomes all the richer.Really， many people spend an entire day in themuseum enjoying their time. Museums can cater forsuch diverse interests as gourmet cafes where youcan spend hours chatting with friends， and gift storeswhere you can shop for birthdays and Christmas！

Valery： But museums also bear a very importanteducational mission. As with any developed city，museums are symbols of civic pride， and schoolsorganize visits for students to enrich their learningexperience.

Joan： COVID has opened up new channels formuseum-going. Now we can pay virtual visitsonline， as well as relive performances in theseinteresting places！