By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

A large-scale multimedia project, spearheaded by the Culture Ministry, has been presented at the National Art Museum.

The presentation was timed to coincide with the International Museum Day celebrated annually by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Azernews reports.

The main partner of the project is the Swedish Embassy in Azerbaijan, which presents a multimedia project of the Azerbaijani-Swedish art dialogue, curated by Konul Rafiyeva.

At the opening, Deputy Minister of Culture Sevda Mammadaliyeva noted that the workers from different countries celebrate their professional holiday- the International Museum Day - celebrated annually on May 18.

This day appeared on the calendar in 1977, when the International Council of Museums decided to establish this holiday at one of the meetings. On this day, many museums around the world open their doors to everyone for free visits, preparing new expositions, thematic lectures, excursions, etc.

Thematic festivals are timed to coincide with this important cultural event, the most famous of which is "Museum Night".

Since 1992, the holiday has been devoted to certain topics in the field of museum activity, such as the illegal export of museum valuables, the role of museums in raising the culture of society, and many others.

The topic of this year's International Museum Day is "The Power of Museums".

The deputy culture minister emphasized that all museums, destroyed during the Armenian occupation will be restored in the liberated territories, and new cultural and art centers will be built as well.

Swedish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Christian Kamill praised the high-level museum work and the implementation of various art projects in the country.

As strategic partners of the United Nations in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the museums contribute to a wide range of goals, such as the development of the social economy and the dissemination of scientific information on environmental issues. The possibilities of modern technologies take the audience beyond the usual limits of perception, showing a different level of museum exhibits.

On Museum Night, Farhad Farzaliyev, Gunel Ravilova, Lyudmila Kristeseva, and other artists and authors presented multimedia installations, digital presentations, and artworks on sustainability and gender issues.

The Baku Chamber Orchestra performed an open-air concert under the baton of the Honored Artist, Fuad Ibrahimov.

Baku residents and guests of the city were mesmerized by a special musical program, where the music and the magical world of the People's Artist, Sattar Bahlulzada, were reflected through a total installation.

Laureates of international competitions Aziz Panah (gaboi) and Narmin Najafli (piano) took part in the concert program "Sattar Bahlulzada - a modern look" with musical and visual animation. The concert featured the works of Azerbaijani and world classics.

In the museum itself, guests were also presented with multimedia installations, digital works, and works on the theme of sustainable development and gender.

Through a multimedia dialogue, artists Lyudmila Khristeseva (Sweden) and Gunel Ravilova (Azerbaijan) offered two different views on fashion, textiles, and ecology in two different guises and tried to define the role of textiles in shaping women's identity.

A multi-channel audio installation “Another Look" by Farhad Farzaliyev presented reflections and comprehension of past events of wars and conflicts.

The weapons that were brought in, in the hands of the artist, turned into tools for creating artwork. Bullets, which later became a musical instrument for writing this requiem, are dedicated to all the dead and wounded. Being in the museum's permanent exhibition hall, where battle scenes and weapons acquired the function of an art object, this audio installation broke the silence of the warriors and battles "living" outside the museum and told its story anew.

In the audio-visual installation "Varga and Gulshakh: irreversible" (sound - Ibrahim Babayev, visualization - Timur Amirkhan), the museum space turned into a performance platform. Moving along the stairs, corridors, and exhibition halls, the viewer found himself in his own world, where the impressions received from the art pieces were connected together by music and light-visual effects.

This installation offers an opportunity for a modern audience to acquire a new look at the rich museum collection and a new format of exposition, the use of digital technologies in the museum space, and interactivity for visitors.

When creating a multimedia project, the authors were inspired by the tragic love story of the "Varga and Gulsha", a poem dating back to the beginning of the XIII century as a wonderful journey from the future into the past.

The program ended with a show of fashion show, where designer Murad Huseynov presented his stunning collection, inspired by the paintings kept at the National Art Museum.

In the fashion show, the models appeared in the form of "statues" that come to life under the wonderful sounds of music.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az.

Photo and video: Vugar Imanov