镜传无尽
上海玻璃博物馆九周年馆庆
2020年07月08日
岁末年初，一场突如其来的疫情风暴，搅乱了各行各业的正常运转模式。每个人生产生活的“插头”骤然拨落。在停滞了近四个月后，上海玻璃博物馆于逐步开放展厅的基础上慢慢回暖，终于在自己的九周年生日实现园区展厅的全面对外开放。
作为一个与玻璃有着深层次连接的博物馆，只要窑炉中火继续烧着，只要玻璃不断熔化与重塑，我们就能从中汲取信念与勇气，心如明镜，守护光亮，重燃起航。我们相信，正是上海玻璃博物馆互动化、分享型、体验感的展览设计令其突出重围，折射无尽可能。在了解园区的用户画像同时，我们秉持以人为本的理念，每一年都会打造新的各有侧重的场馆建筑，分层级触达各类观众的多种需求，献上种种非常规、不设限的衍生活动。
放眼过去一年，我们在原有建筑改造方面，穆拉诺西餐厅保留威尼斯文化元素，坐拥2.5倍营运能力新空间；工厂商店更名透明时光铺，并搬迁至独立空间，商品的内容有所扩充；由博物馆团队自主运营的博物馆艺术公寓在Airbnb平台上线，入住客人好评如潮。展览策划方面，国际创意玻璃设计展系列生长到了第四期，“UNGLASS撤璃”探讨了玻璃之于人类观看世界与自身的方式；2019“退火”项目分别邀请当代艺术家孙逊与朴庆根首次以玻璃进行创作，为学界业界呈现了《塞上（下集）》与《我与我的镜子》双个展。文化项目方面，从夏夜的“全城交响·上交为你而来”空降艺术广场，奏响经典电影音乐，到冬夜的“玻璃圣诞节”，从艺术化的“打卡点”大型户外装置“霓音”，到谜题剧本“消失的艺术家”，前卫非凡、贴近年轻人想法是博物馆园区活动一大突破；“童游会，不打烊”市集通过手创工艺、互动游戏、零售展示等方式，丰富游园体验；公众教育方面，“局外人”展览游读系列、阐释工作坊及即兴心理剧演出“破碎之光”，展现了公教组对于展览背后内涵的思考；线上公教音频栏目宣发与主题各异的直播，是上海玻璃博物馆贯彻自己公共性教育使命的成果。
2020年6月20日及21日两天，上海玻璃博物馆园区利用其文化机构及消费场所的双重空间属性，在“全民摆摊”时代之中，以博物馆的身份率先“持证上岗”，试行玻璃DIY体验与馆藏工艺观摩的结合，让观众们可以边看边做，边学边玩。
在“互联网3.0时代”，我们将为观众与业界献上一场专业直播对话——“馆长的客厅：学界业界共议疫情后的博物馆”。上海玻璃博物馆创始人、馆长及执行总裁张琳先生与复旦大学文物与博物馆学系副教授，复旦大学博物馆馆长郑奕老师的馆长会谈活动，为广大媒体和观众朋友们带来一场学界和业界思维的碰撞。回顾上海玻璃博物馆的前世今生的同时，探讨了非国有博物馆运营、博物馆定位、博物馆与观众、博物馆教育、博物馆社会责任等多个议题，展示了独特的内省与思考。更有上海玻璃博物馆建立背后的隐秘故事、“博物馆园区”的先行概念、博物馆的国际化之路、从“踩油门”到“踩刹车”的调整再出发……绝对令你大开眼界、大饱耳福。最后二人预告了复馆后一系列升级的计划：改造儿童玻璃博物馆、更多的免费导览、更优质的公教项目、更精更深的现有板块……后疫情时代的上海玻璃博物馆，将以崭新的样貌回归，带给观众更好的、更有“温度”的体验。上海玻璃博物馆将把“人”作为关注的中心，正如张琳先生所言，再好的产品，如果没有好的服务，也不会成为一个伟大的博物馆。恢复和重建人与人之间的联系，始终是上海玻璃博物馆未来发展的大方向。
此外，尽兴漫步在场馆中随时有可能与爵士乐相遇，每个人都可以同现场乐手自由互动。在这后疫情时代放空自我的“周末生日趴”之中，所有人都能在玻璃世界之中纵情放松，“恢复出厂设置”，共度“不插电”的美妙时光。
借疫情之契机，上海玻璃博物馆转而向内，将发展步调从园区向外生长转为向深挖掘，磨砺绽放现有场地资源与园区优势，整合过去之积淀，力求今后之勃发。博物馆自2016年起苦心经营之当代艺术项目“退火”，五年来的成果将在今年下半年进行回顾展。今后我们也会邀请更多不同方向、不同国界的当代艺术家加入其中，从现代的独特视角解构玻璃，撬动这一材料蕴含的巨大能量。与此同时，上海玻璃博物馆的配套设施也将继续完善，从餐饮、住宿、演出各个层面提升观众的整体游园体验，让玻璃的可能性无尽拓展。
“九”即是“久”，“镜传无尽”的九周年口号正寓意奋力当下，终将筑造无限美好未来。上海玻璃博物馆馆长、创始人兼执行总裁张琳先生表示，疫情在世界范围内无论是每个个体，还是博物馆等文化机构都经受很大的冲击。我们可以开门迎客度过九岁生日，便是幸运并值得庆祝的。上海玻璃博物馆将在未来继续深挖现有功能，推进园区内容的升级换代，释放园区空间潜力，在多样化渠道上实现更广的传播。年轻的上海玻璃博物馆将继续秉持“分享玻璃无限可能”的理念，将“成为一座影响世界的博物馆”作为始终追求的愿景，稳扎稳打，长青健康，生生不息。
Unplug Unwind Unglass
Celebrating 9 years of Brilliance of SHMOG
July 08, 2020
Towards the end of last year, a sudden storm of pandemic disrupted every industry, abruptly “unplugging” everyone’s daily routine. After four months of shutdown, the Shanghai Museum of Glass, gradually warming up through progressive unveiling of its exhibition halls, finalized its full reopening on its ninth birthday.
As a museum that deeply mingles with the medium of glass, the Shanghai Museum of Glass gains the power to rekindle its creeds and to reignite its courage from the everlight flame in the furnace and the continuously melting and reshaping of glass. We believe that it is the interactive, shareable, and experience-based exhibition design that endows the Shanghai Museum of Glass endless possibility to break out of encirclements. As we gain understanding of our visitors, we are designing new visitor-oriented exhibitions and activities that target different types of visitors to provide unconventional and unwound experiences.
Throughout the past year, we upgraded the Murano Restaurant for a 1.5 times larger space while keeping its original Venetian design elements; we moved the factory store, now renamed as Glassy Living Store, to its individual space, and expanded the range of commodities; we aired the Museum Art Apartment, an apartment run solely by the museum, on Airbnb, and received numerous high remarks. Concerning the curation part, the Keep It Glassy series exhibition welcomed its fourth episode, where the “UNGLASS” exhibition discussed the relationship between glass and the way people observe the world; 2019 “Annealing” Project invited contemporary artists SUN Xun and Kelvin Kyung Kun PARK, who never worked with glass before to create with glass, resulting in their individual exhibitions, Frontier Part II and Double Mirror. As for developments in cultural projects, the “All-City-Symphony” landed on the Art Plaza last summer and performed famous film soundtracks; the “Glassy Christmas” provided an avant-garde while trendy museum experience for the young with its large outdoor glass installation The Tune of Rainbow, and its mystery-film tour script The Vanished Artist; the “Endless Kids’ Party Night – Bring Out The Child” market enriched a touring experience with DIY program, interactive games, and retail showcasing; the exhibition-reading interpretation series “the Outsider” and impromptu psychology drama The Light of Broken Glass exhibited the museum public education group’s inner thoughts about exhibitions; the online public audio program and various topics of live streaming mark the Shanghai Museum of Glass’s dedication to its mission of public education.
On June the 20th and 21st, 2020, the Shanghai Museum of Glass took the lead amidst the trend of “mass roadside booths”, utilizing its double identity as both an cultural institution and a shopping site: during its trial to incorporate glass DIY activities into museum collection tours, it enables the visitors to make while watching, to learn while playing.
In the Era of the “Internet 3.0”, we presented the visitors and the industry with a professional live conference between Mr. ZHANG Lin, the Director of Museum and Dr. ZHENG Yi, Associate Prof. of Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan University and the Director of Fudan University Museum. This curator’s communication brought about a conversation between an industry delegate’s methodology and an academic professor’s ideology. While looking back upon the history of the Shanghai Museum of Glass, this live conference covered several topics including the management of non-state-owned museums, the market positioning of museums, the relationship between visitors and museums, the museum-based education, and the social responsibilities of museums. These insightful discussions revealed to the public the unique self-inspections and reflections of museum practitioners. The untold story behind the establishment of the Shanghai Museum of Glass, the pioneering concept of a “Museum Park”, the internationalization of the museum, and the restarting journey from “accelerating” to “braking” will surely expand your sights and feast your ears. The Shanghai Museum of Glass is planning to upgrade the Children’s Museum, to increase free tour guides, to improve public education programs, and to refine each existing modules of the museum. The post-pandemic Shanghai Museum of Glass will return with a refreshed face to give visitors a better and warmer experience. As Mr. ZHANG Lin said, a good museum will not thrive without good services. The Shanghai Museum will focus its core attention on “homo sapiens”. To restore and to cultivate the interpersonal relationships is and will always be a major direction of development of the Shanghai Museum of Glass.
Additionally, we have provided visitors with opportunities to meet and interact with jazz bands at random spots in the museum. At this “weekend birthday party”, everyone could get fully relaxed in the “world of glass” and “reset” themselves during this wonderful “unplugged” period of time.
At this turning point marked by the pandemic, the Shanghai Museum of Glass turns its development inward, replacing the outward expansion with inward perfection that would better arrange and utilize existing resources and advantages, in hope of thriving future that roots from accumulation. The contemporary art project “Annealing”, run since 2016, will celebrate its retrospective exhibition. We will also invite more contemporary artists from different backgrounds and different countries to explore and to deconstruct the medium of glass from their own unique perspectives. In the meantime, we will also upgrade our infrastructures, including dining, dwelling, and performing, to provide visitors with a better all-round experience, and to limitlessly expand the possibility of glass.
As the figure nine signifies longevity in Chinese language, the Chinese version of ninth year theme implies a promised wonderful future that comes from the efforts of the present. “The pandemic strikes every single person, every museum and every cultural institution worldwide alike”, says Mr. ZHANG Lin, as such, “it is a bliss for us to be able to reopen and to celebrate our ninth birthday.” The Shanghai Museum of Glass will continue to exploit its potential and to stimulate upgrading. The young Shanghai Museum of Glass will steadily, healthily, ceaselessly walk forward, carrying its motto, “to share the unlimited potential of glass”, further, towards the realization of its ultimate dream to “become a globally influential museum”.
