Pleasure Before Business: Exhibition at the State Historical Museum
By Kseniya Sigaeva and Daria Tkachenko
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Exhibition "An Hour for Fun" is at the State Historical Museum until 16 March. Hours are from 10 am to 6 pm, Mondays to Sundays, and from 10 am to 9 pm, Fridays and Saturdays. It's closed on Tuesdays.
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Address: Ploshchad Revolyutsii, 2/3 (Entrance to the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812).
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Admission is 300 Rub.
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4 stars out of 5
Fistfight and dramatic performance, lubok prints and canvases, folk games and card ventures… A new exhibition at the State Historical Museum "An Hour for Fun" will lead you through the centuries and show how Russians had fun. The exhibition, which opened its doors in October, informs, entertains, and reminds visitors of things that are missed in everyday life.
Back in 1656, Tsar Aleksey Mikhailovich came up with the following proverbial proportion of labour and leisure in one's life: Work done, have your fun. Later, Empress Catherine the Great was fully convinced that the hour of nationwide holiday festivities was a prerequisite for a stable untroubled state – People who sing and dance don't plot evil. And people, in turn, realised from time immemorial the importance of merrymaking and having fun: Merriment is better than wealth.
There used to be a lot of holidays in Russia when everybody made merry regardless of their class, social status or affluence. There is a storytelling that joyous public celebrations took place on the bank of the Moskva River in 1722. The Duke of Holstein having a boat ride nearby decided to take a close look at the holiday. But drunk people, dancing and making a loud noise, seemed so disgusting to him that he rushed to leave the place.
| This chamber exhibition presents nearly 400 items from 17th - 19th centuries, which are divided into 5 multi-thematic sections: a "hallway" (where you get the gist of the topic), a room dedicated to fine arts and performances, and sections showing clothes and coaches, food, and pyrotechnics. Among the objects on display are Catherine the Great's masquerade sledge, a firework cannon, Grad Duchess Olga Nikolaevna's hussar uniform, the mast of a river vessel, a 300-year-old wooden bicycle and finely crafted birdhouses. Music lovers will definitely appreciate a board with old musical instruments: a seven-string guitar, a balalaika, and gusli. |
It should be highlighted that elite leisure activities are generally shown through the palpable objects – toys, musical instruments, glass dish, fans. Poor people did not have spare money to spend it on entertainment and luxuries. So there are folk sayings written on the walls, lubok prints (those are small uncomplicated pictures by peasants), and the rules of public games (you may as well visit the web-site shm.ru/poteha/ and watch short videos about them).
The ambiance is quite pleasant. The smell of trees (the signs are printed on wooden desks), barely audible birdsong in the background, and dim light make you feel cozy. Moreover, if you come to this place on weekdays,
there won't be many visitors.
there won't be many visitors.
The exhibition is convenient. This particularly means that you can come as close to the objects as you wish: There are no fences, only signs warning not to touch the artifacts. You also notice the museum's attempt to make the exhibition interactive and modern: You can open some drawers, listen to lectures, and look through the wine list, sit on the couch and look up at the projection on the ceiling. Taking photos is not forbidden and Wi-Fi is free. Children will like the "island" between the rooms representing a forest. Amid those artificial "trees", they will also find swings.
The exhibition is convenient. This particularly means that you can come as close to the objects as you wish...
However, we should mention some disadvantages. Glittering silver signs are printed on the light walls, which makes them difficult to read. Some signs are located too low or too far from objects.
Whatever the cons are, the importance of this exhibition shouldn't be underestimated. Many museums give an idea of how tsars, emperors, dukes spent their leisure time neglecting the leisure activities of folks. This does not mean elite celebrations are not brought into focus in the exhibition. On the contrary, "An Hour for Fun" lets visitors understand the dichotomy between these two sides – rich upper class and poor lower social strata. That is why the exhibition has been worth organizing and is surely worth visiting.
Photos by Kseniya Sigaeva
