博物館內的表演空間

Joanna C.Lee

小瓊：如今，世界各地新的博物館層出不窮，這讓我留意到一個日益增長的趨勢：博物館的活動空間越來越多樣化，我們能在展廳內看到或大或小的音樂表演。然而有人提醒我，大都會藝術博物館可能是過去十年中這方面的先驅之一。

小薇：確實，我記得那是中國演藝界第一次對大都會藝術博物館的現場表演感到興奮。2012 年11 月，在大都會藝術博物館的“明軒”——一個以蘇州園林為原型的中國庭院，作曲家譚盾與舞蹈家黃豆豆聯袂推出了實景園林版昆曲《牡丹亭》，由“昆曲王子”張軍主演。

小瓊：你能想象在紐約看昆劇就如同身處江南水鄉蘇州嗎？那些極少數的幸運觀眾（因為“明軒”是一個很小的空間）真正享受到了這種身臨其境的體驗。由于觀眾的需求非常高，博物館還開設了同步網絡直播。事實上，多年后，米奇·維安科依舊在這一空間里展示了《紫式部之月》，同樣也可以通過互聯網點播。

小薇：我的確注意到，每當這樣的作品在裝置呈現時，都會為同時進行的現有展覽提供額外的體驗。對于《牡丹亭》來說，配以一個名為《中國花園：亭閣、書齋，退隱之地》的展覽；而《紫式部之月》，則與《源氏物語：點亮日本經典》結合在一起。這是一個非常巧妙的項目設計，為原本靜態的展覽帶來了一個全新的維度（有現場音樂、演唱、舞臺）。

小瓊：確切地說，是音樂和歌劇讓展覽生動起來，讓博物館的體驗變得更加豐富！事實上，許多人在博物館里度過了一整天的時光。博物館可以滿足各種各樣的受眾需求，比如美食、咖啡館，在那里你可以花幾個小時和朋友聊天；在禮品店，你可以選購生日和圣誕節禮物！

小薇：不過，博物館也肩負著非常重要的教育使命。與任何一座發達城市一樣，博物館是市民自豪感的象征，學校也會組織學生參觀以豐富他們的學習實踐。

小瓊：新冠疫情為參觀博物館開辟了新的途徑。現在我們可以通過網絡進行虛擬訪問，也可以隨時重溫這些有趣的地方進行的表演！

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！