"We want to capture the state of Swiss happiness now"
Curator Christian Voyame on the exhibition «Happy: The Promise of Advertising»
Curator Christian Voyame on the exhibition "Happy, the promise of advertising "The "Happy" exhibition at the Museum of Communication in Bern has triggered mostly negative reactions in the media. The exhibition concept tends to confuse rather than arouse curiosity. An accusation that curator Christian Voyame refuses to accept.what is the aim of the exhibition and who is it aimed at?
Christian Voyame: It should be an assessment of the situation and deal with the question: Is there a connection between the sender and the receiver of an advertising message? The exhibition is aimed at a lay audience, who are also consumers.
How did the idea for this exhibition come about?
Voyame: The Museum of Communication wanted to dedicate an exhibition to the subject of advertising, because advertising is a communication tool. We opted for the poster as an advertising medium.
How many visitors have you counted so far?
Voyame: There have been around 9000 visitors since the opening at the beginning of September.
Were advertising experts consulted for the development of the exhibition concept?
Voyame: The person who developed the exhibition concept is a former advertiser. Various experts from the advertising industry were also involved in the preparations for the exhibition.
The exhibition has received a lot of criticism in the media so far. How do you deal with this?
Voyame: "A lot" is an exaggeration. Let's put it this way: the exhibition has triggered many reactions, both positive and negative. I would like to emphasize one important element: The poster for the exhibition suggests that it takes a critical stance towards advertising. The public's expectations may therefore be disappointed in one case or another. There were further reactions to the concept, which provided for an initial approach without any help, apart from the flyer at the entrance. Here we have corrected the one-sided approach of the exhibition by setting up an information stand with comprehensive documentation. We also offer guided tours with commentary. And on Sunday there is even a so-called "Happy" guide as an animator who leads visitors through the exhibition.
What conclusions do you draw from the criticism?
Voyame: When an exhibition is entrusted to an external specialist, it should come as no surprise if the exhibition style changes. The curator and person responsible for the exhibition, Christoph Doswald, specializes in art exhibitions. This type of exhibition focuses on an autodidactic approach to the subject without much explanation. For the "Happy" exhibition, however, information is available. It simply takes a certain amount of effort on the part of the visitor to find it.
The exhibition concept in particular is criticized. Are you going to change anything?
Voyame: No, apart from the changes I mentioned.
Although the exhibition is relatively small, it will run for almost a year until July 28, 2002. Wouldn't that be an opportunity to revise the concept?
Voyame: The complete reorganization of the museum over the next three years (from 2003 to 2006) does not currently allow us to put on two large temporary exhibitions within one year. Hence the long duration of the current exhibition. In addition, our financial resources do not allow us to carry out a readaptation.
Why is the exhibition catalog not being published until January?
Voyame: The search for sponsors took longer than we thought.
What additional information does the book offer the visitor?
Voyame: It will include a scientific study by the opinion research institute LINK, which is being produced in connection with the exhibition. It will record the current state of happiness in Switzerland in the form of an inventory.
What is your personal relationship with advertising?
Voyame: As the curator of a graphics collection of 15,000 engravings and 5,000 posters, I am particularly interested in visual communication.
What does happiness mean to you?
Voyame: I appreciate interesting encounters.
Does the Museum of Communication already have a project for the next exhibition on the subject of communication?
Voyame: Not at the moment. Interview: Anita Vaucher
Christian Voyame: It should be an assessment of the situation and deal with the question: Is there a connection between the sender and the receiver of an advertising message? The exhibition is aimed at a lay audience, who are also consumers.
How did the idea for this exhibition come about?
Voyame: The Museum of Communication wanted to dedicate an exhibition to the subject of advertising, because advertising is a communication tool. We opted for the poster as an advertising medium.
How many visitors have you counted so far?
Voyame: There have been around 9000 visitors since the opening at the beginning of September.
Were advertising experts consulted for the development of the exhibition concept?
Voyame: The person who developed the exhibition concept is a former advertiser. Various experts from the advertising industry were also involved in the preparations for the exhibition.
The exhibition has received a lot of criticism in the media so far. How do you deal with this?
Voyame: "A lot" is an exaggeration. Let's put it this way: the exhibition has triggered many reactions, both positive and negative. I would like to emphasize one important element: The poster for the exhibition suggests that it takes a critical stance towards advertising. The public's expectations may therefore be disappointed in one case or another. There were further reactions to the concept, which provided for an initial approach without any help, apart from the flyer at the entrance. Here we have corrected the one-sided approach of the exhibition by setting up an information stand with comprehensive documentation. We also offer guided tours with commentary. And on Sunday there is even a so-called "Happy" guide as an animator who leads visitors through the exhibition.
What conclusions do you draw from the criticism?
Voyame: When an exhibition is entrusted to an external specialist, it should come as no surprise if the exhibition style changes. The curator and person responsible for the exhibition, Christoph Doswald, specializes in art exhibitions. This type of exhibition focuses on an autodidactic approach to the subject without much explanation. For the "Happy" exhibition, however, information is available. It simply takes a certain amount of effort on the part of the visitor to find it.
The exhibition concept in particular is criticized. Are you going to change anything?
Voyame: No, apart from the changes I mentioned.
Although the exhibition is relatively small, it will run for almost a year until July 28, 2002. Wouldn't that be an opportunity to revise the concept?
Voyame: The complete reorganization of the museum over the next three years (from 2003 to 2006) does not currently allow us to put on two large temporary exhibitions within one year. Hence the long duration of the current exhibition. In addition, our financial resources do not allow us to carry out a readaptation.
Why is the exhibition catalog not being published until January?
Voyame: The search for sponsors took longer than we thought.
What additional information does the book offer the visitor?
Voyame: It will include a scientific study by the opinion research institute LINK, which is being produced in connection with the exhibition. It will record the current state of happiness in Switzerland in the form of an inventory.
What is your personal relationship with advertising?
Voyame: As the curator of a graphics collection of 15,000 engravings and 5,000 posters, I am particularly interested in visual communication.
What does happiness mean to you?
Voyame: I appreciate interesting encounters.
Does the Museum of Communication already have a project for the next exhibition on the subject of communication?
Voyame: Not at the moment. Interview: Anita Vaucher
