RSCPR presents: The Cosmonauts Exhibition at the Science Museum in London (2015-16): Curator's Talk
RSCPR presents: The Cosmonauts Exhibition at the Science Museum in London (2015-16): Curator's Talk
Focusing on the experience of working with Russia’s cultural, industrial and political sectors, this illustrated talk by Dr Natalia Sidlina (formerly of the London Science Museum, currently at Tate Galleries) unveils the hidden story of the 'Cosmonauts: birth of the space age' - the most ambitious special exhibition dedicated to the exploration of space by Russia and the USSR.
The classified spacecrafts and the 19th century mystics, secret life-support equipment and artworks created in space, this talk will reveal the story of humans' fascination with the cosmos. In the early 20th century the artistic and the creative, the spiritual and the philosophical paved the way for engineers and scientists in their quest to achieve space travel. In the 21st century one museum endeavoured to tell this story. When the curators started out they could never have anticipated that they would be seeking to deliver an audacious exhibition set against a background of very serious strains in the UK-Russia relationship, while saving the historical artefacts from the peril.