A first meeting devoted to the initiative of
\nthe Romanian Peasant Museum’s Image Archive to display online its collections,
\nmanaged to explain the concept lying at the foundation of a platform entitled
\n‘Networks of the Eye Gaze’ focusing on the photographs signed by Aurel Bauh.
\nHere is at the microphone Viviana Iacob, researcher and curator with the
\naforementioned platform. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Viviana
\nIacob: In case of the Bauh collection, we have identified several series
\nbearing names like Valeni, Dambovnic, Gurghiu, Valea Jiului. There is also a
\nseries of industrial photos devoted to Bucharest. Such series can either grow
\nor diminish following research or external contributions. Anyway, the
\nstructure of the online platform has been conceived so as to support such
\ncontent fluctuations.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Of course such archive content is supported
\nthrough verified information, specialists refer to as metadata. Research
\nconducted on several sources was necessary before launching the Bauh collection
\non the online platform. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Viviana
\nIacob:This
\nset of metadata is also important for creating relevant connections with
\nartifacts from the same collection and also from the other collections of the
\narchive. Research has been conducted to unearth further information that can be
\nadded to metadata. So the history of these negatives has been studied in order
\nto find out when they were shot and published. Several sources were studied simultaneously,
\nsuch as the photographer’s biography, exhibition brochures and other materials
\nabout Bauh’s exhibition projects, newspaper and magazine articles of that time
\nas well as academic articles on ethnographic research conducted in the period
\nbetween the two World Wars etc. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Born in Craiova, southern Romania, in 1900,
\nAurel Bauh left for Paris in early 1920s, where he got involved with the
\nAvant-garde movement. His story continued in Bucharest, where he opened his own
\nworkshop a decade later. His collection, part of the Peasant Museum’s heritage,
\nmainly depicts scenes of rural life. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Viviana
\nIacob: Bauh opened Studio 43 in Bucharest in 1937 and staged his first
\npersonal exhibition a year later. Starting 1939 he participated in the exhibitions
\nmounted by the National Travel Office ONT. He published two photos in the ONT
\nmagazine, one entitled ‘Winter Fantasy and the other ‘Crops. With the latter
\nhe reaped the fifth ONT exhibition.
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Apart from that, however, Bauh also worked on
\na project dedicated to Jiu River valley, beginning 1945. In the fall of 1946,
\nBauh inaugurated his second sole exhibition, and in 1947, the photographs he’ d
\ntaken in Jiu River Valley went with Geo Bogza’s essay, ‘People and coal.’<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
But what is the way an archive storage
\ndrawer image takes, until it is stored in the digital collection? How is a
\ndigital collection built, and what are the challenges of such a journey?<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Viviana
\nIacob: The timeline of the
\ncollection as shown in the Bauh biography narrows down according to series, and
\nit narrows down even more according to the amount of research in the case of
\nsuch series, through the literature focusing on sociological campaigns, through
\npublication, through the moments he displayed certain artifacts. These
\noccurrences are extremes for the entire archives, specifically as regards the
\namount of research or research effort made, in order to discover a title or a
\ntimeline, or in order to place an artifact in context and even to connect it to
\nother artifacts, belonging to other collections. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
‘Networks of the Eye Gaze is a digital
\nplatform where those who are interested can find the artifacts signed by Aurel
\nBauh. Also, participants may intervene so that the collection may be enriched
\nand additional information on the collection may be provided. Here is the chief of National Peasant
\nMuseum’s ethnological archives bureau, Iris Serban. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Iris Serban: This is how we have sought to
\npromote the museum’s ethnological archives, creating a character which is
\naccessible for the lay public, a real character ,born out of the way the
\narchives have been created, and who lived in the previous century. The project
\nis still in its infancy. ‘The Networks of the Eye Gaze’ project is much more
\nthan a database, it is a virtual space where the visitors is invited to
\ndiscover the archives stuff, photographs, audio and video excerpts and texts,
\non one hand, while on the other hand, the visitor is invited to make his own
\ncontribution to all that.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Romanian Peasant Museum this summer
\nlaunched the first interactive digital platform dedicated to a Romanian museum
\narchives. The Aurel Bauh photo collection can be accessed through the ‘Networks
\nof the Eye Gaze platform. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n‘Networks of the Eye Gaze’ is a National Peasant
\nMuseum project, which received the joint support of RIZI Design, Samsung
\nRomania, Gemini Solutions and The Plot. The project’s international partner is
\nRomania’s National Museums Network. ‘Networks of the Eye Gaze’ can be accessed
\nat arhiva.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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