At the end of the 19th century, Japan sparked a rich imagination in Europe that took the form of an aesthetic fashion known as Japonism. The figure of the geisha is an emblematic representation of this, combining fascination, idealisation and ignorance of the concrete realities of this part of the world. Echoing this, Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly presents a Western vision of Japan, where fantasised representations and cultural realities intersect. This tour of the Asia section of the MEG’s permanent exhibition explores these differences.
Madoka Sakitsu, violviolinon
Clara Chartré, violin
Marie-Barbara Berlaud, viola
Beatriz Raimundo, cello
Speaker: Damien Kunik
Historian and anthropologist Damien Kunik is curator of the MEG’s Asia department. Initially trained in Japanese studies, he has a broader interest in the history of applied arts, crafts and popular heritage in Asia. He is fascinated by the material culture of human societies and, after years as a university researcher in Switzerland, France and Japan, he turned to museums to think with objects.
Infos
Slot 1:
Doors and bar open at 6PM
Tour from 6:30PM to 7PM, musical interlude from 7PM to 7:20PM
Slot 2:
Doors and bar open at 7PM
Tour from 7:30PM to 8PM, musical interlude from 8PM to 8:20PM
At Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG)