Tatyana Franck, who, at a mere 30, steers the destiny of the future Musée de l’Elysée, located at the heart of a new museum campus near the Lausanne train station, and whose precocity is equaled only by her tenacity, received us with welcoming simplicity. There is no doubt that her organizational energy is going to do wonders in what has become a very competitive landscape, where the Vaud institution is going to face many challenges following the departure of Sam Stourdzé.
Partie III : Development Directions
What strong directions have you chosen to develop upon your arrival?
One of my wishes was to move towards younger audiences by developing online communication and a social media strategy. Our internet site was reworked to become trilingual (for the fall of 2016) and we organized the first finishing by exclusively communicating on social media (1,500 visitors!). We also recently organized a projection which had never been seen before with the artist JR, filling the Capitol in two hours. The younger crowd is still having problems going to the museum, but if they can initially make it through the museum doors because of a festival event, they come back. Furthermore, it was essential for me to allow visitors to take photos in the exhibition spaces, which was not always the case before my arrival. Of course, it’s necessary to respect the questions of copyright, but the two are not mutually exclusive.
Why a Prix Elysée? How were you able to measure its impact with key audiences?
The Musée de l’Elysée has this specificity to support all young photographers through the reGeneration project initiated for the twentieth anniversary of the museum by the director at the time William Ewing. He contacted photography schools all over the world which submitted work from their best students. A commitment is renewed every five years which makes it possible to support emerging creation and help production. It’s clear that there isn’t really a prize for photographers in the middle of their career, for whom museum recognition would be a beneficial mark on their path. The Prix Elysée allows for that through a selection of eight nominees who each receive 5,000 CHF to presents his or her project in the book of nominees published for this occasion. The winner receives 40,000 CHF to produce his or her work and 40,000 to publish a book on this project. The winner’s project and book are unveiled during the Nuits des Images.
How do you offer this core museum experience, which is one of the current strategic issues?
The idea that I defend is to be able to pass from one medium to another, from one universe to another, and to organize a global experience. The future museum related center will allow that to happen. The objective is to put up common themed exhibitions and create a path to the center of the three museums and to the ancillary spaces. The big exterior platform will welcome commissions by photographers, artists, and also designers. Thinking of this complex museum from A to Z with two other directors, the city and the Canton, is exciting. Because it’s not only three museums arising together, it’s really a neighborhood that we’re creating with fifty million projected passengers each year at the train station.
What dreams do you have?
This mission is in itself already a beautiful dream that has been realized. I wish to lead this transition and to contribute to the creation of a magnificent arts neighborhood which will let a unique artistic experience become alive for the public.
INFORMATION
Musée de l’Elysée
Avenue de l’Elysée 18
1006 Lausanne
Switzerland
http://www.elysee.ch
