THE EXHIBITION “MYTHS AND THINGS: THE ART OF THE ANCIENT ESKIMO OF EKVEN”: THE CONCEPT AND RESULTS
The article presents the results of the exhibition project “Myths and Things: The Art of the Ancient Eskimos of Ekven”. The exhibition shows objects from the collection of Ekven cemetery that was excavated in the Peninsula of Chukotka in the 1960s. It was created at Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2019 with support from the “History of Motherland” foundation. The author describes the concept of the exhibition and the ways of its implementation. Temporary exhibitions are important for the presentation of the Kunstkamera’s collections, as well as for expanding the academic research. A relevant direction is the search for ways of displaying archaeological materials. Combining ancient hunting equipment, the results of its study, and the documentary in the exhibition space has helped to show the visitors the artifacts’ usage and give them a sense of presence in the dangerous world of maritime hunting. The myth, presented both as text and animation, has found documentary confirmation in carved images on artifacts, the meaning of which was identified by scholars. With the involvement of audio and video materials, cinematography, augmented reality and other modern technologies in the displays, the interaction with visitors to the exhibition is increasing.