跨文化交际第五、六单元补充阅读

You will read three texts on\ In this reading exercise we are going to:

1. Look at some of the ways in which countries introduce themselves to other countries through means other than language.

2. Experience some of the specialist vocabulary of museums and exhibitions. Text 1

Focus question for text 1

What is the central theme of the exhibition? Commentary

Indian art's aesthetic values are entangled with religious meaning, and this ancient work - now housed at the British museum - dates from a time when much of london was still marshland.

Some of these treasures will be among a cache of precious objects heading east to india in the museum's biggest ever travelling show. Richard blurton

The \shown both in delhi and bombay later this year to mark the 50th anniversary of indian independence. It will also be an occasion to show in india, for the first time, some of the great treasures from the British museum. Commentary

The items going to india come from a collection of seven million artefacts in the museum - one of the oldest collections in the world. It attracts almost as many visitors each year - half of them from overseas. Richard blurton

The subject of the exhibition is the way in which in world cultures and throughout time, man has used the depiction of the human form or the suggestion of it as a way of communicating ideas or beliefs. The items in the exhibition have been chosen from the

nine antiquity departments and it has been a joint process arriving at the final list of objects for the exhibition, some three hundred in total. Partly it has been a choice by myself, the curator in charge, partly a choice depending on what is available within the museum, what is required for other exhibitions, what is required for other loans. There is also the matter of whether objects are fit to travel.

We are in the basement of the department of western antiquities and we are going to look at a sculpture here which is going in the exhibition. It is this one here - it is from the ancient syrian city of palmyra, a caravan city which grew up on the rich trade between the settled roman levant and the east. It is now quite evident that certain features of palmyrean sculpture influenced the sculpture of areas such as gondhara in the north western sub-continent. Commentary

Cross-cultural influences abound even with treasures that seem quintessentially English. Richard blurton

There are certain objects in the exhibition which have a certain resonance or interest as far as india is concerned. I'm thinking for example of the anglo-saxon jewellery set with garnets. Now, we know that the tiny cloisonnes - the little inlays of garnet - that are shown in this jewellery originally came from india. Commentary

This earthenware piece is a haniwa figure - made in Japan in the sixth century.

Regular meetings between the curator, the British council and the designer confront some of the difficulties of creating special settings for the shows. Richard blurton

An object with which we've had considerable problems or debate with the designer is the monolithic head of amunophis the third, which is at present displayed in the museum's egyptian sculpture gallery. This is very heavy to start with. It can clearly only go on a floor space which will support it. It is very large so it has to be shown at a certain height. Therefore design considerations that have to be taken into account when making the plans for the display of the sculpture.

This exhibition gives us an opportunity to forge close links with colleagues in india and it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other better and to understand the way in which international exhibitions work. Words & expressions Aesthetic values Cache Depiction A hidden or guarded store of items Noun from the verb depict meaning to represent, portray, describe, paint Curator in charge Roman levant Head curator, person who catalogues and arranges items in a museum, library, or other collection The eastern part of the roman empire; levant means 'rising' and is therefore an alternative to east - the opposite is 'occident' (setting)meaning west The sub-continent Literally any land mass smaller than a continent, but used (especially by the British) to describe the area covering pakistan, bangladesh, india, sri lanka Anglo-saxon Period in British history from 5th - 11th century ad, named after the angles, saxons (and jutes) invading from north west Europe Garnet Cloisonnes A deep red precious stone (gem) In full, cloisonnéenamel is enamel coating in which is separated by strips of precious metal and often set with jewels Inlays Setting metal or gems into another material so that the surfaces are flush Haniwa Monolithic Forge links Cylindrical clay figures put outside Japanese tombs 5th - 7th century ad Made from a single block of stone A chain is a series of rings (links) which are beaten in a forge, a workshop with a furnace. Answer to focus questions

Principles for the appreciation of what is beautiful (usually in art)