ПРОМИСЛОВІСТЬ І ТОРГІВЛЯ КИЄВА ДРУГОЇ ПОЛОВИНИ ХІХ СТОЛІТТЯ У ВИСТАВКОВОМУ ПРОЄКТІ «ШЕВЧЕНКО МОВОЮ МІСТА»: НАРАТИВИ ТА ОБРАЗИ

Abstract

The author explores how the development of industry and trade in Kyiv in the second half of the 19th century was visualised in the exhibition “Shevchenko in the language of the city” that took place at Taras Shevchenko National Museum from November 4 of 2020 through March 31 of 2021. Scholars addressed urban development in Ukraine on a number of occasions, especially in the Soviet times. Contemporary historians also tackled the issues related to the industry and trade of Ukrainian cities. However, there is still room for improvement as new challenges arise. Classic narrative strategies are not enough in the museum environment. Researchers and curators have to work together in order to develop a visual strategy for curatorial projects based on published and unpublished data and images. “Shevchenko in the language of the city” is a curatorial project aimed at visualising socio-economic life in Kyiv in the times of the great Ukrainian poet. Curators focused on sugar, brick, ceramic and textile industries as key to the Kyivan economy of the second half of the 19th century. They sought to demonstrate the spectrum of the Kyivan economy to museum visitors through a range of visual sources. The author analyses how maps, installations, and infographics were used for this purpose. He looks in particular at the map of sugar factories and infographics that visualise industrial development in Kyiv from 1848 through 1908. The author also examines the use of digital tools for recreating the economic space of Kyiv and its impact on everyday life.