Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
A ceremony of presenting the mantle and diploma of Honorary Doctor of SPbPU to the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky took place at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.
The decision to award this high title to the head of the country’s main museum was made unanimously by the members of the Academic Council on December 2, 2024.
It is a great honor and happiness for us that such a legendary person as Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky has appeared in the ranks of the Polytechnics, without exaggeration, – SPbPU Rector, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrei Rudskoy opened the ceremony and asked the Scientific Secretary of the Polytechnic Dmitry Karpov to present the new Honorary Doctor in accordance with protocol.
It would seem that there is no person not only in St. Petersburg, but also far beyond its borders, who would not know the historian-orientalist, doctor of historical sciences, professor, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Arts, Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky. However, Dmitry Karpov found such words and such an unusual presentation for the presentation of Mikhail Piotrovsky that the personality of the Hermitage director was revealed in a new and vivid way. The book “Good Tone. Conversations Without Courage, Recorded by Irina Klenskaya” helped with this. Thus, based on quotes from Mikhail Borisovich himself, Dmitry Anatolyevich composed a lively and figurative essay.
Quote: Only culture is capable of transforming chaos into strict order, and the chaos of the world into harmony. That is why the Hermitage is becoming an important and powerful player in the public life of not only the country, but the entire world.
Dmitry Karpov recalled the “Great Hermitage” program, which is based on the idea of making the collections of the country’s main museum accessible through a complex of open storage facilities and satellite museums. Cultural and educational centers have already been built: “Hermitage-Kazan”, “Hermitage-Ural”, “Hermitage-Vyborg”, “Hermitage-Siberia” in Omsk and “Hermitage-Eurasia” in Orenburg. They are being built in Kaluga, Nalchik, Vladivostok.
Polytechnic students are well aware of the long-term and fruitful joint work of the university and the Hermitage: since 2016, an agreement on cooperation in the development and improvement of engineering systems and security systems for Hermitage facilities, in the field of 3D modeling, has been in force. During the year of the pandemic, Polytechnic students made about 11 thousand protective screens and masks for the museum. At the end of 2023, the agreement was updated and expanded. Within the framework of cooperation, the following are carried out: excursions for students Polytechnic University in the Restoration and Storage Center of the Hermitage “Staraya Derevnya”, thanks to which future specialists become familiar with modern engineering technologies, automation systems and support for the climate parameters of the storage facility, as well as the functioning of alternative energy.
Dmitry Anatolyevich cited an excerpt from a story about the Atlanteans of the New Hermitage, work on which began in 1845: “Never in Europe has any sculptor produced such figures from granite as the ancient Egyptians and Greeks did. Now this fantastic art, this great skill has become Russian” – this is how contemporaries spoke about the creation of Alexander Ivanovich Terebenev.”
The St. Petersburg Polytechnic University also has a special feeling for the Hermitage Atlanteans – in 2022, the team of the NTI Center of SPbPU completed laser scanning of the portico of the New Hermitage and the sculptures of the Atlanteans and processing of the obtained data. Based on the results of the work together with the Hermitage art historians, a large two-part article was published: “Information modeling for the preservation of cultural heritage: the portico of the new Hermitage building and the sculptures of the Atlanteans.”
Laser scanning and data processing of the interior of the New Hermitage building was also carried out to create three-dimensional models as part of the “Virtual Tour of the Hermitage” project, and scanning of the Alexander Column on Palace Square.
“It is a great honor and responsibility for the university to make a feasible contribution to the preservation of truly priceless symbols of our city, our common cultural heritage,” Dmitry Karpov emphasized, concluding the presentation. “Deeply respected Mikhail Borisovich, we are proud of our country, our culture and our Hermitage. And the fact that together with you we do everything possible so that our country is strong, rich, glorious and respected.”
After this, the rector of the Polytechnic announced: “Bring in the Honorary Doctorate diploma, the mantle and the medal!”
According to tradition, the doctoral gown and cap were brought into the hall of the Academic Council by students dressed in the uniform of polytechnics of the early 20th century. The ceremony was accompanied by the Gaudeamus anthem performed by the Polyhymnia choir. Mikhail Borisovich was presented with a book about the Honorary Doctors of the Polytechnic University – his page is in it.
In his response, Mikhail Piotrovsky thanked for the honor bestowed upon him and noted that the tradition of conferring Honorary Doctors of the Polytechnic University is an important element of St. Petersburg culture. Mikhail Borisovich emphasized that he is connected with the Polytechnic University not only by long-term cooperation, but now by joint work in the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, headed by Andrei Rudskoy.
“We have many different connections,” noted Mikhail Piotrovsky. “My deputy, Alexey Valentinovich Bogdanov, associate professor, teaches at the Polytechnic University, 49 graduates of the university work at the Hermitage, you give us wonderful personnel. What we are doing together is the most important topic today for society: the combination of science and art. We have many opportunities for further joint work, entire programs that are very important both for us and for the development of science. We would like students, under the guidance of teachers, to participate in our digitalization processes, primarily in the field of big data. Together we could make an exhibition of beautiful exhibits of technical progress preserved in the Hermitage – wonderful astrolabes, spheres, globes, clocks. We have them, they all function, but it would be good to tell about them beautifully, developing the experience of the multimedia Hermitage. Today, the “Great Hermitage” was mentioned, our next project is “Heavenly Hermitage”, a cloud-based one, it is a backup copy in which everything that is not done in the earthly Hermitage can take place. And here we would like your intellectual and expert help.”
Mikhail Piotrovsky said that the Hermitage has many advisory councils, and it would be possible to create a separate student council, under the leadership of teachers. As ideas for cooperation with students, Mikhail Piotrovsky also suggested thinking about forecasting the condition of museum objects and “taming technology.”
In closing the ceremony, Andrey Rudskoy thanked Mikhail Piotrovsky for his businesslike approach and outlook on the future and promised that all ideas and proposals were accepted, would be discussed and implemented.
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