8.6 million. This is the number of views that the hashtag counts #exposure on TikTok. The confinements, which reduced access to places of culture, have made the Chinese social network a real platform for artistic expression in all its forms. For several months, many French users have published short videos presenting artists, works, galleries – the only exception to the closure of places of culture – museums and other exhibition spaces. A way of showing their impatience to regain contact with art.
La Gaîté Lyrique, a Parisian cultural institution, is the big winner from this sudden interest in cultural content on TikTok. His
immersive exhibition “Happy are the cracked, because they will let the light pass” by Olivier Ratsi, proposed as soon as the premises reopen on May 19, seems omnipresent on the Chinese social network, with videos whose number of views has sometimes reached 70,000.
If it is still too early for la Gaîté Lyrique to establish a link between the success of its exhibition and the cumulative audience on TikTok, Jos Auzende, curator of the exhibition and artistic director of the institution, is nevertheless delighted to the influx of the public: “It’s a surprise to see very young visitors come to discover our exhibitions thanks to Instagram or TikTok. Today these platforms have become real large-scale cultural agendas, ”she explains.
Place the spectator “at the heart of the exhibition”
Since its creation, the Gaîté Lyrique has shed light on artistic practices, born and transformed by the Internet and technology. The exhibition space offers different tools to disseminate culture: conferences with long-term debates, concerts where the experience is more direct, but also interactive, immersive or contemplative exhibitions. “We are trying to adapt to this civilization where the image prevails on a daily basis, explains Jos Auzende. We try to highlight other types of images, works or experiences that come out of the museum with a label, things to read… to place the visitor at the heart of the exhibition. “
For the artistic director, the immersive experience offered by “Happy are the cracked, because they will let the light pass” is one of the reasons for its success on social networks: “The viewer is challenged by the artist and will do his own reading of the works. A bit like when we are on the Internet and we go where the eye guides us. This is the experience that we wanted to transcribe into physical space with this project, ”adds Jos Auzende.
TikTok, a must have for places of culture?
On June 19 and 20, the Grand Palais Ephemère proposed a
concept unprecedented: the “Augmented Palace”. A 3-day festival where augmented reality works produced by international artists, students from the Gobelins school and ECAL were showcased, especially for the event. The public could discover these creations through their smartphone thanks to a special application, strolling through the 10,000 m2 of exhibition space.
After having supported and accompanied the largest museums and cultural institutions in the world with its hashtag #CultureTikTok, the Chinese social network wanted to continue its momentum by becoming a partner of this unusual festival. “The project was postponed following the confinements but TikTok was nonetheless very interested, in particular in the use of technology but also in the creative work of artists and schools on a new medium such as augmented reality” , explains Roei Amit, digital director at the Réunion des Musées Nationaux.
An essential presence for Roei Amit, at a time when museums have had to adapt to digital technology and their time, especially during confinements. “Today the context makes that social networks are part of everyone’s life and the age diversity of the public that we observed this weekend during the festival shows that platforms like TikTok do not touch than young people, ”he adds.
Brands on the lookout
Other digital players wanted to participate in the project such as Orange, which commissioned a specific work by Mélanie Courtinat, visible only via a phone given to visitors, equipped with 5G or even Samsung, which lent smartphones to the Grand Palais Ephémère.
Roei Amit sees in these collaborations with new media such as TikTok or Instagram a means of articulating new technology and artistic creation: “three years ago, TikTok did not yet exist but we organized ART # CONNEXION, an exhibition in partnership with Google Arts & Culture on Picasso and modern art. The Grand Palais Éphémère has always evolved with the times and intends to repeat the experience in the future with other platforms. “