Red Cross International Museum: Interview with Pascal Hufschmid

Pascal Hufschmid, it is 7:30 p.m. on a Thursday evening, we are In the museum cafesurrounded by a relaxed and musical atmosphere, this is not like the image that is generally made of a museum!

I am happy that you like this space! My colleagues and I created it with passion. We want our visitors to be welcomed, that they eat well and feel conviviality – this is how we can open up to new points of view on humanitarian action. The shared moment helps this.

This idea seems surprising to me. Could you develop it?

The dominant image of humanitarian aid is often media. It highlights disasters, dramas – and it is necessary to talk about it -, but it is only part of reality. There is also care, solidarity and resilience. Too often, we think that humanitarian aid only concerns others, those who are far away, that we see on screens. Now humanitarian aid is above all respect for our shared humanity, which is also true here and now, in Geneva. It starts in our schools, our workplaces, our neighborhoods. Living together is not reserved for professionals: each contribution counts. The Covid pandemic has shown it well: when we applauded our balconies every night, this is one of the key principles of humanitarian action that we greeted, the principle of humanity.

How does it translate into your museum approach?

On the one hand, the museum is a place where stories are told thanks to a unique heritage. We are content producers. Our role is to offer new points of view, to bring out knowledge, to open up to reflection. We want everyone to feel legitimate at the museum, welcomed in their diversity. And we share, at the museum and online, the fruit of our research and collaborations. On the other hand, this involves concrete actions on the museum itself. For example, we have redesigned our gardens and our reception areas according to the uses of the public-picnic, play, rest, eat. It is a lasting project based on a circular architecture, which is born from a humanitarian posture: listening to the needs of a community and responding to it agile and collaboratively.

What do you mean by “circular architecture”?

An ecological and social approach. On the ecological level, we have deconstructs the existing carefully and all reused. We also obtained recycled furniture and local materials. Tables, lamps, wood come from recovery or short circuits. On the social level, we have designed the spaces by listening to the needs of our audiences, including the people who work here. For eighteen months, questions were posted on the walls, 8000 post-it was collected, analyzed. The museum has been redesigned from proven needs. It thus becomes a listening and exchange platform where everyone, visitor or collaborator, can find their place.

You launched a artist residence. What is it?

We have created a new space, the workshop, so that an artist from the Head can create a work there with our audience in echo at the question at the heart of the museum: how does humanitarian action concern us all, here and now? It is a competition developed in collaboration with the HEAD, the ICRC and the Geneva Red Cross. This year, the winner is the artist Zahrasadat Hakim (who has just won the Swiss Art Awards). In the workshop, she creates a large collaborative tapestry. Everyone can come and forge a few centimeters, alone or with others. It is a simple gesture, but carrier: weaving a link in the literal sense as well as figuratively. For her, art is an act of care – personal and collective. It is a way of questioning the world, of promoting resilience.

What was your background before directing the museum?

I studied art history at the University of Geneva, while working as a lecturer in the United Nations, which fed my passion for international relations. Then, I worked in several museums in Paris, in a Geneva gallery, before being responsible for the development and external affairs of Photo Elysée in Lausanne. When I saw the museum’s offer pass, I told myself that I had to try my luck. Being chosen was an immense joy, especially since I succeeded Roger Mayou, which I respect a lot.

What are your future projects for the museum?

We want to stay in motion, like humanitarian action itself. It is a question of recognizing the knowledge of the public, of creating links between humanitarian, artistic and citizen circles. We want to assume a social responsibility, have a positive impact on the community, celebrate the diversity of courses. We are embarking on the complete overhaul of our permanent exhibition in collaboration with our visitors with the target of 2028. It will be an impermanent exhibition: this will allow us to continue continuously our content, to adapt to the news, to the needs of the public.

What particularly satisfies you today?

The museum now hosts 120,000 visitors per year, including 25,000 young people, to whom we are talking about humanitarian principles and issues. The share of Geneva visitors increased from 5% to 20% in six years, and that of the Swiss at 35%. We wanted the museum to also become a place for residents here. We also receive official visits on average twice a month – heads of state, ministers, diplomats, etc. – and organize many events. The museum is full of life! But above all, we are happy to offer a place where conviviality is real. Because that is also that, humanitarian aid: to create a link, to offer authentic hospitality, to show each person that they are respected and welcome.