The Mucem is opening its "Friends Room" from the autumn of 2021. Can you tell us about this new feature?

The Friends Room is a new space dedicated to the presentation of collections. It is located on the 2nd floor of the J4 building, in the space formerly occupied at the small bookshop by the exit of the exhibition, which we have completely redesigned for this project. From October onwards, we will be presenting the collections of museums and institutions that are partners of the Mucem. This Friends Room is dedicated to them, they have carte blanche to showcase their collections by presenting objects and works of their choice.
Since its opening, the Mucem has established several types of links with museums in France, Europe and the Mediterranean. These range from simply borrowing an object for an exhibition to the co-construction of a research or exhibition project. It is this network formed by the Mucem with its partners that we wanted to make visible to the general public, because it is also part of the museum's activity, even though it often takes place behind the scenes.

For the first exhibition, the Friends Room takes us to Crete and the Archaeological Museum of Chania...

Firstly, it is an opportunity stemming from timing given that the Museum of Chania will be opening its doors in December, that is to say, around the same time as the Friends Room will be inaugurated. But beyond this nod, this invitation completes the partnership we have established with this museum around an exhibition dedicated to the culture of bathing in the Mediterranean – a travelling exhibition devised by its two curators, Camille Faucourt and Florence Hudowicz, which the Mucem has already presented in Baden Baden in Germany and which will open in Chania in 2022.
For the Friends Room, the Museum of Chania has loaned thirteen truly exceptional pieces – the oldest is 4,500 years old! They give an idea of the richness of the collection of this archaeological museum, which covers all the periods of Antiquity. This clearly shows the interest of this type of project, for the public of course, but also with regard to the collections of the Mucem, because this Cretan ensemble gives an undeniable historical depth to the museum's purpose.
 

To whom will the next invitations be addressed in the context of this Friends Room?

Nothing has been decided yet, but we have some ideas, such as working with the Musée national de la Marine, which is due to reopen in 2022 after its renovation. We are also working on possibilities with other museums located in the Mediterranean, and we would like to invite the Palestinian Museum or the Vatican museums, for example.