What good can a museum do for global society? With Pascal Hufschmid

In today's escalating humanitarian crises, the term itself is complex, influenced by various factors. The United Nations reports 235 million people needing humanitarian help, nearly double from a decade ago. These crises and the treatment of them, often rooted in colonialism, affect everything from resources to power structures, and, as discussed in the episode with Patrick Gathara, may perpetuate biased narratives by overlooking systemic issues.

Against this context, Pascal Hufschmid reimagines the role of the museum. Merging art with humanitarianism, his work as Director of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum transforms the museum into a platform for critical societal discussions. With a background in ballet, art history, and as a United Nations tour guide, and with his commitment to art's transformative power, Pascal brings a unique perspective on these pressing matters.

HW from Pascal: Be kind to yourself. That's all I have to say. I think it's so important and so true, every day. There's big research we're conducting right now in the museum with the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences. When visiting our permanent exhibition, there's a big wall with a simple question stated: "are you kind to yourself?". And we invite people to write a message of kindness to themselves and to put it up on the wall. We've received something like 10,000 messages in six months, messages that are being analyzed by two researchers who in their postdoctoral research are studying if self compassion can be taught, and what impact it has on conflicts. They're specifically studying this in the context of the conflict between Israel and Palestine: can self-compassion actually put an end to the dehumanizing process that has a soldier [choose] to kill someone, to wipe out the specificities of this person. Also, how that that dehumanization process actually helps one live with themself after what they've done. And that is hardcore research being carried out right now. And with them, we're working at the museum to invite our visitors to reflect upon self-kindness. You know, "are you okay with yourself?" ,"How can you be kind to yourself?". And these 9,000, 10,000 messages were collectively with the researchers, and it's going to be published next year: a daily self-practice guide to compassion. So yes: be kind to yourself."

Mentioned:
- 10 Ideas for a Caring Museum
- Henri Cartier-Bresson and his Leica
- Dino Buzzati

Connect:
- Pascal Hufschmid LinkedIn
- International Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum Twitter
- International Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum Instagram
- The Heart Gallery Instagram
- The Heart Gallery website

Credits:
Samuel Cunningham for podcast editing, Cosmo Sheldrake for use of his song Pelicans We, podcast art by me