Living museum: transformation of the museum in the context of the experience economy (foreign experience)

The article analyzes the emergence and development of living museums in Great Britain, as well as their potential in the preservation and popularization of cultural and historical heritage. The authors outline the range of problems that arise as a result of the transformation of the museum in the modern experience economy. In the late 1960th, the question of how to preserve the heritage of the industrial revolution that changed the face of the world was raised in this country. The museum enthusiast F. Atkinson proposed an innovative model of a living museum, embodied in the «Beamish» complex in Durham. Soon, similar museums were established in other centers of the industrial revolution: Blists Hill Victorian Town in Ironbridge and Black Country Living Museum in the West Midlands. The article analyzes the principles of creation, functioning and development of living museums, the opportunities that they open up and the problematic aspects are revealed. The authors find it promising to use the experience of British museums in Russia. At the same time, attention is drawn to the fact that the creators of such museums will inevitably face the question of how to avoid serious distortions in the reconstruction of the past, to find a balance between historical authenticity and entertainment dictated by the experience economy.