Scriptwriter for Napoleon: Revolution to Empire exhibition at NGV 2012

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The NGV's Winter Masterpieces are annual international 'blockbuster' exhibitions that enable substantial international artworks to travel to Melbourne for exhibition. The 2012 exhibition, produced in collaboration with France's Fondation Napoléon, was Napoleon: Revolution to Empire, a panoramic exhibition examining French art, culture and life from the 1770s to the 1820s. Its story began with the first French voyages of discovery to Australia during the reign of Louis XV and covered Napoleon's transforming leadership as first Emperor of France. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: My contribution was as researcher and scriptwriter developing an 11,000-word original manuscript that formed the script for the audio guide for the exhibition. The audio-guide was produced in collaboration with France's Fondation Napoléon. English and French language versions were created. Australian actress Rachel Blake (Lantana, Wildside, and as Hazel Hawke in Hawke) performed the script, and the NGV's Benjamin Walbrook was score composer and music arranger. Auslan and captioned versions were also created. While historical accuracy is carefully maintained, these projects also require a creative response to the "retelling" of history and an approach attentive to the performativity of the script. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The project required significant new research into the narratives that underpinned the exhibition, most particularly related to French voyages of discovery to Australia during the reigns of Louis XV and Napoleon. This was an unusual angle; the Fondation Napoléon stated it was the most unusual exhibition related to Napoleon. The script required a particular treatment, needing to be both historically accurate (requiring sign-off from the Fondation Napoléon) but also enlivening as a performance. The tour was available to hire on site on iPod touch (23,204 copies hired) and available to download from the Napoleon microsite via iTunesU or as a free podcast.

【研究背景】维多利亚国立美术馆（National Gallery of Victoria，NGV）的“冬季大师展”是年度国际性重磅大展，旨在引入重量级国际艺术品赴墨尔本展出。2012年的展览与法国拿破仑基金会（Fondation Napoléon）联合筹办，主题为“拿破仑：从革命到帝国”，这一全景式展览梳理了1770年至1820年间法国的艺术、文化与社会生活。其叙事脉络始于路易十五统治时期法国首次探索澳洲的航海活动，直至拿破仑作为法国首任皇帝的变革性执政历程。

【研究贡献】本人作为研究人员与脚本创作者，创作了一篇长达11000字的原创文稿，作为本次展览语音导览的脚本。该语音导览同样与法国拿破仑基金会联合制作，推出了英文与法文两个版本。脚本由澳大利亚女演员蕾切尔·布莱克（曾出演《情如物证》《荒野迷情》，并在剧集《霍克》中饰演黑兹尔·霍克）配音，NGV的本杰明·沃尔布鲁克担任配乐作曲与音乐编排。此外，项目还制作了澳大利亚手语（Australian Sign Language，Auslan）版本及字幕版。本项目在严格恪守历史准确性的同时，亦需对历史叙事进行创造性演绎，并兼顾脚本的表演性要求。

【研究意义】本项目需要针对展览依托的叙事框架开展大量全新研究，尤以路易十五与拿破仑统治时期法国探索澳洲的航海活动相关内容为重点。这一研究视角颇为独特，拿破仑基金会称其为最具创新性的拿破仑主题展览。脚本创作需要兼顾双重要求：既要保证历史严谨性（需经拿破仑基金会审核通过），又要作为表演文本具备生动性。本次语音导览可在展厅内通过iPod touch租借，累计借出23204台；亦可通过拿破仑专题微型网站的iTunesU板块下载，或作为免费播客获取。