Think of an object you saw at a museum. In what context do you remember it?
The world’s first museum began as ‘a cabinet of curiosities’. Over the centuries, these “curiosities” have continued to deepen our understanding of the past. Each object tells multiple stories; the historical narratives associated with them hold different interpretations, and often, contested views for different people.
This is why, interpreting museum objects is a deeply personal process – one that is influenced by our memories, experiences and sometimes, our imagination. Our perception of objects or the meaning we draw from them is largely shaped by the context in which they are displayed. Sarmaya, India’s first digital museum has launched a new series showing us what happens when objects are disconnected from their historical contexts and stories are retold with new meaning.
Centuries and geographies apart, would the fish-shaped silver Larin coin ever find its way into a Warli fishing net? Would a majestic tiger from Jethro Buck’s miniatures walk casually into Amber Palace? How would a ‘vahan’ from a Mata ni Pachedi textile navigate today’s chaos and traffic using Google Maps?
Sarmaya India
Through their latest animation series “Reimagine”, Sarmaya-India indulges us in a time-travel across genres using objects from their collection.
Our favourite is this jugalbandi of dance, art and music:
We also dig this animation that tells of the rituals, memories & man’s association with the ocean: