Making museums matter
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He has designed a state-of-the-art display for an Egyptian mummy in Hyderabad; equipped a museum in Kerala with a hologram that lets visitors “talk” to late CM EK Nayanar; and created an environmental monitoring system to help researchers monitor defunct 1912 research huts in Antarctica.
Vinod Daniel, 60, is a museologist, chair of Ausheritage (a network of cultural heritage management organisations set up by the Australian government) and member of the Board of International Council of Museums.
In February, he moderated a summit titled Reimagining Museums in India, hosted by the government of India, with representatives from around the world. How is the museum experience changing? Who’s driving the change? Excerpts from an interview.
Museums are changing, dramatically. What’s driving the shift?
It’s a result of the pandemic. Museums had a fantastic model in the West where a certain core income came from the government or the city and the rest was raised from tourists and visitors. But for the time being, international visitors are limited. Even renowned institutions will now need to cater to local communities. If they can take the museum to where the people are — malls, parks — they may be able to double their audience, even when the world eventually returns to normalcy.
Where does India stand on this front?
In the 1960s and 1970s, the general approach to museology in India was to collect a large number of objects, label and display them. Now, planners are seeing that it’s all about how well you can tell the story and evoke a sense of awe. In this regard, technology plays a key role. Where everything was once a one-way street, at the most basic level, something like a social media feed allows for two-way interaction. But, if technology is assisting in communication, we must first ensure that the message is well-framed.
Is there such a thing as too much tech?
Museums have certain core functions, and if technology helps with them — whether it’s taking a living version of history into classrooms, interpreting it — that’s fantastic. One can look at ancient objects in 3D, zoom in or rotate them virtually. Nothing can replace the physical experience. But any experience is preferable to none at all.
You’ve said that even something like a museum café can be crucial. Why?
The 15-to-35 age group is one that most museums have lost out on. If you make it more exciting for them to come, bring their peers, sit and have a coffee, that could help. The average college student shouldn’t look at it as a dead space where old things are stored. Museums could also stay open for longer, to accommodate the office-goer.
What’s a new change you are glad to see?
Some museums in Vanuatu and New Caledonia are becoming their community’s cultural centres. They have performance spaces, events, and spaces where ancestral things are housed. This approach gives the community a sense of ownership over it all.