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Are we ready for interactive museums?

From allowing visitors to take selfies to encouraging tactile engagement, international museums are treading new grounds. After Hrs finds out why the scene is different back home

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(Clockwise from left) The Beckhams at the Museum of Ice Cream, Los Angeles; A scene from The Great Dictator recreated at Chaplin’s World, Switzerland; and The Museum of Selfies in LA
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Gone are the days when you stepped into a museum and viewed the objects on display from a distance. Over the last few years, several spaces have sprung up abroad where visitors can get up, close and personal with the installations and even interact with them. For instance, the revamped World Rugby Museum in London is all set to open its doors to the public with the aim to provide visitors a complete view of rugby. It will have a virtual coach who will help people understand the challenges of the game.

Last year, the roving Museum of Ice Cream opened in Los Angeles and Miami. Here, you can step into an ice cream palace and touch larger-than-life installations of candies and cones. The Museum of Selfies in LA not only has hands-on installations that examine the 40,000-year history, science, art and culture of self-representation, but also gives visitors plenty of Instagram-ready photo ops.

In 2016, fans of Charlie Chaplin got a chance to get a glimpse of his life and work when his home, Manoir de Ban in Switzerland, was converted into a museum. From a model of the giant machinery that was seen in his film, Modern Times, to the chair in the barber’s shop from The Great Dictator, with a wax figure of Chaplin standing by, fans got an opportunity to see their idol and his work. Clearly, we have moved to an age of made-for-Instagram museums that encourage people to pose for selfies with an artwork.

CROWD CONTROL

Back home, museums are still wary of allowing people to touch a piece of art. Artist Brinda Miller says, “One of the reasons is that it’s difficult to control crowds and there is a worry of the artwork getting damaged. However, the way we think and view museums itself is changing with concepts like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya’s Museum on Wheels that brings the museum to you. The selfie culture has also ruined the serious outlook towards art.”

BE SERIOUS!

Brinda says this is evident from the many installations at Kala Ghoda festival where people are allowed and encouraged to engage with a piece of art as opposed to the old ways of maintaining a distance between the viewer and the piece of work. She adds, “Even artists are informed that people will engage with their works, so they create art, which can be touched. There has to be some seriousness about the art on display and this can only be inculcated via talks, discussions and walk through than just touching the objects.”

TACTILE ENGAGEMENT HAS ITS LIMITS

Sculptor Arzan Khambatta is all for tactile engagement with an artwork but believes that we as a community are not mature enough for it. He adds, “Museums and galleries are a little wary of visitors touching art as they may end up touching paintings on the walls, which can damage these works. It’s a tricky situation as on one hand, you would want people to engage with a piece of art but we have not reached a level of maturity to allow that. Personally, I’m okay with anyone touching, feeling or clicking pictures with my artwork as they are made of sturdy materials like stone or metal.”

‘CONTROLLED ACCESS IS ALLOWED’

So, while made-for-instagram museums are not a reality here, it’s not a concept that is alien to us either. The Kala Ghoda Art Fest and Celebrate Bandra see many installations and art pieces that are created specially for people, who love clicking pictures with them. And while there are hardly any barriers here between the observer and the artwork, it will be a while before this idea finds complete acceptance by museums in the city.

Currently, at least some are okay with controlled access and that’s a start. Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee of the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, says, “At our space, we allow people to click photographs with a piece of art or an installation. When it comes to tactile engagement with an object of art, it’s limited because the more one handles it, the more the chances of wear and tear increases. Also, there’s always a risk of damage, especially with paintings.”

The Museum has been encouraging controlled access especially in cases of people with disabilities. Mehta elaborates, “We have had groups of visually-impaired individuals handle objects replicating the craft. The idea is to encourage tactile engagement as it creates a bonding and an understanding with the piece of art or installation. Abroad, they are moving towards community engagement to make things more exciting and vibrant. We are not there yet but are slowly moving in that direction. We’re realising that culture is a live ingredient, which not only gives a city its unique identity but also creates jobs.”

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