Museums are like huge time machines; they transport you to eras of the past in a matter of minutes. But, by existing in the present, they serve as constant reminders of the transience of time and the brevity of life. To mark their historical, cultural and philosophical significance, International Museum Day is celebrated on the 18th of May ever year. And Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum will be celebrating this day by hosting a series of fun events at the museum.
Talking about the motive behind organising this day-long event, Ruta Waghmare, Assistant Curator at the museum says, “We wanted to create more awareness about the importance of museums because they are relevant, buzzing hubs of cultural activity and ideas. We want to bring forth this idea to a diverse range of people.”
The activities will kick off with an interactive tour taking participants through the Industrial Art Gallery and The Story of Mumbai. With this tour one can hope to see revealing details about the artefacts, Ruta says, “In the Industrial Art Gallery one can see objects made by Indian artisans for trade purposes to Europe. The artefacts are interesting as they show a fusion of Eastern and Western design sensibilities.” The upstairs gallery, which has rare maps, 3D dioramas, clay models, costumes and lots more on display, will give one a peek into cosmopolitan Mumbai of the 19th and 20th centuries. Here, one should keep an eye out for a vintage map that captures Mumbai’s layout when it was still a cluster of seven islands. The museum education team, which will be conducting the tour, will also talk about the history of the museum and its UNESCO International Conservation Award-winning restoration project.
Partcipants take part in the Scavenger Hunt.
Apart from enjoying this fun tour, one can even be a curator for a day. Under ‘Become A Curator For A Day’ participants will be taught the basics of curation. Participants will get a chance to put together an independent exhibition using thumbnail prints of selected artefacts. “We hope to acquaint people with the curation process, as there is not much information about it,” says Ruta. Apart from this, one can participate in the Scavenger Hunt, which will take players on a riddle-fuelled quest through the museum. In this hunt participants will have to find exhibits by decoding museum-related clues. For a peek at the kind of questions that will be asked, Ruta shares a bit of trivia about the museum, “Did you know that the stars on the ceiling have six points, and represent the Star of David? They were incorporated into the architecture of the museum to honour the contribution of Jews to the city.” Talking about the prize Ruta says, “You get to engage with our museum collections in a fun way, that’s the reward.”
The museum tour in English will be from 10.30 to 11.30 am, and the curation workshop (English) will be from 11.30 am to 1 pm on Friday.
