The National Museum is abuzz with musical instruments from India and abroad, reports rakesh kumar
Usually the ambience of the National Museum sports pin drop silence but from November 26, the sound of Indian Sitar, Burmese Saung and many more musical instruments lent their notes to the museum, with their soothing sounds echoing around. The innovation was courtesy Ranjit Makkuni, an internationally acclaimed multimedia designer and accomplished musician and his exhibition, Musical Landscapes and the Goddesses of Music. The exhibition presents advances in interactive art through an exploration of the science, art and spirituality of music and its reflections in the images of goddesses across Asian cultures.
“Through my work, I have tried to demonstrate that it is possible to develop culture-friendly technologies, which can become a vehicle for preserving cultural identity, not replacing it, and how the wisdom of the past can be made accessible to people,” said Makkuni, Makkuni, an alumnus of IIT, Kharagpur.
The exhibition will be on display till 15 January and by that time, the museum is all set to give a different experience to their visitors with their interactive musical instruments. In his work, the artist has embedded new instruments with computation, allowing viewers to interact through gesture, touch, pull, movement and gaze in the exhibition environment. For instance, there is a sculpture, Abstract Woman. Embedded in the waist of the sculpture is a representation of Sri Yantra, which, upon touch, plays back the 1000 names of Goddess Lalita. Also, there is a section on Goddess Sarasvati, the goddess of wisdom and music; Kinayi, the Angels of Music, from Burma; and The Compassionate figure of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara from Japan. There is also a section on Breath, Voice and Healing, which explores the healing properties of singing and its relationship to breath. “It took me two years to work on this exhibition, and the only idea behind this is to create interest in our classical musical forms among the young generation. Technology has been used to forge a connection with the youth,” explained Makkuni.
For the first time, the National Museum has witnessed such exhibition showcasing both traditional and new instruments based on Indian Sitar, Burmese Saung Harp, Thai Xylophone, Korean Kayagum, Chinese Guzheng and Pipa, Vietnamese Dan Tranh, Javanese, Balinese Gamelan and many others. “A museum is not merely a place for the exhibit of ancient artefacts; it has to be interactive also,” said Dr Karan Singh, Rajya Sabha member and ICCR president, who inaugurated the exhibition.
Usually the ambience of the National Museum sports pin drop silence but from November 26, the sound of Indian Sitar, Burmese Saung and many more musical instruments lent their notes to the museum, with their soothing sounds echoing around. The innovation was courtesy Ranjit Makkuni, an internationally acclaimed multimedia designer and accomplished musician and his exhibition, Musical Landscapes and the Goddesses of Music. The exhibition presents advances in interactive art through an exploration of the science, art and spirituality of music and its reflections in the images of goddesses across Asian cultures.
“Through my work, I have tried to demonstrate that it is possible to develop culture-friendly technologies, which can become a vehicle for preserving cultural identity, not replacing it, and how the wisdom of the past can be made accessible to people,” said Makkuni, Makkuni, an alumnus of IIT, Kharagpur.
The exhibition will be on display till 15 January and by that time, the museum is all set to give a different experience to their visitors with their interactive musical instruments. In his work, the artist has embedded new instruments with computation, allowing viewers to interact through gesture, touch, pull, movement and gaze in the exhibition environment. For instance, there is a sculpture, Abstract Woman. Embedded in the waist of the sculpture is a representation of Sri Yantra, which, upon touch, plays back the 1000 names of Goddess Lalita. Also, there is a section on Goddess Sarasvati, the goddess of wisdom and music; Kinayi, the Angels of Music, from Burma; and The Compassionate figure of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara from Japan. There is also a section on Breath, Voice and Healing, which explores the healing properties of singing and its relationship to breath. “It took me two years to work on this exhibition, and the only idea behind this is to create interest in our classical musical forms among the young generation. Technology has been used to forge a connection with the youth,” explained Makkuni.
For the first time, the National Museum has witnessed such exhibition showcasing both traditional and new instruments based on Indian Sitar, Burmese Saung Harp, Thai Xylophone, Korean Kayagum, Chinese Guzheng and Pipa, Vietnamese Dan Tranh, Javanese, Balinese Gamelan and many others. “A museum is not merely a place for the exhibit of ancient artefacts; it has to be interactive also,” said Dr Karan Singh, Rajya Sabha member and ICCR president, who inaugurated the exhibition.
