Museums today aren’t enclosures for art and antiques, they are spaces that shape perspectives and introduce narratives. In the run up to International Museum Day, we ask Mumbai museums how they use technology, art and multi-lingual programmes to engage diverse audiences
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya houses an extensive collection and hosts immersive events to engage visitors. Photo courtesy: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Gone are the days when museums were dusty galleries of antiquities and art with dull information plaques. The contemporary museum is a socio-cultural space that creates room for dialogue, and houses multi-media and multi-lingual experiences that are aimed to jog your critical mind, question existing narratives, and even be Instagram friendly. Functioning beyond an archive, museums of today are shaping public opinion. Curators today invite visitors to interrogate the collection, and strive to communicate the nuances behind the narratives, offering visitors an access to different historical contexts enabling a sensitised outlook. To chart the expanse of their activities and evolution, we spoke to those who run the best known among such cultural institutions in Mumbai.