The Gallery on Lost & Confiscated Items, Purana Qila Museum
This Museum conceptualized and designed by Tagbin focuses on presenting the efforts to bring back Indian artifacts and cultural heritage as a key element in India’s foreign policy.
Location
Purana Qila, New Delhi
Launch Year
2019
Client
Archeological Survey of India, GoI
Area
4,000 sq ft
The Central Antiquity Collection
At ‘The Central Antiquity Collection’, inside the Purana Qila Monument Complex, a gallery on ‘Lost and Confiscated Items’ exhibits artifacts recovered by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate of India was developed by Tagbin. Interactive panels give information on the cultural value, the history and aesthetic characteristics of the relics.
Visitor Takeaway
The museum is built in a way that enables visitors to understand the national and global significance of the issue of repatriation. It also allows initiation into the basic knowledge about the laws that govern the heritage and cultural property of India. It significantly appreciates the aesthetic and iconographic value of the artefacts that were retrieved to India. The museum also gives insights into the sensitisation towards the importance of documentation and protection of cultural properties and preventing and reporting cases of vandalism and theft.
Meticulous Design
The design follows a linear approach as the space is narrow and almost tunnel-like that allows a separate entry and exit with linear visitor movement. The content has been approached through a layered narrative structure where the overarching narrative is interspersed with thematic content on the individual artefacts. The visual language of display and graphics draws from the building architecture and the site. Flexibility within the design and lighting has been kept to allow for easy expansion, integration or addition of additional artefacts. Artefacts too have been treated individually or in small clusters as they are of varied time periods, styles and regions. Separate light-controlled spaces for delicate artefacts like for paintings and ivories have also been made. The museum didn’t only highlight the return of historical objects as a part of the restoration of India’s pride. It is also an acknowledgment of history as well as a projection of India’s soft power.
