Museums of ahmedabad editorial

‘SANGRAHALAYA’ (unraveling museums of Ahmedabad): This study is an attempt to understand the meaning of being a museum in Ahmedabad and its relationship and relevance with respect to other museums. This editorial is an academic exercise as a part of our course: Architectural criticism. It is not a holistic text including information about all the museums of Ahmedabad; whereas it specifically concentrates of few selective city level museums.

Acknowledgments: We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude towards professor A. Srivathsan for teaching how to approach a particular topic and thereby go on to criticize it. We also thank Bijal Shah ma’am for her suggestions and critiques.

Editorial team: Somya Mahlawat .................................. (M.arch 2nd year) Namarata Toraskar............................... (M.I.A.D. 2nd year) Shruti Ramesh ...................................... (M.arch 2nd year) Tanmayee Wagale .................................(M.arch 2nd year) Kinjal Sakaria ..........................................(M.arch 2nd year) Deepika Srivasthava.............................. (S.I.D. 5th year) Steven Canara .........................................(M.arch 2nd year)

CONTENTS: Intoduction:..................................................................... 1 1. Sanskar Kendra........................................................... 3 2. Calico museum........................................................... 11 3. Conflictorium.............................................................. 19 4. Shreyas folk museum............................................... 29 5. Vishala Vechaar vessel museum........................... 39 6. Sabarmati ashram..................................................... 45 7. L.D. Museum of Indology........................................ 53 Conclusion....................................................................... 61

Introduction: Ahmedabad has transformed from an ancient city to a mega city. But has it indeed? The past and the present coexist, interact and are alive.

This coexistence imparts diversity to Ahmedabad. As Hamid Raj aptly says "Ahmedabad's history and myths are a part of the collective consciousness of the city. It's less important to know which one is true, and better to know what each story tells you about the city". [1] Each of these stories have evolved from speciďŹ c important events in the past and shaped the present. To realize and make sense of such a rich and diverse milieu of rich heritage, Museums are envisioned.

They are not merely a place for storage of artifacts but are reminiscent of the city's glorious history.

In May 2016, a committee consisting of 31 museums of Ahmedabad held a meeting. "The focal points in the event would be administration, curation and execution expertise for the museums in the city." [2] In the backdrop of such discussions and Ahmedabad being declared as a World heritage city, this anthology of different museums spread across Ahmedabad will be helpful for realizing the content, cultural roots and condition of these museums in a more holistic manner. This study is not meant to be a homage to the museums but to understand the relevance of the museums in today's times by decoding the factors that are inherent to all the museums in Ahmedabad.

There are various types of Museums based on the themes that they focus on. Most cities display this multiplicity in terms of content that they offer and their target user group. Ahmedabad is also one such city. It is difďŹ cult for a single museum to depict the entire culture and identity of a place. There is a vast knowledge that requires to be documented and shared and it is difďŹ cult to comprehend it in its entirety. The relevance of such information also depends on the users that are affected by it and their interest in that particular topic. It is thus that various types of museums emerge in a city based on their topic of interest. This forms an interesting conglomeration of museums that describe the city.

1 Sangrahalay

This exercise was undertaken to study this particular aspect of the city so as to understand the multiplicity of approaches towards the history of Ahmedabad. Taking Ahmedabad as an example, a variety of museums displaying multiple themes are selected for study. Even though there are a few houses across Ahmedabad which are opened as museums, yet majority of these houses are privately owned and their access is restricted. Hence the scope of this study is limited to city level museums. The museums studied upon in this editorial are [1] [2] the Sanskar Kendra in Paldi , Calico museum in Shahibaug, [3] [4] Conictorium in Mirzapur , Shreyas folk museum in Bhudarpura, [6] Vechaar vessel museum(Vishala) [5]in Vasna, Sabarmati Ashram in [7] Ashram road and L.D. museum of Indology in Navrangpura and .

These are only a small part of the vast collection of museums that Ahmedabad houses. However, the variety of themes that they display makes for an interesting comparison of relevance and popularity.

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CONFLICTORIUM (2013)

By Shruti Ramesh

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L.D. MUSEUM OF INDOLOGY (1984)

By Steven Canara

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The Lalbhai Dalpatbhai institute of Indology was established in 1956 by Kasturbhai Lalbhai and the Jain Acharya muni. The museum of Indology was a latter addition to the institute in 1984. It houses various scriptures, sculptures and manuscripts belonging to Buddhist and Jain sects. Both these buildings were built by architect B.V. Doshi.

55 L.D. museum of Indology

SOURCE https://c1.staticickr.com/8/7198/6793761676_56c7b6d1b1_b.jpg

The institute is a linear R.C.C. block pierced by a bridge which runs through it and connects to the museum block. Its linearity draws anyone towards the open space thereby to the museum through the bridge. Both the buildings have a robust exposed concrete façade, but the old building is quite buoyant as it is elevated above the ground with a moat surrounding it, whereas the museum building is a heavy monolithic mass which sits on the ground level with fewer openings. But both buildings are complementing each other, since a museum building might have been imagined from the very beginning of this institution. Both the buildings are not only a symbol of Modern architecture in Ahmedabad, but also a ďŹ ne interpretation of a museum inside an institutional complex.

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SOURCE https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0d/e8/8b/20/ldmuseum-entrance.jpg

As this building was intended to be a museum which would be open for all, another entrance was made from the road side. It is sparsely visible from the outside, as it is covered by dense plantations. But as one enters the premise, the entrance to the building is along a straight path from there. Few of the galleries and collections in this museum are as following: Muni Punyavijayji Gallery, Priyakant T. Munshaw Gallery of coinage, Arvind Lalbhai Collection and the Lilavati Lalbhai Wood Work collection. Also there is an art reference library and a conservation laboratory. The activities of this museum also ow in the outer areas where exhibitions and talks are held. Events organized by the institution enliven this place during which the locals of Ahmedabad visit it, otherwise few tourists and locals also visit the museum on other days.

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The Jain religion focuses on the perfection of man through self-discipline and austerity. The building is believed to have been inspired from a Jain cave temple. Its austerity and its minimal approach in the use of the materials reect the Jain ideology of a living a simple life. The main display gallery located in the central bay is quite similar to the Kimbell Art museum, U.S.A. which was designed by architect Louis I. Kahn. This similitude is felt due the use of vaults and also in the way in which the artifacts are placed. Yet the built environment as a whole is embedded in the modernist idiom of Ahmedabad.

PLAN (Mehta Gallery & Institute of Indology)

SECTION (Mehta Gallery & Institute of Indology) SOURCE - AMD: Ahmedabad by Riyaz Tayyabji

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“Doshi has created architecture that relies on a sensitive adoption and refinement of modern architecture within an Indian context.” [1] L.D. institute and museum of Indology is an ensemble of all his philosophies as it is one of the first public buildings done by the architect. This building is the first to use precast concrete members to reduce the labor. The cross section of the building shows the dynamic form which has evolved from climatic needs.

Both the buildings are set in an ordered grid of reinforced concrete. The expression of the form is embedded in the structural grid of the building. This same pattern is used in the hand rails and window mullions as a seamless conception of order. “Doshi conceived building not as a container of specific activities but as a place to be inhabited.”[2] Due to such an ideology, the building is meaningful even today.

SOURCE - http://www.ldmuseum.co.in/galleries.php

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SOURCE - http://museumcasestudy.blogspot.in/2014/12/institute-ofindology-b-v-doshi-351329.html

This building became one of the flag bearer of modernist idiom in India. The building has carved its own niche since the architect, keeping in mind the architectural world view, has reinterpreted it in accordance to the Indian culture, climate and context. B.V. Doshi believed “If you are in tune with your project and the purpose for which it is being built……then the building emerges. No style, no period, pure experience.” It's only due to such an individualistic yet holistic approach due to which this building has become timeless. So in entirety, this complex is a synthetic confluence of art, culture and history and it is undoubtedly our contemporary heritage.

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Conclusion: Sanskar Kendra is a city museum depicting culture and history of Ahmedabad. Additionally, it is also an iconic building built by the famous architect Le Corbusier adding historic and material value to the building as an object itself.

Calico textile museum is an outstanding repository of the vast and deep textile heritage of India along with a distinguished collection of bronzes, Pichhwais, built heritage of Amdavadi havelis, Jain art and Indian miniature paintings.

Conflictorium evokes emotion and memory through art depicting various conflicts of the past.

Shreyas Folk Museum brings out the traditional rustic flavour and cultural heritage of Gujarat and is a tribute to the local artisans.

Vechaar Vessel museum (Vishala) is a collection of utensils through which traditions and culture of rural Ahmedabad is displayed.

Sabarmati Ashram on the other hand focuses the socio- political identity and beliefs of an individual that affected and still resides in the memory of many.

L.D. Museum of Indology houses various scriptures, sculptures and manuscripts belonging to Buddhist and Jain sects. Like Sanskar Kendra, it too is a symbol of modernism in Ahmedabad.

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Even though every museum is unique in terms of its content and built environment, yet there are few factors that have emerged to be syntagmatic to them as they are common throughout all of them.

They are as following: - The museums are subjective to their speciďŹ c content and theme (in terms of design of the building and display of the artifacts).

- They are elusive of a particular typology (they do not follow a typical style; e.g.-a typical vessel museum or typical textile museum.) The museum buildings are localized and reinterpreted.

Thereby every museum is a paradigm that has evolved from these syntagms.

These factors are also inherent to the spirit of the city and help us understand the multiplicity in Ahmedabad.

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