Dhruvi Shah 

Jaadughar: The House of Magic

House of Magic' or 'Jaadughar' in Hindi is what people would call a 'museum' in parts of South Asia. The practice of museum making, at its origin, is the act of collecting, preserving, interpreting and representing a culture’s tangible and intangible heritage to make it accessible to diverse audiences. Since the early 19th century such practices have been performed at various kala bhandars (art centers) in India, without the need of a formal or institutional organisation. The British introduced the model of a ‘museum’ in South Asia, with the aim of not only preserving ethnographic collections, but also showcasing their power and pride in the colony.

The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla, Mumbai, formerly known as the Victoria and Albert Museum, was the third museum established by the British in India. It was built in 1855 to house duplicate Indian artifacts from the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London (the originals are still present among the 60,000 South Asian objects at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London ). The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is located in one of the most ethnically diverse districts of Mumbai, and comprises archival maps, paintings, special kaarigari (handicraft) work, and models showing trade and occupation. 

After multiple renovations, the decisions to ‘preserve’ and ‘conserve’ its original structure remains unanimous, though this response fails to acknowledge the institution’s colonial birth and history, nor does the museum respond to the culture of the community of Byculla, making it inaccessible and foreign to locals. 

How do we confront the multilayered histories of a site through architectural, exhibition design and curatorial interventions? Thinking through a constructive rebirth of the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, how can places like this be reimagined as transparent bodies that reflect the society and community they reside in, making kala and kaarigari (arts and crafts) accessible and responsive to their context at all times? 

My thesis is a multilingual intervention on the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum as an example of how contemporary, decolonial and simple design dialogue can transform the identity of a building.

Approach towards decolonisation and gestural architecture diagrams

Digital and physical collage of the facade of the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad museum 
20.5” x 12” 
Khunn fabric (polyester) & Plywood 

I was deeply inspired by the khunn fabric, a simple everyday polyester material seen in the form of saares, kurtas, and upholstery of people around Mumbai and Maharashtra.

A rendered ground floor plan of the museum showing the positions of the cabinets as aligned to a grid inspired by khunn, and facing the Elephanta Elephant, now placed in the centre of the museum to replace the statue of Prince Albert.

A longitudinal section artwork of the museum building, contextualizing the zoo and the city of Mumbai in its periphery.

This collage of detail drawings of cabinets depict colorful 'shells' that have been added to the existing wooden cabinets to spark curiosity about the themes of displacement of art.

A multilingual catalogue book created with the existing collection of copies, restaging them as originals and giving both kala and the kaarigar, the art and the craftsperson, equal importance.

A translucent white fabric is added as a skin in the interior of the museum. The idea was to mute or dim down the architecture, without disrupting it.

An exploded axonometric drawing of the museum showing how the translucent fabric 'skin' takes the form of the museum architecture.