Smritivan Whare Taonga me te Whakamaharatanga Rū Whenua by Siddharth Bathla is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award Hiriwa in Hoahoa Roto Whare me te Whakaaturanga Competition Category.
HiriwaRoto Whare· 2023
Smritivan Whare Taonga me te Whakamaharatanga Rū Whenua
Client: Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority
A' Design Award Hiriwa Winner in Roto Whare Category
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The Design
About Smritivan Whare Taonga me te Whakamaharatanga Rū Whenua
Ko Smritivan he whare taonga rū whenua me tētahi whakamaharatanga kei runga i te puke o Bhujio Dungar i Bhuj, Gujarat, Inia. E 9200 mita pūrua te whānui o te whare taonga, tae atu ki ngā wāhi o roto me waho, kua whakaritea ki ngā poraka kaupapa e whitu me ngā whakaaturanga e 27. Ka whakamaumahara ngā whakaaturanga ki te rū whenua o te tau 2001 mā ngā kōrero whaiaro, ngā rauemi pūranga me ngā kōrero pūtaiao. Nā ngā ringatoi o te rohe i mahi tahi ngā mahi toi, ā, ka honoa ngā kākahu whatu ki te rino manawaroa. Kei roto hoki tētahi mīhini whakatairite rū whenua nui me ngā whakamaharatanga matihiko ki te hunga i mate. Ko te kaupapa matua o te hoahoa ko te manawaroa o te tangata.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Hiriwa
Ko Smritivan Whare Taonga me te Whakamaharatanga Rū Whenua te toa o te A' Design Award Hiriwa, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa taumata teitei rawa, ātaahua me te whakamīharo. Ko ngā toa Hiriwa he mahi tino kanapa, tino auaha e whakaatu ana i te mātanga, te pūmanawa me te mōhio hōhonu o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Smritivan Whare Taonga me te Whakamaharatanga Rū Whenua he mahi whakamīharo, he tauira, he tino ngaio, he auaha hōhonu. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Hiriwa he hanganga rongonui, whakamīharotia e whai wāhi ana ki te whakawhānui i ngā rohe o te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau. Ko Smritivan Whare Taonga me te Whakamaharatanga Rū Whenua he mahi e hae ana te tini, e whakaara ana i ngā hiahia, e kawe mai ana i ngā kare-ā-roto pai, ā, e whakaoho ana i te mīharo.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- India’s largest memorial-museum, coming alive with stories of the devastating 2001 earthquake woven into the philosophy of the space. Metaphor of resilience and constant change is presented across 7 thematic blocks. Collaboratively designed with master craftspersons, vibrant, local crafts create scenography. Large-scale quake simulator, digital homage and personal stories bring an emotional connection. To animate the visitor experience, live actors and artists bring the museum journey alive.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- An integral part of the memorial, the museum is spread over 9200 square meters of indoor and outdoor experience on the Bhujio-Dungar hill. The exhibition space is divided into seven blocks, which are further divided into 27 galleries. On an average each gallery is 8 meters wide, 12 meters long and 4.5 metres high. The museum also houses other amenities like library, shop, cafe, auditorium, play area and temporary exhibition spaces.
- Tags
- Earthquake memorial, earthquake museum, immersive, interactive, craft, human-centric, scenography, storytelling, resilience, Bhuj, culture centre
- Production Technology
- All bespoke installations and narrative elements were custom-designed and fabricated in India, following iterative experimentation and prototyping. A fresh approach to processing local resources was implemented to create contextually-rooted exhibit spaces. Local craft persons were commissioned to co-create the largest ever narrative-based artworks of their repertoire. Contextual materials such as woven textiles, in synergy with durable materials like steel, create a blend of local and global expression.
- Design Challenge
- The responsibility to present sensitive personal and complex stories of the earthquake and beyond, to evoke varied emotions was a creative challenge and opportunity. Moving from an incident to an overarching story based on the ideas of resilience was pivotal. The 27 similar galleries dealt with an innovative, contextual design strategy for distinct and memorable thematic experiences. Translating the big idea into a physical reality demanded a smart orchestration of various stakeholders.
- Research
- Narrative and design development took shape based on intensive continuous research rooted in ethnography, literature review, and archival data. Being an earthquake museum inspired by resilient stories of people and landscapes, geological, archaeological, and seismological experts directed the entire process. Personal stories and archival data were collected, analyzed, and curated from recurring, extensive field visits undertaken across entire quake-affected areas and humanitarian organizations.
- Inspiration
- The unique, thriving culture of Kutch in west India, gave impetus to the museum’s content and design. The Timelessness of human resilience, absorbed from a nearby 4000-year-old civilization is carried forward in the museum’s ethos. The region’s rapid recovery post-2001 quake is embodied in Smritivan as universally relatable stories of human determination. Content design, scenography, and installations are based on and emerge from the rich local living traditions and crafts of the Kutch region.
- Project Duration
- After winning the open design competition on a proposal based on the concept of “eternal resilience” the project was initiated in 2018, in Bhuj city of Kutch district, Gujarat. Following detailed research and design, on-site execution began in 2020. The Smritivan Earthquake Museum and Memorial were inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in August 2022. We continue to curate and engage with public programming for the museum.
- Operation Flow
- Since its inauguration, the museum receives an average footfall of foreign tourists and locals over 100,000 every quarter. Holistic end-to-end placemaking and local community engagement through digital marketing, and innovative public events are an extension of the design strategy. Each visitor adds a part of themselves to the museum through digital tributes for quake victims, which collect into a bright beam of light. India’s first design biennale on the “art of storytelling” was hosted here recently.
- Team Members
- Creative Director: Siddharth Bathla
Design Director: Prashasti Chandra
Visual Design: Masood Khan
Installation, Scenography: Suryanath Sunny
Research,Content: Niharika Joshi
Architect: Prashul Sharma
Special Artist: Mukul Goyal- Sculptor
Special Artist: Vankar Vishram Valji - (weaver shyamjibhai)- weaving
Special Artist: Dr. Ismail Khatri- block printing
Special Artist: Mukesh Bhanani- kala Raksha
Special Artist: Gafur Khatri- Rogan art
Special Artist: Paresh Khamir- lacquered artwork - Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Bharat Aggarwal, Smritivan, 2022.
Optional Image #1: Photographer Bharat Aggarwal, Smritivan, 2022.
Optional Image #2: Photographer Bharat Aggarwal, Smritivan, 2022.
Optional Image #3: Illustrator Masood Khan, Smritivan, 2022.
Optional Image #4: Photographer Bharat Aggarwal, Smritivan, 2022.
Video Credits: Cinematographer Sohaib Ilyas, Smritivan, 2022.
Sound Credits: ANBR - Stars, Ardie Son - Come back home, Ardie Son - Tonight is Golden, Smritivan, 2022.
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