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Smritivan Musiamo le Sehopotso sa Tšisinyeho ea Lefatše by Siddharth Bathla

Smritivan Musiamo le Sehopotso sa Tšisinyeho ea Lefatše by Siddharth Bathla is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award in Moralo wa Sebaka sa Ka Hare le Dipontsho Competition Category.


SileveraKa Hare· 2023

Smritivan Musiamo le Sehopotso sa Tšisinyeho ea Lefatše

by Siddharth Bathla

Client: Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority

Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award Winner in Ka Hare Category

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The Design

About Smritivan Musiamo le Sehopotso sa Tšisinyeho ea Lefatše

Smritivan ke musiamo le sehopotso sa tšisinyeho ea lefatše se fumanehang thabeng ea Bhujio Dungar e Bhuj, Gujarat, India. Musiamo ona o akaretsa libaka tsa ka hare le tsa ka ntle tse limithara tse sekwere tse 9200, tse hlophisitsoeng ka li-block tse supileng tsa lihlooho le li-gallery tse 27. Lipontšo li hopotsa batho ka tšisinyeho ea lefatše ea 2001 ka lipale tsa botho, lisebelisoa tsa polokelo ea litaba le litaba tsa saense. Litsebi tsa mesebetsi ea matsoho tsa lehae li ile tsa kopanela ho theheng mesebetsi ea bonono, 'me masela a lohiloeng a kopantsoe le tšepe e tšoarellang. Ho boetse ho kenyelelitsoe se-simulator se seholo sa tšisinyeho ea lefatše le litlotliso tsa dijithale ho mahlatsipa. Sehlooho se bohareng sa moralo ke matla a batho a ho mamella.

The Recognition

About the Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award

Smritivan Musiamo le Sehopotso sa Tšisinyeho ea Lefatše ke mohapi oa Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award, kananelo e hlomphehang haholo e fuoang meralo e phahameng ka ho fetesisa, e ntle le e tsosang maikutlo. Bahapi ba Silevera ke mesebetsi e khanyang haholo le e nang le boqapi bo ikhethang e bontšang botsebi, talenta le bohlale ba baqapi ba eona. Smritivan Musiamo le Sehopotso sa Tšisinyeho ea Lefatše e lebelletsoe ho ba mosebetsi o motle, oa mohlala, o nang le boprofeshenale bo bonahalang le mehopolo e mecha e tebileng. Moralo ona o hapileng Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award ke mohopolo o hlokomelehang haholo le o ratoang o tlisang molemo mme o sutumelletsang meeli ea bonono, mahlale, moralo le theknoloji. Smritivan Musiamo le Sehopotso sa Tšisinyeho ea Lefatše ke mosebetsi oo batho ba bangata ba o lakatsang, o tsosang litakatso, o tlisang maikutlo a matle le o tsosetsang ho makala le ho hlolla.

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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