Museums, art spaces remind people of togetherness: Scholars at Spice Routes Conference

Kochi, Jan 7 (PTI) Museums and art galleries are more than spaces to display objects and installations, as they serve as cultural hubs that share stories of togetherness and interdependence, scholars and art practitioners said at a session during the International Spice Routes Conference here on Wednesday.

Opening the conversation on 'Aesthetics and Experiences--Museums in the region', Dr Manal Ataya, Advisor, Sharjah Museums Authority, said objects and documents in museums tell people about intercultural engagements and communicate complex ideas in a lucid fashion.

On the significance of revisiting the Spice Route as a shared legacy, Ataya said spices had been powerful inter-cultural connectors and not merely commodities to be carried along trade corridors.

The global spice trade moved merchants, scholars and shipbuilders in a world that was largely borderless.

Spice trade did not merely exchange goods but also interconnected the world and saw the movement of language, ideas, skills and technologies across borders, Ataya noted.

Noted multi-media artist and curator Riyas Komu said at a time when artists are forced to speak about freedom, Kochi has huge potential to emerge as a 'contemplative art site.' As a site, Kochi can be a metaphor for new imaginations, one of the best places for reconciliation, celebrating diversity, empowering community pride and triggering cultural economy.

Robert Carter, Qatar Museum, in an online presentation, said global trade in the past not only accelerated commerce but also augmented production, a process in which different cultures including Indian trading communities, were involved.

Prof James Onley, American University of Sharjah, anchored the session.

The three-day International Spice Routes Conference, which opened on Tuesday, is packed with engaging conversations on a range of topics.

Meanwhile, the 'Aazhi' art exhibition, showcasing the cultural heritage and maritime saga of Kerala through India's ancient port of Muziris, is attracting significant public attention.

This contemporary exhibition is being organised in collaboration with Azhi Archives Art Projects, the Kerala Archaeological Department, and Muziris Projects Limited.

Additional exhibits feature topics such as Chavittunatakam, Pravasi Jeevitham, and Syrian Christian life in Kerala, held at the Bolgatty Convention Centre. PTI TGB TGB ADB