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Studying the Dialectics of Hindu Deities Displayed in the Museum Through Artworks and Their Exhibition Me

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Studying the Dialectics of Hindu Deities Displayed in the Museum Through Artworks and Their Exhibition Me From Shrine to Plinth: Studying the Dialectics of Hindu Deities Displayed in the Museum through Artworks and their Exhibition Megha Rajguru A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Brighton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2010 University of Brighton From Shrine to Plinth: Studying the Dialectics of Hindu Deities Displayed in the Museum through Artworks and their Exhibition Megha Rajguru 2010 University of Brighton ii ABSTRACT In this practice-based research I am comparing the metaphysics of the Hindu temple and the museum, and studying the role of the Hindu deity in these two contrasting settings through my artworks. By exhibiting them in a multi-sensory, and meditative environment created in the museum building, I invite the visitor to physically engage with my artworks and consciously experience the tensions between the religious and secular identities of the deity. The collection and display of Hindu deities in museums in the UK from the Enlightenment till the present day convey their anthropological and iconographic significance. The role of the museum has been established as one that educates the public, conserves, displays, and stores artefacts for future generations. Hindus believe in the cyclical nature of time in which creation and destruction are followed by renewed creation. Such a belief contrasts with the practice of conservation and preservation in the museum, within which the natural cycle of artefacts is arrested. Worshippers have a close relationship with their deities. They bathe, anoint, decorate them, and perform rituals that celebrate the survival of the soul over the inevitable cycle of life and death. Hence, the deity’s shift from the multi-sensory temple environment into the ocular-centric museum is a reflection of its role as a living embodiment of divinity in the temple and as a visual signifier of culture and history in the museum. However, its true interpretation in the secular context is problematic as the focus is on its material existence which is of secondary importance in its religious context. The creation and exhibition of a series of interactive ritualistic artworks for the museum visitor is at the core of this thesis. In video, Ganesh, circa 1900 one of several practice-centred elements of my research, I record and present the dissolution of Ganesh in an upturned vitrine. I directly refer to the Hindu ritual of worship and immersion of the deity but use the glass case as a container of the narrative. Kinetic Shiva is an interactive installation inviting the visitor to perform a mechanised ritual act of circumambulation in an archetypal sacred space. Through Tactile Ganesh, I encourage the audience to touch, feel and explore the form of Ganesh, whereas in video Gods in Storage, I stage the slow deterioration of an idol in a museum store. I explore the three-way relationship between the physical space (temple and museum), the idol, and the individual (worshipper and museum visitor) through my artworks and their exhibition. I simultaneously reveal the gradual erosion of the deity as a result of these ritualistic interactions. This research explores the use of multiple senses in experiencing the artworks in their exhibition space, and offers a fresh way of interpreting the Hindu idol. Methods employed in making the work, the ritualistic actions of the audience, and the resulting changes occurring in the artworks, critically address conservation and interpretation of the museum artefact. This research reveals the potential of artistic intervention in museums that explores ways in which generating performance in the audience can open up new ways of constructing meaning and creating narratives for the manifestation of non-material ideologies. iii CONTENTS List of Illustrations and Sources ..................................................... vii Acknowledgements ........................................................................... xiii Author’s Declaration .......................................................................... xiv Chapter 1 Introduction: Research Aims, Methods and Contextual Review ..............................................15 1. Introduction .........15 2. The Catalytic Role of my Artworks and their Exhibition .........18 3. Research Aims ........22 4. Research Methodology ........23 4.1. Methodological Assumptions .......23 4.2. Research Methods .......25 4.3. Research Methodology ..........31 5. Contextual Review ............34 5.1. Literature Review .......... 35 5.2. Review of Doctoral Research ................. 49 5.3. Art Review ........... 57 6. Structure of the Exegesis ............... 71 Chapter 2 Religious and Secular Belief Systems: A Comparative Study ...................................................... 73 1. Introduction ......... 74 2. Idols as Gods .......... 75 2.1. Creation of Divine Images ........ 79 2.2. ‘Darshan’: Communion with God ....... 81 3. Temple and Museum Building ........ 84 3.1. Temple Layout ......... 86 3.2. Museum Metaphysics .......... 88 3.3. Ritualistic Movement and Sacred Geometry . 96 3.4. The Post-Modern Museum ........ 100 4. The Museum and Temple Effect .......... 101 5. Hindu Rituals in Museums and the Exhibition of Living Traditions ........ 104 6. The Hindu Idol within Material Culture ........ 110 iv 7. Western Attitudes Towards Hindu Gods and Goddesses ........... 112 7.1. Early Western Attitudes ............ 112 7.2. Collectors of Hindu Idols ............ 115 7.3. From ‘Monstrosity’ to ‘Finest Sculptural Art’.116 8. Aesthetic Perception ......... 118 8.1. Western Aesthetic Perception .......... 118 8.2. Indian Experience of Beauty ............ 122 9. Idols as Agents ............ 124 10. Conclusion ............ 126 Chapter 3 “Kinetic Shiva” and Ritual .................................. 128 1. Introduction ........ 129 2. “Kinetic Shiva” ......... 133 2.1. Aims of the Artwork .......... 133 2.2. The Construction ............ 133 2.3. Ritualistic Behaviour ............ 139 2.4. Cue for Performance .......... 149 2.5. Kinetic Art .......... 153 3. Ritual ........... 156 4. Conclusion ........... 160 Chapter 4 “Ganesh, circa 1900” .............................................162 1. Introduction .......... 163 2. “Ganesh, circa 1900” ........... 165 2.1. Aims ......... 165 2.2. Making Ganesh for the Video .......... 167 2.3. Recording Dissolution .......... 168 2.4. The Soundtrack ........... 177 2.5. Performance in the Act of Immersion ........ 180 2.6. The Date: ‘circa 1900’ ........... 180 3. Ganesh and his Cultural Significance ........... 182 3.1. Ganesh Festival and the Ritual of Immersion ........... 184 4. Museum Exhibition and Conservation ........... 189 4.1. The Vitrine ............ 191 5. Conclusion ............ 195 v Chapter 5 Gods in Museum Storage and their Conservation ................................................................... 197 1. Introduction .......... 198 2. “Gods in Storage”........... 200 2.1. Aims ........... 200 2.2. The Concept ............ 201 3. Living Gods as Specimens .......... 209 3.1. Preserving Gods .......... 211 4. Access versus Conservation ......... 219 5. Conclusion ......... 224 Chapter 6 The Material and the Spiritual: Tactile God ....................................................................... 226 1. Introduction .......... 227 2. “Tactile Ganesh” ........... 230 2.1. Aims .......... 230 2.2. Construction and Transformation of the Form ....... 231 3. Museum Experience: To Look or Touch ......... 241 3.1. Touch in the Post-Modern Museum .......... 241 3.2. Hierarchy of the Senses .......... 243 3.3. Religious Object-Handling Workshops ........ 246 3.4. Human Senses and their Role in Experience ............ 249 4. Museum Interactives - a Debate .......... 253 5. Of the Material and the Spiritual ........... 257 6. Conclusion .......... 262 Chapter 7 “From Shrine to Plinth” Exhibition at the Croydon Clocktower ................................................. 264 1. Introduction .......... 265 2. Aims of the Exhibition .......... 268 3. Exhibition Contexts ............ 269 4. Exhibition Design and Interpretation .......... 271 4.1. The Logo ............ 271 4.2. Exhibition Design ........... 273 4.3. Interpretation ............. 285 5. Liminal Zones ............ 288 5.1. Exhibition Experience ......... 289 vi 6. Interactive or Immersive? ............ 293 7. Visitor Response and Feedback .......... 295 8. Conclusion ........... 307 Chapter 8 Conclusion ................................................................... 309 1. Curatorial Intervention .......... 309 2. Reviewing the ‘Lacuna’ in the Study of Hindu Deities ........... 311 3. Reflective Analysis of Research Methods and Methodology ................ 312 4. The Extent of My Artworks ........... 315 5. Exhibiting Numinosity ............. 319 6. Future Developments .............. 320 Glossary of Sanskrit Terms ...................................................... 322 Bibliography ....................................................... 325 Appendix I ....................................................... 342 Exhibition Interpretation Appendix II ....................................................... 349 Visitors’ Comments Appendix III ....................................................... 353 Studies Gods in the Museum Fragile Object Behind vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND SOURCES (excludes photographs taken by the author) Fig. 1.15. “Norfolk House Music Room British Galleries, the V&A Museum.” (2007) 20 February 2010. < http://www.vam.ac.uk > Photograph:
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