City Museum Kathmandu: a Tale of Two Cities
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www.fridayweekly.com.np Every Thursday | ISSUE 203 | RS. 20 SUBSCRIBER COPY | ISSN 2091-1092 15 JANUARY 2014 ! df3 @)&) 9 772091 109009 www.facebook.com/fridayweekly City Museum Kathmandu: A tale of two cities A new city museum is all set to open its doors to a culturally significant yet uniquely disorienting coming together of two distinct Kathmandus. Continued on page 2 The Gallery At a glance getstarted I walk four flights of stairs start off with our picks in a tall, new minimalist What The City Museum Kathmandu building in DurbarMarg When Mid January 2014 to get to The Gallery. It is an open expanse dedicated Where Sara Building, Durbar Marg City Museum Kathmandu: to events, documentary screenings, exhibitions and A tale of two cities the like. “We needed a place people. One way of looking at standing leading toward to where artists, be it local or the pictures is as a metaphor the exit. The overwhelming Anubhuti Poudyal international, are comfortable for the love people have for sense of what once was will sharing their work,” says Kathmandu. “We wanted to surely fill visitors’ minds. stand in The City the place, Kashish Das Kashish. The gallery will use build something permanent, “That kind of is the whole Museum Kathmandu Shrestha, standing next to light wooden partitions that a place people could come idea of the place. We want (CMK) looking outside me enjoying the view. His are easy to dismantle and to whenever they wanted to people to feel their presence, its window into the heavy easy profile and enthusiastic use in customized ways for be reminded of all that the absorb the pictures,” says expanse of the city we description of the place grabs numerous purposes. city is. Nothing in the future Kashish. call home. The roads my attention immediately. From the washroom for happens in a vacuum. It is Iand shops of DurbarMarg The place deserves it; well differently-abled people to the impossible to know the future The Fig Café & The City look very different from my before opening to the public, it glass (yes, glass!) floor right without all that is the past,” Museum Shop perch in this tall, modern already has a character that is outside the gallery, this place says Kashish. Below this floor is a spacious building. But it is the view difficult to ignore. has a novelty that accentuates Opposite the gallery is room that is taking shape of the mountains through “A city doesn’t belong the founder’s thought process a the space that is the City as the café. The first thing I the opposite window that to everyone. But everyone and obvious effort that has Museum. We enter a room notice is the warm light of catches my eyes. The blend belongs to the city,” says been put into creating it. where 12000 bricks are neatly a winter afternoon. “We’ve of nature and culture that Kashish. “You do know The effort comes from arranged over what was named it the Fig Café because we proudly call Kathmandu I will use that line in the Kashish’s connection to this obviously a concrete floor. it’s so close to this large tree,” is well represented through article,” I say. “I know!” says idea and the reasons behind Portable wooden partitions says Kashish, pointing to fig this window. I have the Kashish, laughing easily at the him doing it. “I am a fourth lend it the distinct and tree that’s within reach from Founder and Director of thought. generation photographer. My disorienting feel of walking the tables. When complete, grandfathers were the first on an old brick strewn alley the area with its bar stool- ones to bring postcards into in Kathmandy Valley. This like, solid wooden chairs, and the country. It took a while for sense of disorientation is simple interiors, will be the me to take up photography. oddly important to the central perfect refuge for the city- I wrote, covered concerts idea of this museum. It is the weary culture enthusiast to around Kathmandu and then contrast between the past take a break. The coffee, like all went on to documentary and the present, the old and the details Kashish has worked photography. It came quite the new, our heritage and our on, has been carefully chosen. naturally to me,” he says. culture that is most exciting Lekali Coffee is a locally “We wanted to organize and disturbing, at the same produced brand that is gaining a photo exhibition with time, about this fresh idea of a popularity in the capital. pictures of my grandfather. city museum. The space alongside the It was like a tribute to his The brick lanes remind me café and a private office, will 50 years of photography. of Kathmandu’s older streets, have a Nepali handicraft He was reluctant at first and as it should. The bricks come shop - The City Museum looked for all the reasons from demolished old homes. Shop. Companies like Crafted not to do it but later agreed. “Kathmandu is a city built in Kathmandu, Kaligarh and Unfortunately, he passed on bricks and wood. Both of Deva’s Arts, that represent away suddenly.” This sudden them destroy the environment the best of Nepali handicraft, loss added to Kashish’s too. The Kathmandu of the are some of the people CMK determination to have this future has to be different will work with. There are idea see the light of day and from the past. But then again, also plans to make their own continue the legacy of his cities always change. They merchandise. family’s work. die and are born again. If As we near the end of “All I got was a box full cities can get their second, my exclusive tour, Kashish of pictures. I archived and third or fourth lives, why and I get talking about the labeled them and in 2007 we can’t the bricks? These bricks cities that have inspired him; had our exhibition - Moment are a literal exhibition of old places like Inaruwa, New in Time. The idea for The Kathmandu,” says Kashish. York and Kathmandu. It City Museum was conceived We then enter an open space is cities he talks about and then.” - a bahal which opens onto bricks he takes as more than the ‘new’ Kathmandu as it just the literal building blocks The City Museum stretches laizuly outside the of a city. At the end of the Kathmandu window. The feeling is of interview I ask him one last After the overwhelming looking at the present from question – tell me something response to the exhibition, the past. about a city. ! Kashish realized how intimate Pictures of older Website – www.thecitymuseum.org the connection was between Kathmandu will light up a Twitter - @thecitymuseum Facebook – www.facebook.com/ these pictures and the Nepali completely darkened passage citymuseumkathmandu one question page3 make your statement What do you like about Winter? The best thing about winter for me Well, not everyone likes winter, especially with the biting cold, cracked lips and red noses that is that I create a lot of music during accompany it. But somehow, the season still brings out the child in an adult. Even its biggest hater the season. Maybe because its cold and I prefer sitting inside the house probably has a tiny soft spot for it. Here, we ask a few celebs what they like best about winter. all the time, I get a lot of space and peace to create some magic. The Ashmita Rijal season brings out the spontaneity in I hate winter, there is nothing to like me and also makes me sentimental, about it. People become lazy and it’s as a result of which, I always end up always cold, making it harder to work composing a new song. in such conditions. But even with all Extremely talented and highly educated, the drawbacks there is still one thing Lochan Rijal masters in the field positive about it. Winter helps digest of ethnomusicology, and has travelled whatever you eat. This is the only time far and wide in the country to acquire of the year when you can eat anything the kind of in-depth knowledge on the you want and not fear indigestion or subject that he possesses today. Despite any other stomach problem. facing the type of difficult situations that Asif Shah plays many roles; directing, would’ve driven many to the edge, Rijal singing, producing, program presenting has always held on to his passion with an and acting are among a few of them. As estimable grace, refusing to let difficult a prolific performer, he says singing is just times push him off his chosen path. a hobby whereas direction is his forte. I love winter in every way. It’s the See, I love wearing boots, coats, season where people come closer. jackets and all that fancy clothing, but The best thing about it is that we can how often do I get to wear them? sit in front of a bonfire and enjoy the Only for a couple of months a year, evening with friends and family. I love when it’s winter time. So the best fire as an element, its brightness and thing about winter for me is that I warmth, and winter brings me closer get to wear my favorite outfits and to it. look fashionable in them. The season Jharana Bajracharya, the first ever is of bright colors, the only time you participant to represent Nepal in the can see people experimenting with Miss World contest in 1997 is a much colors and clothes.