Anjani Kumar Singh, ex-Chief Secretary of Bihar, Rahul Gore of Opolis Architects, Batul Raaj Mehta, representing Lord’s Cultural Associates,and Anthony Lopez, Lopez Design spoke about their experiences at a panel discussion about The Making of the Bihar Museum at the opening session of the Bihar Museum Biennale on March 23rd, 2021.
On the opening of the Bihar Museum Biennale, the first of its kind in India and the world, and the very first for the pathbreaking Bihar Museum, we had the opportunity to witness how a museum is realised. That museums are first dreamt about, then visualized, and finally made, are all facts that may well slip into the backdrop. Just making is not enough. Branding Bihar Museum was about creating an identity and a system to spread the word and attract its audience.
The vision of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was cherished, nurtured and brought to fruition by then Chief Secretary, Anjani Kumar Singh, who is currently Advisor to the CM. At the session, Batul Raaj Mehta who represented Lord Cultural Resources, the museum designers and planners key to unfurling the vision from the start, emphasised many times how Anjani-ji and the Bihar Government stayed steadfast to realizing the Museum vision. The secret to this, Anjani ji revealed, was being open and inviting experts to collaborate and give their advice. One mind may be more brilliant than the rest, but five minds together can make it happen, he believes. The other nugget of wisdom we got from the ex-Chief Secretary of Bihar, is that compromise is key and being too idealistic can never bring a plan to fruition.
The architectural plan and design was by Maki and Associates, Japan, partnering with Opolis Architects in India and architect Rahul Gore of Opolis represented them at the panel discussion. For Rahul, the beauty and uniqueness of the Museum design was in its seven courtyards, incorporating many of the large trees in the landscape, and the ‘cloisters’ which are outer pathways letting in natural light. These also were a celebration of the museum’s Indian-ness. Batul of Lord’s spoke about an integrated methodology to museum planning which placed emphasis on visitor engagement and experience. These two creative planners were engaged with a very physical experience of the museum. At Lopez Design, we were entrusted with the branding, which was all about bringing the Museum alive in the minds of people — as a personality. This was about engaging with a soft power, and communications design always has this challenge — to prove that we can actually makes a difference. As Anthony Lopez put it, even if it may be a slight exaggeration, the Government needs to invest as much into propagating the Museum as it has invested into making the museum.
One of the most important points that Shri Anjani brought up was that the Government wanted a prime space to display the culture, history and artefacts of Bihar as the Patna Museum had outlived its time. To be contextual to the changing times is one of the most important prerequisites for a progressive civilization. If we lose our relevance, we lose our standing. Therefore, the building had to be timeless, believed Maki, the Principal of Maki and Associates. With its prime spot on Bailey Road, Patna, they had a central location. Further, says Rahul Gore, "Maki wanted people to enjoy the museum, not just the client and users…” To understand and fully experience the vision of the Government, the museum architects and designers, branding becomes pivotal.
Bihar Museum’s positioning as “a bridge to the past and a portal to the future” places it in a pivotal space. As Shri Anjani concluded, the Museum culture is about reaching out to all other museums — as in this biennale — connecting India to the world. In these days, where virtual engagement and social media networking is central to communications, Anthony Lopez advocates that the Bihar Museum seize the moment and deliver its message through its powerful stories. It is not just about marketing an organisation, reminds Lopez, it’s about character building of an institution by finding its core purpose and acting consistently across all arms and platforms.
Branding is often underestimated,” says Anthony Lopez. “It can create a sense of purpose, spreading the message far and wide.”
Written by Sujatha Shankar Kumar
Layout by Ajay Sharma
Images by Lopez Design & Opolis Architects
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