The Origins of Cultural Computing: N-Dimensional Art and a Pioneering Vision for the Museum of the Future

Authors

  • Ranjith Makkuni Director Sacred World Research Laboratory New Delhi

Keywords:

Cultural Informatics, Heritage Informatics, Virtual Museum, Archives, Arts, Music, Gita-Govinda.

Abstract

Ranjit Makkuni, a musician, song writer, artist, multimedia researcher, and multiple award winning international designer, in the mid-1980s and 1990s, envisioned and implemented one of the world’s first applications of multimedia computing towards the capture and dissemination of cultural expertise. As early as 1987-89, Ranjit researched and invented one of the world’s first or earliest multimedia based learning installation, which had been presented as an Electronic Sketch Book of Tibetan Thangka Painting at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Indian Cultural Czarina Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan visited the Thangka exhibition in San Francisco and invited Ranjit to propose visions for a multimedia exhibition on the Gita-Govinda.

This article originally written in the 1990s is a reproduction of Ranjit’s seminal article envisioning the museum of the future, allowing audiences to explore multiple dimensions of cultural art and practice. The article not only presented visions of the future way back then in the 1980s and 90s, but concretely allowed an art institution, such as IGNCA, to benefit from Ranjit’s visions and obtain support to conduct long term research in multimedia documentation.

Author Biography

  • Ranjith Makkuni, Director Sacred World Research Laboratory New Delhi

    Ranjit Makkuni  is presently the Director of the Sacred World Research Laboratory where he leads research in culturally reflective computing and design. Prior to this, Makkuni spent nearly two decades at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), where he pioneered multimedia computing interfaces and learning applications. Has authored numerous books and monographs including; Banaras: The Crossing Project: Living, Dying and Transformation in Banaras, Eternal Gandhi: Design of the Multimedia Museum, Goddess and Music etc and has numerous presentations and demonstrations on dissemination of culture using multimedia technology and virtual reality applications to expert audiences worldwide. He developed pioneering museums and applications on: The Crossing project: Living, Dying and Transformation in Banaras, The Eternal Gandhi multimedia museum, the world’s first walk-in health dictionary in the Planet Health museum: Ayurveda, Yoga and Green consciousness, and The Goddess and Music, His areas of interest are exploring new forms of dissemination of culture to preserve, disseminate, and re-interpret the world’s cultures and traditional knowledge; using informatics and narrowing the digital divide.

References

Amold, E (1875). Jayaadeva, Son of Dhojadeva. The Indian Song of Songs. From the Sanskrit of the Gita-Govinda of Jayadeva with Other Oriental Poems. Trubner, London

Archer, W.G (1958). Kangra Paintings of the Gita-Govinda Lalit Kala Academy.

Bulletin of the International Council for Traditional Music. (1994). No.LXXXIV. Department of Music Columbia University, New York. Available at https://ictmusic.org/sites/default/files/documents/bulletins/084%20ICTM%20Bulletin%20(Apr%2094)-sm.pdf

Goswamy, B N (1985). Essence of Indian Art. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco.

Makkuni, R (1989). The Electronic Sketch Book of Tibetan Thangka Painting, In: Visual Computer, 5 (4) pp. 227-242.

Makkuni, R (1994). The Museum of the Future, N-Dimensional Art: Project Gita-Govinda. In: Saraswati, Et al. Art, the integral vision: a volume of essay in felicitation of Kapila Vatsyayan. New Delhi, DK Printworld, 994..

Makkuni, Ranjit (2022). Creative Spirituality, Technology, Culture and Design. 2020-2022. (Personal Website).Developed at: Sacred World Research/Design Lab. www.ranjitmakkuni.world. Accessed on 24.03.2022

Makkuni, R (1994). On Gita-Govinda Project. Bulletin of the International Council for Traditional Music, April 1994

Miller, Barbara Stoler, Tr. and Ed (1977) The Gita-Govinda of Jayadeva: Love Song of the Dark Lord. New Delhi, Motilal Banarsi Das.

Mukerji, Amit (2015). Kangra Paintings of the Gita-Govinda: Mohindar Singh Randhawa and Jayadeva. https://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/randhawa-1958-kangra-paintings-of.html

Randhawa, M S (1963). Kangra Paintings of the Gita-Govinda. New Delhi, National Museum.

Randhawa, Mohindar Singh; Jayadeva; W.G. Archer (1958). Kangra Paintings of the Gita-Govinda Lalit Kala Academy. Available at: https://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/randhawa-1958-kangra-paintings-of.html

Saraswati, B.N., Malik, S.C., Khanna, M (1994). Art, the Integral Vision: A Volume of Essay in Felicitation of Kapila Vatsyayan DK Printworld, New Delhi.

Siegel, L (1978). Sacred and Profane Dimensions of Love in Indian Tradition as Exemplified in the Gita-Govinda of Jayadeva. Delhi, Oxford University Press.

Vatsyayan, K (1987). Mewari Gita-Govinda, National Museum, New Delhi.

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Published

2022-05-25

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2022): Heritage Informatics

Section

Articles

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