KOCHI: The Rs 2.37 crore modernisation of the Hill Palace Museum undertaken with assistance from the Central Government has signaled an important shift in the palace’s significance away from being just an antiquated structure housing old artifacts. With the transformation, the museum will now narrate vignettes and the significant contribution made by the former royal family of Kochi to the city’s socio-cultural milieu.
“Museums are not dead spaces. There is a constant need for make over. We have moved away from object-based museums. The relevance of the object or relic is important in building a narrative and needs to be represented. We also gave more focus to the significance of the site and place as well,” says Venu.
The extensively detailed wall texts peppered with corresponding relics and heirlooms give a chronicled account of the erstwhile kingdom. A completely new section depicting the architectural grandeur of the palace with its traditional Kerala, Dutch baroque and British design influences finds prominent display with the aid of audio-visual guides while another section catalogues the biodiversity in the vicinity. The last wing of the display collection has again seen a complete overhaul with wooden models of temples across the state on exhibit along with information on cultural and performing artforms and festivals specific to Kochi.
“The project has been planned in two phases, we have completed the first phase in the main north wing where the display has seen a significant change. The second phase which is yet to be fully sanctioned will comprise standalone artifacts and archaeological relics. While the first phase remodeling focuses on history and culture, the second phase will be archaeological,” said Prasanna Varma who helmed the curatorial narrative for the project.