Since the pandemic struck, the cultural landscape has been highly digitised and a variety of strategies have been utilised to migrate from the physical to the virtual. Social media, online resources, softwares have become integral to curate online experiences. Bhanu Ghalot is the Project Head of Un.Divided Identities, ReReeti Foundation and she discusses the role of digital exhibitions in museums. She also takes us through the immersive exhibition "Un.Divided Identities: Lesser-known stories of the Partition" and addresses the role of cultural exchange, oral histories, storytelling, and curation through a critical lens in contemporary times, focusing on South Asia.

Here are five key takeaways from the talk: 

1. Audience experience in physical and virtual exhibitions - The physical space is defined by curators visualising and gauging the audience’s engagement and involvement. It focuses on what aspects of the exhibitions stand out and create a community oriented experience. A physical space also allows for a predefined linear narrative and deeper observation of the intricacies of the object. The virtual space provides a boundless space wherein the audience experience is solo. It enables the individual to be involved in decision making and uncover the space in a non-defined manner, which crafts a unique experience. The audience also has flexibility in engaging with the virtual exhibition as well. 

2. Curation of difficult histories - "Un.Divided Identities: Lesser-known stories of the Partition" focuses on maintaining inclusion of all narratives and not siding with one - India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. The narrative cuts across nationalistic discourses and focuses on holism rather than isolation. One cannot sanitise the history of partition and thus, the difficult history which involves questions of identity, trauma, violence, belonging, and builds upon negative self history of violence inflicted by their nation, is a pathway to reconcile with the traumatic past. In such a curation, sensitivity of language, descriptions and trigger warnings play an extremely important role. The non formalised methodology of oral history, however, is a challenge. 

3. Planning and execution of digital exhibitions - In this exhibition, the individual immerses themselves and empathises with the refugees by weaving the story through the decisions they take. Elements like ‘fact files’ enable additional information and contextual underpinnings to be put forth. Softwares and online resources like Miro enable curators to effortlessly plan and execute the content. ReReeti’s focus on picking nuances from oral history help ensure authenticity and thus, made it an integral aspect of the curation.

4. Involvement of young population - The history and after effects of partition run through every individual who were affected by it, and their progeny. This exhibition actively strives to engage with the young population to ensure that the history does not fade away. It is a history that must not be silenced and sent into quietus. ReReeti’s team itself consisted of young individuals who built the exhibition in a manner that would provide a holistic experience. The foundation conducted Oral History Workshops at schools and used the resource material gathered in the curation of the exhibition itself. Teacher’s toolkit, lesson plans and partition centric resources have helped the teacher’s impart a transnational understanding of the partition while exploring the politics of personal and collective identity.

5. Digital museum as an alternative space - Digital spaces have become a creative binary space that brings museums to people and people actively reach out to it. In the South Asian context, it must be treated as an alternative space, not within the physical space of the internet. A constructivist space is provided to the cultural landscape for negotiation of voices and a continuation of the South Asian narrative.

Digitization and virtual engagement is a harbinger of opportunities and challenges. Through inclusive curatorial efforts, audience engagement with one’s past can be initiated, in virtual spaces too. Curation of difficult histories in a digital arena, which seeks creative outlets of storytelling and dialogues, is a pathway to acknowledge the past, its present reverberations and its future.