Egyptian mummies have always been a secret fascination for children and adults worldwide. Now locals in Mumbai will get to travel back in time to the land of the Pharaohs and witness a grand revival of the Egyptian civilization in their very own neighborhood museum. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai (also known as the Prince of Wales Museum) along with the British Museum in London is hosting the exhibition of Mummy: The Inside Story between November 21, 2012 and March 24, 2013.

The exhibition includes many exciting workshops and events for children. One of the main attractions of the exhibition is the 3D film on the 3000-year-old mummy of an Egyptian temple priest, Nesperenub. All the exhibits have been specially brought in from the British Museum to showcase Egypt’s rich cultural history to Mumbai denizens.

The 20-minute 3D film unravels the mysteries of the Egyptian mummies by conducting a virtual unwrapping of the mummy of Nesperenub using computerized Tomography scanning and X-rays. The film is screened every half-hour from 11 am to 5.30 p.m.

The film that has delighted children of all ages is proving to be an enthralling experience for the adults as well. “Previously, we had to physically unravel a mummy in order to explore it, but with this technology, we can look inside while leaving the mummy intact,” said Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum when he spoke at the inauguration of the exhibition.

The 3D film creates a simulation experience for the audience, where viewers travel inside the body and discover the secrets of the complex mummification process. The film also uncovers some hidden facts about the mummification process such as extraction of the brains through the nose without cutting the skull using metal hooks. In ancient Egypt, a set of jars were used to hold the organs extracted from the body.

Besides Egyptian mummies and their coffins, the exhibition also showcases religious artifacts, idols, and hieroglyph-covered stelae. Special tours are conducted on Wednesdays for under-privileged children and for the blind. The exhibition’s forensic approach to studying Egypt’s history is a radical experiment by the British Museum.

Mumbai is the place to be within the next two months if one wishes to catch a glimpse of their favorite mummy. “Egyptian mummies have been a subject of intense curiosity around the world, so this exhibition will be very interesting for Mumbai visitors,” says Kumari Selja, a union minister for social justice and empowerment.

Image Courtesy : JohnBurke

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After successful displays and experiments in the cities of New York and Berlin, the BMW Guggenheim Lab, a mobile laboratory with the aim to redesign urban spaces in cities, is now in Mumbai between December 9, 2012 and January 20, 2013. The Mumbai Lab has been set up in collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the BMW group, and the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai. Curated by Maria Nicanor and David van der Leer, the mobile lab has been described as a public gathering space, an urban think-tank, and a global project that aims to build awareness about urban challenges and the sustainable, optimum utilization of city spaces. Led by interdisciplinary teams from the areas of art, design, technology, urbanism, sustainability, and education, the BMW Guggenheim Lab promises an intellectual and visual treat to visitors and participants.

The theme this year is Confronting Comfort where the Lab will delve deeper into the ways and means in which urban environments can be made more conducive for living and promoting sustainable solutions. Free programs have been arranged as part of the Lab’s efforts in Mumbai and these encompass a wide range of activities such as tours, walks, film screenings, discussions, and conceptualizing and rethinking the Kala Nagar traffic junction in Mumbai’s most populous suburb, Bandra.

“The idea of the project is to engage the public in debates and conversations about how cities function. We believe that the conversation and thinking [about] cities will change. We have no clue what cities are about and we need projects to know what cities are about. It’s super important to bring in people who live in cities to bring in new ideas”, says David van der Leer.

To further research and development in urban planning and design, the Lab is also initiating a number of projects that are being conceptualized with the collaboration of Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action, and Research (PUKAR). Besides the main location in the Museum, the Lab has set up many satellite sites all across the city in Priyadarshini Park, Horniman Circle, Sambhaji Park, Byculla, and Mahim Beach. The Lab promises many exciting events and the icing on the cake – it’s all free!

Among the many radical thinkers associated with the Mumbai Lab’s conceptualization, a few deserve special mention – Aisha Dasgupta, a British demographer; Neville Mars, a Dutch architect; Hector Zamora, a Mexican artist; Trupti Vaitla, an architect and urban transport designer.

Mumbai’s fascinating and rich cultural history make it an enriching experience for participants from all over the world. “From the beginning, we were certain that we wanted one venue of the first cycle of the BMW Guggenheim Lab to be in Asia and after careful deliberation, we selected Mumbai. A vibrant, diverse city, with a fascinating and complex history, Mumbai is the most populous city in India and one of the most populous in the world. Together with our local partner, the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, it will be an endlessly rewarding place to explore and create dialogue around a range of urban issues, including access to comfort and culture, environment and social issues,” said Richard Armstrong, director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in a report to The Economic Times.

Image Courtesy : Bmwguggenheimlab

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