The Conflictorium, Museum of Conflict
In an increasingly polarized world, existing in binaries, where conscious division on the basis of identity has become the norm, the Conflictorium stands for the in-between, beyond the black and white, where the shades of grey are acknowledged and celebrated for the cause of peace. In doing so, we at the Conflictorium envision ourselves as a medium that helps build bridges creatively; highlighting how social change is possible through innovation.
Through this, we aim to:
- Contemporize the discourse on conflict by promoting acceptance of conflict as necessary to human refinement and promoting dialogue on contentious issues.
- Be a resource centre on ‘peace and conflict’ using art, law, culture and the behavioral sciences in an integrated way.
- Add existing knowledge on conflict and build new paradigms, while giving space to expression of innate feelings.
- Collaborate with all actors to reduce violent tension and to find creative community-led solutions to conflict.
- Build a case for informed policy which allows for community expression through artistic and cultural practice.
- Support vulnerable groups to set up a ‘Conflictorium’ in their own spaces, so that violence is reduced and differences are celebrated.
- Build an interdisciplinary team of young, creative and diverse professionals who want to make a difference to themselves and to others.
- Start making a difference from where we are located. The centre-periphery tensions need to be nurtured.
- Create a Co-laboratory where people and institutions who want to invest in peace and creative tension are welcome.
Through the course of the year the study group (working in both the Ahmedabad and Raipur chapters of the Conflictorium) undertook a series of intra-team workshops to address needs for organisational consciousness building along with skill and capacity development. In addition, (in the interest of building a basis of shared creative and cultural experiences across two cities), the team made a collective trip to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2023 - an international exhibition of contemporary art held in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and also the International Theater Festival of Kerala. As an independent museum, the Conflictorium has to consistently navigate the complexities of attracting, sustaining and creating funds that support the museum’s work. This involves various levels of communication with stakeholders, audiences and supporters. In the last half of the year, the team dedicated its energies to collective research on the infrastructures of fundraising, and workshopping strategies for sustainability into the future.
Conflictorium Study group members
Gargi Verma research and programming (Conflictorium Raipur), Samiksha Purohit museum manager(Conflictorium Raipur), Kamini Nag housekeeping (Conflictorium Raipur), Aayush Chandrawanshi project anchor and curator (Conflictorium Raipur), Nayan Rathod museum manager (Conflictorium Ahmedabad), Pravin Soya support staff (Conflictorium Ahmedabad), Ranjeeta Dhosiya housekeeping (Conflictorium Ahmedabad), V divakar curator (Conflictorium Ahmedabad), abhishek kukreja critical thinking educator (Conflictorium Ahmedabad), Akash Dutt, public programming and documentation (Conflictorium Ahmedabad), Vaidehi sadiwala, visual communication, jignesh gajjar technical consultant, jayant Christian technical consultant, ysk prerana artistic director, Avni Sethi and Dhananjay Sinha
● About
● Study Groups
○ Arna Jharna Thar Desert Museum
○ The Conflictorium
○ Mutare Museum
○ MajiMaji Museum
○ Acervo de Laje
○ Museu Mafalala
○ Exchanges 2023
○ Musée National de Guinée
○ National Museums of Kenya
○ Steve Biko Centre
○ Uganda Museum
○ Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art
○ Musée Théodore Monod
○ Exchanges 2021-2
● Resources
○ The experimental / colonial museum
○ Dialogues
○ MFA publication 2022
○ Curriculum 2023
○ Curriculum 2021
○ Notes toward a proposal
● Contact
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MuseumFutures is supported by the Goethe-Institut