Announcing the launch of Future Relics, an interactive installation that takes participants on a shared journey, connecting the past with the present whilst looking to the future, Google Arts and Culture unveiled its first lab experiment in India on Friday.
Part of the landmark "India and the World: A History in Nine Stories," exhibition that opened at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) on Friday, the Future Relics project blends ancient craft and modern technology to build relics for the future.
As visitors navigate the museum and come across the Future Relics installation, they will be asked to react to the question: "What object would you like archaeologists 1,000 years from now to remember our present day culture by?" Responding directly to India and the World's exploration of pots as story-telling objects, the Future Relics installation will invite audiences to pause and consider their own lives and stories within the context of the global histories presented by India and the World.
Speaking at the launch, Freya Murray, Programme Manager and Creative Lead, Google Cultural Institute Lab said: "Google Art and Culture brings cultural treasures of the world to the fingertips of art enthusiasts and culturally curious people. With our first-ever cultural lab experiment in India, we want to craft new bridges between technology and culture whilst giving audiences a new perspective of archeology in the digital age. We hope that visitors will enjoy interacting with Future Relics and becoming a part of a time capsule that will capture, as a growing landscape of pots, the most popular objects reflecting our lives today."
The contributions of visitors will provide future generations glimpses into the lives and stories of people who lived in the present day, just as the artefacts of the museum give a glimpse of those who lived and ruled in the first cities of India. From thousands of contributions, a collection of artifacts will be created digitally and at the end of the three-month-long exhibition, a special physical collection of 3D printed clay vases will be designed based on visitors' most popular contributions.
The Future Relics project was developed at the Google Cultural Institute Lab, which brings artists and engineers together to explore new ways to experience art and experiment with art and technology. The Lab is part of Google Arts and Culture, a new immersive way to experience art, history, culture and wonders of the world.