Important Questions to Answer
1. Abandoned and Probable/Parallel futures? or Abandoned Past and Future dreams ? Parallel and Probable Indias ?
Having the word abandoned past makes it seem like a history museum. Calling Abandoned futures brings a feeling of what could have been today but with some negative feeling. Calling it Probable India gives it a simple direction of what if and what could be without much associated negativity. Museum of Probable Indias ? Museum of Social Futures ?
2. How much we want to deal with past ? At what point it becomes a history museum ?
The museum deals with past only to make you wonder about the turning points and question the present. It doesn't want to delve too deep into the artifacts. Its motive is not show the victors or failures of history but the project the possible victors of history, not to establish or break the status quo but provide a side line alternate story.
3. What is probable futures ? and What is Parallel presents
Parallel presents are the realities in which you could be living today if certain points of history played out differently, in a way these are the narratives of an India with a slightly different scenarios. examples what if the Narmada Dam was not built ? or What if there was no chipkoo movement ? How these things would affect the current life.
Probable futures are projecting into different futures taking present and near present scenarios and giving multiple trajectories from this point. In a way both part do the same but one takes the starting point in history and one is contemporary.
4. What kind of futures ? social , technological or community?
We want to avoid futures of purely technological and scientific natures, It should concern more with how current situations ( policies, natural conditions,politics and also new technology) would shape upcoming social dynamics. It can have elements of economics, environmental and technological aspects to it but primarily the museum deals with the communities.
5. What are abandoned dreams/futures ? Why where they abandoned ? How they impact us today ? How would they connect to us ?
Abandoned dreams/futures are the plans,movements or imaginations which got left behind in history due to some circumstances. They Impact us by giving way to the things which replaced them. Knowing why they were abandoned would allow us to understand maybe there failing points. Knowing how they would have been if successful would allow us to make better judgements for our future.
6. Do we create narratives of our own ? or just put the proposals ?
As a museum creating and creating our own narratives would make us into an Institution with authority which kills the point of social dreaming. It would make more sense if the museum can propose a theme or a framework for a curation and then the narratives are built by the participants and the community. ( what ) Then it asks the question who are the participants ?
7. Would people be interested in whats not there right now ? Why exactly ?
As long as it doesn't saturate people with what good is not there. Everyone knows they don't have flying cars and would always be nice to have it. Also there are political parties for the discussions. THIS IS AN ASSUMPTION HERE, It would be interesting for viewers maybe to what multiple narratives would emerge from a single point of history , maybe each with its own shortcomings or advantages. Dystopia vs Utopia discussion should be maybe more appropriate for the part of museum which deals with the future.
Why would it be exciting to people ? Thats something which
8. Whose point of view we are dealing with ? Do we try to be Idealist or accept our shortcomings ? Deal with the universal humanity ? nature ?
The museum cant deal with everyones point of view at the same time.Serving a universal message would work but may dilute its impact as no would be able to connect with different people. A social museum should also try to accept our short comings and not avoid them.
9. Does the museum suggest an ideal future ?
The museum doesn't and should not take a stance on whats ideal, It shows what we should expect, both good and bad parts of it.
10. What museum does to different points of views ?
Show them next to each other ? Take turns ?
11. Is the collection permanent ? or It has parallel curations ?
The museum cannot have permanent collections as the future is not permanent,its always changing. The museum can use the concept of infinite expansion , The museum’s collection could be dynamic and changing but still should allow people to experience futures from past as the collection changes
