[ENG] Museum from home - Skuja Braden exhibition “Samsara” in 3D
At the time when an emergency situation was announced in Latvia and many other countries, cultural institutions were forcibly closed. We understand that the winners are those who are able to adapt and find a solution for not losing contact with their audience remotely.
To support museums while they are not available to visitors, the immersive tech company “Vividly” digitized part of the Skuja Braden personal exhibition “Samsara” at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, and is now available to everyone on the Internet.
Skuja Braden’s personal exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Latvia has not welcomed any visitors since the placement was completed just the day before the state emergency situation was announced. More than two hundred porcelain objects have been exposed in the museum’s exhibition room, and internationally noted Skuja Braden calls it their most important personal exhibition.
Photo: Museum of Decorative arts and Design, Skuja Braden exhibiton “Samsara” central part - the altar.
Using photogrammetry as a method for spatial modeling of reality, 5 sculptures, reproduced in the form of 3D models, were selected from the central part of the exhibition “Samsara”, the altar formed in Buddhism traditions. It's an opportunity to look at sculptures from all sides, gaining a realistic picture of the objects that are in the exhibition.
The altar as a special place of prayer can be found in practically all religions of the world. Inguna Skuja and Melissa Braden are practicing Buddhists. They have chosen to follow The Mahāyāna tradition, the largest major tradition of Buddhism existing today. According to the traditions adopted by the Buddhist Mahāyāna, it is the woman in the family who is primarily responsible for the creation and maintenance of the altar. The altar is intended not only for religious rituals but also for the worship of ancestral spirits. The artists believe that the altar they created is another interpretation of human existence, recalling such fundamental concepts in the life of every individual as honor, compassion, gratitude, and love.
”Monarch” – a vase in the shape of young woman’s head
There are usually five ritual figures in the center of the Buddhist altar. Skuja Braden follows this procedure. At the center of their created altar is placed the main spiritual leader – the Monarch – a vase in the shape of a young woman's head.
Ladies of the court
Next to it, there are two sitting figures of the girls – the Pink and the Blue Lady-in-waiting. Ladies of the court accompany the central figure “Monarch”.
Vanitas vase “King” and “Pagan Princess”
Next to them are two vases in the shape of a human skull. Therefore, the central part of the altar can be generally perceived as vanitas – an allegorical still life, in which these visually expressive vases serve as a reminder of Samsara – the rapid flow of human life and the inevitability of death. The altar of Skuja Braden is a tribute to the spirit of the deceased mother, basing and supporting the artists on their path to spiritual enlightenment and inner wisdom.
“Digital and virtual reality technologies hide the great creative and educational potential of expanding cultural and artistic language, especially at this difficult time when our active communication has moved to virtual space. It is true that museums can become an excellent mediator capable of connecting new technologies with the analogue world. In the future, it would provide opportunities for artifacts displayed or stored in museum storage to reach a much larger audience of viewers, while for specialists to preserve unique art values in a new visual format,” says Inese Baranovska, the head of Museum of Decorative Arts and Design.
To learn more about the possibility of digitizing the content offered by artists, arts and cultural institutions, contact me (Mara from “Vividly”) in email: info@vividlyapp.com