Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The Living Waters Museum (LWM), a digital museum, was launched in January 2017, to “collect and collate rich and diverse traditions of water practices in India and build a repository of visualised knowledge, which can commemorate the past, inspire the present, and be a source of learning for the future”. The process of developing the portal is collaborative and interdisciplinary engaging young people in project-based learning, essentially storytelling, around the many dimensions of water heritage, and its intersection with livelihoods, natural and built environments and the creative arts.The museum is a part of the UNESCO supported Global Network of Water Museums, launched in Venice (May 2017) which includes a diversity of water museums – physical, networked approaches and online – all seeking to foster greater understanding of water justice and sustainability challenges towards SDG Goal 6. While a digital platform allows us to engage with youth across the country, highlighting traditional water wisdom and innovation, it also needs to interact with physical space through pop-up exhibitions, outreach events in schools and public places and other tangible activities. Additionally, content (text) needs to be available in regional languages and the museum website needs to be equally functional on all media (smartphone, laptop). Current content looks at water architecture and livelihoods, but we envisage developing digital archives documenting water leaders at all levels and co-creating community-based water museums which reflect local priorities, for example on women, work and water with SEWA (the Self-Employed Women’s Association) or water, conflicts and peace-building.