Exhibition of Indian Manuscripts
Product, Exhibition, 2006
The Indian Government was invited by the German Ministry of Culture to exhibit a collection of India’s finest manuscripts as an inaugural event for the 2006 Frankfurt Book Fair, where India was the guest country. We designed this exhibition, titled “The Word is Sacred, Sacred is the Word”, which opened at the Museum Fur Angewandte Kunst (Museum For Applied Arts) in Frankfurt, on the 4th of September 2006 and ran till January 2007.
Custom designed vitrines
We designed and fabricated the vitrines on site and also designed them with a temperature controlled lighting system, to protect the precious manuscripts.
We used an earthy Indian colour palette, and pre-dyed fabric that we carried from India. This created a warm and soft contrast to the cold, white aesthetic of the Museum building and interiors.
Typographic banners
Designed to celebrate the written word, we installed banners that highlighted the beautiful letter-forms of Indian scripts.
Diorama
Diorama of a temple scene from Majhuli island - where the holy book itself is revered.
Design details
We custom-designed a tilted reading stand, traditionally known as a 'Rahel', allowing the books to be easily read by visitors.
The design and construction of the book stand was so convincing in its seeming authenticity that a local German newspaper erroneously reported it as a historic object!
Posters
Posters designed for the event - envisioned as running manuscripts themselves.
Signage
Signage using letter-forms from various Indian scripts.
Content over form
We designed elegantly simple details that brought focus to the beautiful manuscripts and supported the wide variety on display - from single page manuscripts to scrolls, miniature books, wooden, metal or even those made of leaves.