In today’s interconnected digital age, every individual using the internet has a digital twin. With more than nine hundred million broadband subscribers, India is the second largest country in the world in internet connectivity. Average Indian spends more than one and a half hours daily in front of the screen divided in near equal share among the rural and urban and among the male and female population. The physical composition of the inhabitants of the country is thus mirrored also in the virtual world.
This widespread outreach of internet has been very successfully leveraged by the online markets and digital payment platforms. But more than these, it has been exploited by the OTT and social media platforms for seeding all kinds of contents.
Realizing this potential, even our institutions like the National Museum have started virtual galleries for the display of rare objects, which otherwise cannot be easily exhibited by museums in their galleries or accessed by visitors. One such gallery is the Virtual Experiential Museum Ajanta or VEMA.
This virtual experiential gallery displays cave paintings of Ajanta, dating from the second century BC to circa 500 AD. A UNESCO World Heritage site, cave paintings of Ajanta are the finest example of Buddhist religious paintings of the early period that have survived to us. Jataka tales, previous life of Buddha and his journey to enlightened life captured by the imagination of the artists in vivid colors and minute details make it a breathtaking experience.
Not everyone can visit Ajanta caves. Besides an arduous journey and travails of a personal visit, dim lights inside the caves and the damage the flashes of the camera can cause are yet other limitations to such a visit. However, now thanks to digital technology, the full visual of Ajanta caves is available in this gallery to any person.
On the giant size screen at VEMA, you get a feel of the vast site of Ajanta and its manicured green lawns while you draw closer and enter the cave of your choice, using an iPad provided by the Museum for surfing. Once inside, you can have a 360-degree visual of the paintings. The facial expressions, the shine in the eyes, and even the smallest of the beads of the necklace, which with bare eyes is not possible even for a visitor who goes there physically, make it a treat.
The experiential visit is not limited to VEMA alone. From the comforts of home, one can visit many virtual exhibitions of rare and unseen objects hosted by the National Museum on their site. These include sculptures, manuscripts, paintings, jewelry and much more. A 3-D virtual generation of any object enables the viewer to have a close look from different angles. Such detailed and crisp photography also helps in differentiating between genuine and fake copies.
Emerging technologies are not limited to display alone. Increasing use and development of AI tools has changed the way we now investigate the tracking decays and preservation of objects and sites. It also helps in projecting the lifespan and steps required to conserve them. Several studies have been undertaken recently, particularly for endangered sites like Hampi and Ajanta to suggest how AI can help in accessing, experiencing and at the same time preserving ancient sites and artifacts.
India is also home to the cave art that dates to more than 15000 BC. The cave paintings of Hadoti region in Rajasthan are one such example. These rare findings extend from Kota in Rajasthan to Bhimbhetika in Madhya Pradesh and are yet to be explored fully. Besides petrology, the region offers a rich source of exploration of different layers of human civilization that have inhabited this area since the pre ice age. This vast spread of ancient treasure is a fit case for creating a digital twin on the lines of VEMA.
A digital twin is a virtual replication of any physical entity. Initially developed by NASA, in the context of museums, it has been successfully used to monitor, manage, simulate, restore, and enhance visitor experiences. It is in these circumstances that AI comes to an immense help. Maintaining the finest of digital details and analyzing them for a meaningful conclusion using data analytics – the cornerstones of AI – provides an opportunity as well as a challenge. Being being deployed in several museums across the globe, the solution lies in better networking and sharing the techniques that are constantly evolving.
One of the most important benefits of the AI and digital twins in the context of museums is that it allows convergence. Information and techniques from different streams of knowledge such as archeologists, historians, art critics, data analysts, conservationists, ecologists, environmentalists, museum experts, can be brought easily on one platform for more meaningful synergies. It promotes standardization and interoperability, the two major challenges faced by museums across the globe.
Prof. Neeru Misra, art historian and museologist, is former Head, Department of Museum Studies, National Museum Institute (deemed University); Director, Indian Council for Cultural Relations; and National Project Coordinator, PFHD Project, UNDP.