Money and Jewellery Gallery

The gallery that honors Indian heritage with its history

The CSMVS has the second largest museum Money Collection in India and after closure of their earlier Money Gallery in 2017, a new space had been assigned to showcase these objects. The Jewellery gallery is the first in country in a public Indian museum.

CLIENT Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

BUILT-UP AREA 2,180 sq. ft.

SERVICES Art Curation, Gallery Design

LOCATION Mumbai, Maharashtra

SITE AREA NA

YEAR OF COMPLETION 2020

A research-based process was developed which entailed an initial stage of studying the physical and historical context of the objects. This became the foundation upon which the design narrative was developed.

Designing a coin gallery involved creating a space that educates visitors about the history, artistry, and cultural significance of coins. The numismatic collection of over 37,000 coins had to be displayed in a chronological and thematic manner.

An impressive entrance was designed that set the tone for the museum experience, with grand architecture or thematic decorations related to coins. Gallery was organized chronologically to showcase the development of coinage from ancient times to the present day. Coins are a particularly challenging object due to their fairly small and varying sizes.

Innovative and interactive display methodologies were explored to meet this challenge. The gallery was conceived as being a bright and interactive space, with a variety of displays that would pace this dense gallery. It was interspersed with graphics and enlarged coin replicas to allow viewers to explore themes like coin production techniques, counterfeit detection methods, and the role of coins in trade and commerce. Use immersive technologies like holograms and augmented reality to create dynamic and engaging storytelling environments

Designing a Jewellery Gallery offered a unique opportunity to showcase the rich history, cultural significance, and exquisite craftsmanship of jewellery from various cultures and time periods. Jewellery Collection was varied in typology and styles from different parts of the country.

The inter-weaving of the content with the objects would reveal the history of such objects and insight into the evolution of jewellery in India. A concept design highlighted the diversity of jewellery traditions, materials, and techniques from different regions and historical periods.

In comparison to coin gallery, the jewellery gallery was designed to have less light thereby keeping the focal point on the objects. Install secure and well-lit display cases to showcase jewellery artefacts, gemstones, and precious metals from various civilizations and civilizations.

The galleries attempt to engage a wide variety of audience through design, display, graphics and digital media. The design narrative and content enhances the importance and grandeur of these objects while allowing for the flexibility of viewing and rotation of objects from a large Museum collection.