VarnikaDesigns initiated ‘The Museum Memories Project’ on April 15, 2020. It is an Oral History documentation project to bring the world closer by the sharing of personal memories of museums visited by the contributor in any corner of the globe. It aims to be also free digital archive and resource with a collection of these memories and original content created by the project team, disseminating through a website, YouTube channel and strong social media presence.
We started ‘Team Tales’ where we shared the inspirations of the project’s team members. Here’s a collation of the entire series of these invigorating tales 🙂
The year is drawing to a close. A strange year where the bizarre happened. Precious lives and livelihoods were lost, children lost their right to education due to closure of schools, and mental health was compromised as never before!! It has been a year of soul searching and bringing out the best in us to fight for positivity. ‘The Museum Memories Project’ was launched on April 15, 2020, in keeping with this spirit. Memories of museums visited across the globe brought us closer and made museums more accessible We take this humble opportunity to share with you the triggers that kept our team going to bring some glimmer of hope in your lives. This project made us stow away our suffering for the larger good. We hope you will accept them in the same essence 🙏🏽
From December 13 – 25, 2020, we bring to you ‘Team Tales’ – do follow us ♥️ Thank you ♥️
Ashwini Parihar
Narrative Design Lead, The Museum Memories Project
For over three years, I always carried a toy car from my collection with me wherever I went, travelled or visited. Would click pictures of it to document my own daily escapades.
As a result of the world-wide Pandemic, the lockdown forced us all to stay within the boundaries of our homes. My daily routine of clicking pictures and documentation of my travels was hindered. Although professionally, I never found myself short of things to do, the one thing I was unable to find time and place for was my passion for toys.
Once in a while I would find a spot to take pictures but it wasn’t enough! That’s when I decided to bring my passion and profession together and started creating a series of posters with digital lettering over old pictures of the same toys selected from my Instagram collection of photographs.
Deeptanshu Sanyal
Comic book Artist, The Museum Memories Project
Finding home in food!
I had been introduced to the kitchen at a fairly early age but I had still not tried cooking alone until recently as there would always be someone to help me till now.
In this corona-induced-lockdown I took the opportunity to start cooking all by myself, one-meal-at-a-time. I tried a variety of dishes ranging from snacks to breakfast to elaborate Bengali cuisine for lunch and dinner, and I must say that I found great satisfaction!
One of my major reasons to start cooking in this lockdown was to spend more time with my mother because she has so many stories to tell from her life which tell about how she developed her way of cooking. Whenever I am fortunate enough to find food that tastes like my mother’s while I am away from her, I feel-at-home; it’s simply blissful!
So it’s an attempt at carrying a part of my mother with me wherever I go ♥️
Kareena Vaswani
Graphic Designer, The Museum Memories Project
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been inclined towards art and craft. Dirty paintbrushes, messy glue- that was my playground. I almost always got paint on my clothes, furniture and anything within a 6 ft radius! But as I grew up, this activity found little time in my days.
With the pandemic, I found myself revisiting this activity- not just with paint, but digitally too! I simply went ahead and made what came to my mind, and it’s a truly freeing and therapeutic experience. (PS- The furniture still isn’t spared.)
Tressa Joseph
UI/UX Designer, Museum Memories Project
It has been a while since my digits rippled through this “key board”. Tapping away on the laptop keys took up a vast majority of my time in college. So during this spell I’ve been trying out some pieces and hanging up ornaments in time for Christmas.
My parents first introduced me to the piano when I was very young, but I was never consistent with it back then. However, over the years it turned from being an exigent activity to a stirring hobby.
Now as Christmas is approaching, we’ve been busy putting up a tree and decorating for the festivities. The experience this year is not going to be the same for sure and so I’m looking forward to celebrating this with my family this year like most others… over skype.
Happy Holidays!
Apeksha Parmar
Graphic Design Intern, The Museum Memories Project
Hello, this is Apeksha Parmar from Mumbai. Im currently pursuing degree in Product Design. Im very into typography and lettering.
At the start of the pandemic, I thought this wouldn’t last long, and hoped that it would give me some different memories that I could cherish. However, working alone at home frustrated me as we moved towards the end of this year. I needed some motivation that could keep me going.
And fortunately, I found Naruto. I’m so grateful to this one person in my life who introduced me to Naruto. I started watching this series just to kill time. But it turned out to be the best series of all. I have a huge respect for the creator of this series.
He has his own style of motivating people. The series will not just entertain you but will teach you the most important things in life ie to have goals and just few real friends in life.
Words of Naruto has kept me going in this pandemic. Believe in your friends and believe in you is what Naruto says.
Prachi Joshi
Graphic Designer, The Museum Memories Project
For years, I’ve been collecting tickets, maps and brochures. The fold lines on a crumpled map, and faded ink on ticket stubs always transport me back to the places they belong to. These papers have absorbed and kept my excitement and wonder of being in a new world, much alive.
This year however, I had nothing to add- 2020 drew a blank in my box.
But living in the mountains, I’ve been bringing home many-a-fallen natural beauty from my treks. And it wasn’t until recently that I realised I’d created a living-dead archive of the year that’s been.
There are no tickets to mark 2020, but in the abandoned nests and fallen pine cones, rests evidence of this lived year of no adventures, and still being alive to it.
Poulomi Das
Founder, The Museum Memories Project
Rummaging through stuff keeps me busy, it could be in the house, garden or the World Wide Web 😎 The joys of discovering and sharing have been the reason for my existence. Why live if we can’t share?
But sometimes, life becomes mundane and we keep getting dizzy in its whirlwind. 2020 has been like that. Personal disasters of every kind, felt like I’m at its epicentre, being tossed around wildly.
So I went back to trying to read (would start and then leave the book 🤦🏽♀️) but kept trying to cook, write, paint and just gave in to being tossed about.
Nature photography & trying to grow colours in different shapes and sizes caught my fascination 😍 I’m still learning and trying.
Thank you all for being a part of our journey 💕
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Thank you for sharing our enthusiasm, reading our experiences and being part of the journey 🙏🏽
All team member caricatures are by Deeptanshu Sanyal.
All team members have shared their own photographs and artwork, kindly acknowledge before using them.
VarnikaDesigns 
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