Can a personal collection be looked at as a museum? Visual artist and filmmaker Khandakar Ohida engages with John Xaviers from IFA. They speak about her IFA-implemented project Museum on the Moon between 2022–2023, where she reimagined her uncle’s decades-long collection of seemingly mundane objects—from miniature paintings to photographs—into a digital and virtual museum that also informs a feature-length film. The project involved archiving, storytelling, and exploring memory through 3D and VR spaces. The episode offers an in-depth look at her research process, the creative and technical challenges she faced, and how personal histories can become collective narratives that expand the possibilities of contemporary art and museum practice.

How do oral narratives preserve the memory and resilience of marginalised communities? Folk singer and researcher Mohan Kumar N engages with TN Krishnamurthy from IFA. They discuss his IFA-implemented project Aadalitashaahi Dhoranegalu mattu Kadu Gollara Asthitva (Hegemonic Administrative Attitudes and the Resilience of the Kadu Golla Community) (2022–2023), which explores Veera Tammanna, a local hero of the Kadu Golla community, and highlights gaps in mainstream historical records. The project involved collecting oral narratives, reimagining these stories, creating songs, and a monograph. The episode offers insight into Mohan’s research, the folk tradition of the community, and how storytelling preserves resilience and marginalised voices.

This episode is in Kannada.

What do colonial-era photographs tell us about identity and power in Kerala’s High Ranges? Scholar and writer KP Jayakumar engages with Pranav Sethuratnam, Senior Project Associate: Archives at IFA. They speak about his IFA-supported research that examines the visual legacy of European photographers in the region, with a focus on hunting imagery and its lasting impact. Drawing from archives, travelogues, and field visits, Jayakumar reflects on how these photographs contributed to colonial stereotypes and continue to shape postcolonial nostalgia. The conversation delves into the politics of representation, the framing of indigenous cultures, and the enduring power of images in shaping cultural memory.

This episode is in Malayalam.