Shiva Linga: Eine visuelle Reise. Zur Wiederentdeckung der Ursprünge eines heiligen Objekts aus Nepal

Deepak Tolange, filmmaker and researcher from Nepal, has used various methods in this multi-layered visual research project, which was created in collaboration with a museum team led by provenance researcher Sophia Bokop. Deepak aims to visualize the profound connection and meaning that sacred objects have in Hindu societies in terms of their persistence, everyday life and beliefs. This project, which explores the origin and history of a Shiva Linga shroud, aims to raise public awareness of the loss of Nepalese cultural assets.

The focus of this visual research journey is to trace the origins of a Chaturmukh Shiva Linga kosh with four faces made of gilded copper, which is located in the Museum of Asian Art in Berlin. The Shiva Linga kosh or Linga kosh is a metal cover, also known as a sheath. Filled with prana, the life energy, the consecrated kosh is both a component and a protective cover for the Shiva Linga. The project also aims to facilitate a return to and renewed connection with Shiva/the Shiva Linga. The documentation of daily rituals and some of the major festivities in honor of Shiva in Nepal will also contribute to this.

In this edition of Guest Room, Deepak and Sophia talk to presenter Anna Szöke about the initial approaches and findings of their joint research project. They also show footage of the making of their documentary film Shiva Linga: A visual quest for the first time. A warm welcome!

"For me, this visual research project is a journey to reconnect, rediscover and learn more about Lord Shiva - one of the main deities of Hinduism - as well as to explore various stories, rituals and festivals related to Shiva/Shiva Linga. The focus of this visual research is to trace the origin of a copper-gilt, four-faced Chaturmukha Shiva Linga sheath within the collection of the Museum of Asian Art, Berlin. Many different rituals are performed and festivals celebrated daily, on special occasions and annually in honor of Shiva/Shiva Linga.

This Shiva Linga cover was previously on display in a permanent exhibition at the Museum of Indian Art from 2000 to 2015. It was then prepared for a new permanent exhibition at the Humboldt Forum in 2022. However, shortly before the opening, a more in-depth investigation into the provenance of the sleeve was deemed relevant for further decisions, especially since it was acquired by the former Museum of Indian Art at the end of 1993.

This multi-layered visual research project uses a mixed methodology. During the CoMuse Fellowship period, I will work closely with the museum team, particularly Sophia Bokop, a provenance researcher, to further the investigation and analysis. I will also be editing visual materials to create a short documentary film. The results will be presented in this short film and in an exhibition." - Deepak Tolange

Participants

Deepak Tolange is a filmmaker, photographer and researcher from Nepal who is interested in innovation, history, culture, environment and social justice.Deepak Tolange completed his Masters in Visual and Media Anthropology in Berlin on a DAAD Masters Scholarship (2014-2016). After graduating, Deepak worked for two years as a freelance filmmaker and photographer in Germany and Tanzania. Since 2018, he has been a guest lecturer at Kathmandu University, where he teaches photojournalism and film production. His paintings, photographs and documentary films Shelter (2013) and Dust (2016) have won several awards.

Sophia Bokop is a provenance researcher in the project The Collaborative Museum at the Ethnologisches Museum and Museum für Asiatische Kunst. Together with international partners, she researches selected collections and their contexts of acquisition, appropriation and translocation as part of collaborative, transdisciplinary projects.

Partner

Deepak Tolange is a CoMuse Fellow at the Ethnologisches Museum and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst.

CoMuse - The Collaborative Museum is an initiative of the Ethnologisches Museum and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst that aims to develop multi-perspective approaches to collection-based research and to test new formats for collaborative processes in order to sustainably intensify the decolonization and diversification of museum practice.

The CoMuse Fellowship program is supported by Künstlerhaus Bethanien, which provides a studio for artistic and scientific research.

- free of charge, no ticket required

- Language: English

- Location: Mechanical Arena in the foyer