Digitised Museum Gallery

*

Bantony Castle

*

Shimla

*

Digitised Museum Gallery * Bantony Castle * Shimla *

This design proposal for a Digitised Museum Gallery at the restored Bantony Castle in Shimla was conceived as a layered educational experience — one that invites visitors to engage critically and emotionally with the history of Shimla and the broader cultural landscape of Himachal Pradesh.

The narrative is structured across two levels. The ground floor traces the colonial imprint on Shimla: its emergence as the British summer capital, its infrastructural and social transformations, its role in the independence movement, post-independence policymaking, and the everyday lives of its residents. It also includes a gallery on the restoration of the Castle and an immersive room designed to host periodically updated content for repeat audiences.

The first floor shifts focus to Himachal’s indigenous lifeworlds — highlighting traditional practices, ecological knowledge, biodiversity, cultural identities, and regional leaders, including a gallery dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi’s time in Shimla. A modular, flexible gallery on the second floor was also proposed to host cross-institutional collaborations with NGOs, students, and community stakeholders.

Developed through multiple site visits and visitor interviews, the proposal responds to feedback about current limitations: static, text-heavy displays with minimal sensory engagement. The resulting approach prioritises accessible, participatory, and historically grounded storytelling — using digital and physical media to create a more meaningful public encounter with the past.

Image Credit & Copyright: E Factor Experiences Ltd

- To reinterpret Bantony Castle as an immersive cultural space that fuses digital storytelling with heritage preservation.
- To democratize access to Himachal’s layered history — from colonialism to ecological and cultural revival.
- To shift museum-going from text-heavy learning to sensory yet educating experience.
- Site visit
- Interviews with local residents and visiting tourists
- Archival retrieval from national and local repositories
- Visual mapping of on-site colonial architecture and indigenous objects
- Photographic documentation and site-specific videography
- Accessibility audits to ensure inclusive storytelling
- Preparation of a comprehensive design proposal, along with implementation strategy
- British Raj governance and social life in Shimla
- Indigenous traditions and artistic practices of Himachal
- Political movements and visits by Gandhi in the hills
- Biodiversity and environmental narratives of the region
- Post-independence personalities and public memory
- Research writing to identify chronological and thematic organisation to assess spatial flow
- Concise scriptwriting for short-format design proposal video
- Proposal Writing
Comprehensive design proposal, along with implementation strategy
- Structured narrative across two levels aligned with the architectural layout
- Multi-zonal exhibition plan reflecting historical and cultural themes
- Visitor-led content planning informed by primary feedback
- Ground floor: narratives of British colonialism, independence, post-independence governance, and daily life in Shimla
- First floor: indigenous lifeworlds of Himachal, including biodiversity, cultural practices, and regional leaders
- Proposed modular gallery for rotating exhibitions and cross-institutional collaborations on each floor

SHIMLA THROUGH A TIMELINE - Geographical model representing the city's expansion over time through its various landmarks

Bay Windows used to showcase paintings of indigenous communities and A-V on screens framed like paintings to tell about the wars before colonial presence was established

Bay Windows used to showcase miniature models of city's changing plans and architecture

Scenography - Colonial social life in Shimla

Projection mapping on the table to depict the colonial social life in Shimla

The toy train and other infrastructural developments with multitouch screens installed in the windows for user interaction

Restoration Gallery about Bantony Castle

Corridor looking outside at the Mall Road proposed to be converted into Biodiversity Gallery

Gallery of Himachal's topographies and native cultures

Projection mapping in the Gallery of Himachal's topographies and native cultures

Costume and textile display in the Gallery of Himachal's topographies and native cultures

Spatial Planning & Access Strategy

To preserve the integrity of the restored heritage and accommodate access limitations to the upper floor, the narrative of Shimla’s history was concentrated on the ground level. Themes related to state-wide culture, ecology, and identity were placed on the first floor to balance spatial distribution. This ensured that visitors with limited mobility could still experience a complete and meaningful capsule of Shimla’s layered past, even without accessing the upper level.

Empty art gallery with framed artworks on cork boards and white benches on wooden flooring.

Exhibition Flexibility & Audience Engagement

The proposal balances permanent thematic galleries with modular exhibition zones on both floors. This dual approach allows for rotating content tailored to local festivals, academic partnerships, or current events — keeping the museum relevant for Shimla residents while offering fresh experiences to repeat tourists. The strategy was shaped by insights from demographic research and visitor interviews.

Shimla

Video Copyright: E Factor Experiences Ltd