Delegating the Memory Function: The Archive of the Future

Ranjit Hostoke is a cultural theorist, curator and poet. He is the author of more than 25 books, including Vanishing Acts: New & Selected Poems 1985-2005 (Penguin, 2006) and Central Time (Penguin/ Viking, 2014), and the monographs Zinny & Maidagan: Compartment/ Das Abteil (Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt/ Walther König, 2010) and Atul Dodiya (Prestel, 2014). Hoskote has translated the poetry of the 14th-century Kashmiri mystic Lal Ded as I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Ded (Penguin Classics, 2011). With Ilija Trojanow, he has co-authored Kampfabsage (Blessing, 2007; in English as Confluences: Forgotten Histories from East and West, Yoda, 2012). With Nancy Adajania, he is co-author of The Dialogues Series (Popular, 2011), an unfolding programme of conversations with artists. With Maria Hlavajova, he is editor of Future Publics: A Critical Reader in Contemporary Art (BAK, forthcoming). Since 1993, Hoskote has curated 30 exhibitions of contemporary art, including two monographic surveys of Atul Dodiya (Bombay: Labyrinth/ Laboratory, Japan Foundation, Tokyo, 2001; and Experiments with Truth: Atul Dodiya, Works 1981-2013, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, 2013), a lifetime retrospective of Jehangir Sabavala (National Gallery of Modern Art, Bombay and New Delhi, 2005-2006), a historical survey of Indian abstraction, Nothing is Absolute (with Mehlli Gobhai; CSMVS/ The Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay, 2013), and a survey of 150 years of art by Parsi artists within the narrative of an emergent Indian modernism, No Parsi is an Island (with Nancy Adajania; National Gallery of Modern Art, Bombay, 2013-2014). Over 2000-2002, Hoskote co-curated the trans-Asian collaborative project, ‘Under Construction’ (Japan Foundation: Tokyo and other Asian centres). Hoskote co-curated the 7th Gwangju Biennale (2008) He was curator of India’s first-ever national pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2011). And a jury Member of the 56th Venice Biennale.

Vrunda Pathare heads the Godrej Archives – a Business Archives of Godrej Group (India). She is currently a Secretary of Section of Business Archives (SBA) of International Council of Archives (ICA) and Vice President of Oral History Association of India (OHAI). In the past, she had served as a member of the Advisory Board of Rajbhavan Archives of Government of Maharashtra (India). Vrunda has been trained in the Records Management from National Archives of India and holds a postgraduate degree in History from University of Mumbai. She started her career as a Research Assistant to Mr. Sadashiv Gorakshkar (Former Director, CSMVS, Mumbai; Past President, Commonwealth Association of Museums) on following two projects: 1. ‘Rajbhavans in Maharashtra’ – A book on Comprehensive History of Rajbhavans in Maharashtra published in the year 2002 and 2. ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.) Museum Project, Dehradun. Later, she worked as an Assistant Archivist at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Archives, Mumbai. She has been a resource person at many national workshops and have presented papers on aspects of archiving and on business archives, at both national as well as international conferences.

Anupam Sah is a heritage conservation-restoration strategist, practitioner and educator, currently working as the consulting head of art conservation, research and training at the CSMVS Museum Art Conservation Centre, Mumbai. He is also the founder of the not-for-profit Himalayan Society for Heritage and Art Conservation and Anupam Heritage Lab (India) Pvt. Ltd., a heritage conservation services and consultancy firm. He has rendered heritage conservation, training and consulting services to the Government of India’s Ministries of Culture, Tourism, Urban Development, various State Governments, Universities, NGOs, World Bank, UNDP, UNESCO, and others. As a trainer, he has designed and conducted more than 200 workshops and training courses both in India and abroad. Anupam has received Sanskriti Award for Social and Cultural Achievement for his work in the field of heritage conservation with a strong community link. The President of Italy has recently conferred on him the title of Kinght of the Order of the Star of Italy for excellence in the field of restoration. After acquiring his B.Sc. degree from the University of Delhi, Anupam secured a Masters Degree with distinction and a Gold Medal in Conservation of Works of Art from the National Museum Institute, New Delhi. He pursued further professional education in Italy and UK.