[BCMA] Vishnu Procession at MOA Sat Aug 21, 11 am

Tue Aug 17 09:29:57 PDT 2010

University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology Media Release

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Vishnu Procession Aug 21, 11:00 am - Everyone Invited!

This coming Saturday, local Hindu priest Prabakar Visvanath, one of the
twelve artists featured in MOA's current exhibition, Border Zones: New Art
Across Cultures, will lead a public procession, or utsava, of a bronze
Vishnu figure from MOA's South Asia collection. 

In this unique event, an "artifact" from the Museum (now on display as part
of the Border Zones exhibit) will be reintegrated into ritual practice and
reconnected with the living community. 

For Border Zones, Mr. Visvanath participated with Museum staff in a project
that confronts the boundaries between the sacred and the secular,
performance art and the performance of sacred text, and contemporary art and
cultural practice. He conducted an abishekam ritual with the historical
bronze, during which the figure-which had been in an inert state for a long
time-was once again ritually bathed and dressed (see photos to left).
Pouring a series of liquids over the figure meant suspending some central
rules of conservation, and inspired us to think about what it means to
preserve the "life" of an object in addition to its physical form.  

The bronze Vishnu figure was originally made to be a processional image,
fitted with lugs and rings so that it can be periodically taken out among
the people. Like the abishekam, this is another aspect of the puja, or
ritual act, by which the deity is invoked and honoured. On August 21, the
priest will again prepare the image, and it will be set on a decorated
ratha, or chariot, to be wheeled around the Museum. There will be music,
bells, flowers, and special foods to mark the celebration.

Free with Museum admission. Famiilies welcome!

Only 4 weeks left to experience Border Zones: New Art Across Cultures (the
show closes on September 12). And remember to check www.borderzones.ca - our
online exhibition 'zine' - for artist and curator interviews and articles,
images, and insider info about the exhibit.

MOA

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Track us on Twitter - search "MOA_UBC
MOA Blog - www.moa.ubc.ca/blog

Contact
Jennifer Webb, Communications Manager
604.822.5950 or jenwebb at interchange.ubc.ca
UBC Museum of Anthropology
6393 N.W. Marine Drive, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z2 www.moa.ubc.ca 

Museum and Shop Hours
Open daily 10 am to 5 pm; open Tuesdays 10 am to 9 pm

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