Request for Proposals: Creation of a Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage and Culture | Deadline Extended: June 07, 2021 (CLOSED)

India Foundation for the Arts (IFA)
invites proposals for the creation of a
Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage and Culture

Application deadline: Monday, June 07, 2021
 

India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) invites proposals from applicants for setting up an interactive Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage and Culture as a special initiative under its Arts Services. IFA will select from among these proposals and together with the applicant manage the creation of this online space.

About the Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage and Culture (VMKHC)
The Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage and Culture will be an interactive online space for the rich and thriving heritage of the Kodavas of Coorg, Karnataka, offering a glimpse into their history, land, lives, arts, customs and cultural practices. The Online Museum will be a gateway showcasing the rich histories of the region and its people. It will serve as a participatory living journal of Kodava life through an exploration of material and intangible resources, collected from the community and available resource material. The visually rich website will present their material culture, genealogies, clothes, cuisine, arts, architecture, customs and landscape of the region.

Other than histories, photographs, maps, and important documents, the Online Museum will also contain oral narratives from people, testimonials, bibliographies and links to other important sites on Kodava culture. Text, images, drawings, audio and video formats will be used. The selected Project Director will work closely with the Advisory group set up by IFA. The Advisory Group will guide the Project Director on available information and archives, and other aspects of the Project. All the material collected will then be incorporated as elements of the online museum that is informative, engaging, interactive and accessible to anyone seeking more information about the Kodava people.

This initiative is supported by a grant from a Donor.

About the Proposal to be submitted by the Applicant:
The proposal must contain the following:

  • Vision for the museum
  • Scope of the museum with details on each area that would be looked into
  • Ideas on specific interactive elements for the viewer that are both enriching and playful
  • Detailed phase-wise timeline and plan for the project starting with research and information collation, moving onto curation and creating the information wireframe to the designing and final execution of the interactive online space
  • Collaborators of the project that includes researchers, designers, and software professionals
  • Detailed budget breakdown
  • The proposal must also include their innovative ideas for the launch of the online museum
  • Curriculum vitae with a brief note on the applicants’ prior experience and proof/samples of their expertise of setting up virtual interactive museums, exhibitions, other spaces or other work online using various kinds of technologies, etc. Please send links and not attachments
  • Preference will be given to those who come with a balance of knowledge and expertise in the domain as well as technological implementation
  • Preference will also be given to those who have prior experience of creating exciting and interactive virtual cultural spaces

Role of the Applicant:

  • The Applicant will be Project Director and work in consultation with the Advisory Group and IFA
  • Lead closely the team of researchers, designers and website developers
  • Facilitate contact and interviews with the identified community members, with proper permissions for the resources shared by them
  • Share regular updates with IFA Coordinator throughout the project
  • Submit a phase-wise progress report and make presentations on the work done, at the end of each phase, along with the deliverables for the phase

Applicant Profile:
We seek proposals from curators, visual artists, historians, researchers, scholars, museum professionals and other creative practitioners with a strong interest in research and experience in working with interactive virtual spaces including museums and experiential cultural venues. Proposals are welcome from collectives or collaborations across disciplines and domain knowledge.

Project Budget:

  • The project costs should not exceed Rs 15,00,000/-
  • The funds will also cover the rental of the website domain for 5 years and maintenance of the website for 3 years

Project Timeline: Starts in August 2021 and ends by September 2022

Application Process:

  • All proposals to be sent by email only to darshana@indiaifa.org by June 07, 2021 with a subject line: Proposal for VMKHC
  • Incomplete applications will not be accommodated
  • All applications will be acknowledged within a week of receiving them. Only shortlisted candidates will be informed of the next steps
  • Interviews with shortlisted candidates are expected to take place on Zoom in June/July 2021
  • The applicant selected finally may need to align their proposals, timelines and budgets to meet the requirements of IFA