Unlock 3.0: Gurugram’s camera museum to reopen, albeit with mandatory safety norms

Strict safety measures have been put in place at Museo Camera, which is all set to reopen from August 1, 2020. Gurugrammer, rejoice!

Gurugram’s one stop destination for vintage cameras i.e. Museo Camera, is reopening tomorrow (August 1, 2020). Excited much? But opening any public space amid the pandemic means taking extra care and ensuring safety regulations for visitors and staff alike. And it certainly means more precautions. So when you visit the museum next, be sure to wear a face mask, which is mandatory for everyone visiting the museum!

A limited number of visitor will be allowed inside Museo Camera, at DLF Phase 4 in Gurugram, which is reopening after a long lockdown. (Photo: Yogendra Kumar/HT)

Some of the other measures include daily temperature screening of all the staff members, and visitors. Hand sanitisers have been placed at convenient spots across the museum. UV-C sanitising of all common areas is taking place twice, and for restrooms it’s scheduled thrice, every day. This is being done to ensure that no visitor or staff is present during the treatment. Group tours have been limited to six or less. And there are even restrictions on the number of visitors to the museum and the galleries, so that social distancing can be followed.

Museums and cultural spaces have been one of the worst hit as they were always in a precarious financial situation, opines Aditya Arya, founder of the museum. “The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown could not have come at a worse time for the museum. After the public opening in August last year, we were just beginning to establish ourselves as an important institution for photography and art lovers in this part of the world. The closure of the museum brought all our revenue generating activities to a grinding halt. It is a challenging time for us but we are optimistic that we will be back to normal.”

Photographer Aditya Arya’s collection of studio, field and portable cameras, manufactured between 1880 and 1990, forms part of this museum’s huge archive.

The museum, dedicated to the art and history of photography, was formed as a partnership between India Photo Archive Foundation and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram. Arya adds, “I don’t want the future generations to read about our initiative in history books as one the most important and significant museum which was created by crowdfunding and a unique public private partnership which did not survive the pandemic. It will be sad not only for Gurugram but the art community to loose this iconic landmark museum. Museo Camera also holds the unique distinction of being one-of-its-kind crowd funded museum in India. The museum interior was funded with donations received from well-wishers.”

Author tweets @Nainaarora8

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