No Photographs Please
Posted: December 20, 2006 Filed under: Randomization of randomness 2 Comments »
In an informal discussion with my colleagues during a lunch, one of my friends mentioned about how she was not allowed to make photocopy of a book published in 1800’s citing that the light of the photocopy machine will affect the readability of the book. The discussion followed up with my other colleague stating about camera’s not being allowed in museums. At that moment, I was thinking why camera was not allowed in some Nepalese Temples (or perhaps some Hindu temples in India too). I simply could not come up with any logic or reasoning behind camera prohibition. I did some research later that day to find out exactly why camera’s were not allowed in museums, and try to see if it corresponds to any correlation in Nepalese Temples.
Although it isn’t 100% scientifically proven, it is said that flash of the camera will have significant irreversible reactions to paintings or sculptures. Some museums have no restriction on camera’s whatsoever whereas some don’t allow camera at all, but some seem to sell ‘cameras without flash’ inside the museum. But, I don’t believe restrictions in the temples are motivated by this reason.
Other reason behind restriction to camera is to protect the sales of postcards & books, which are an important source of revenue to the museums. But, I have never seen an official temple store selling souvenirs, it doesn’t even exist. So, restriction in temples are not motivated by the concerns of revenue loss.
Thus, I thought there must be some unique reasons why cameras aren’t allowed inside the temples. After pondering for while I came up with some possible explanations. Although these logic’s don’t make much sense, I could not think of any more. If you guys have more ideas, do share that with me.
1.Taking pictures will religiously devalue the god
2.There will be a longer line (wait) if people worship & take pictures at same time
3.Keep the sculptures safe from smugglers exporting it to foreign market
4.After mass production of pictures, no one will come see the sculptures ultimately affecting the local economy (best one I could think of!!!)
Most Museums in London including the ‘British Museum’ is free and cameras are allowed !!
Sometimes they bring in new exhibitions and not only you have to pay a hell of a lot but no cameras are allowed as well… The reasoning behind this to me is simple, its just to bring that sense of exclusive-vity and raise it value in all sense of the word… Museums do have to pay for borrowed goods
‘Tate Modern’ here houses modern art.. free but no cameras are allowed… I guess they just want to preserve that ‘weirdness’ of their art so that people who only heard about it come and see it…
In Nepal, I think its just a case of a clash of the ancient with the modern.. Kuray folks are considered preety modern
and that goes for the cameras too…. so both are disallowed in our pabitra holy ancient temples…:)
I’ve even made a video of the Nepal section at the British Museum.. check it out