Since its launch in 2019, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka) has adopted a trilingual practice which incorporates Tamil, English, and Sinhala. In February 2024, the museum launched its first research publication ‘Second Volume’, which has now been translated into Sinhala and Tamil.
‘Second Volume’ was conceived to accompany the MMCA Sri Lanka’s exhibition ‘88 Acres: The Watapuluwa Housing Scheme by Minnette De Silva’. The exhibition invited visitors to engage with the history and design of the Watapuluwa Housing Scheme in Kandy (1958), and its pioneering architect Minnette De Silva (1918–1998).
Designed as free, open access, and downloadable e-books, the Sinhala and Tamil publications are titled ‘දෙවැනි වෙළුම’ (2024) and ‘இரண்டாவது தொகுப்பு’ (2024) respectively. The Sinhala and Tamil language editions have been translated from English by translators from the MMCA Sri Lanka’s team of Museum Associates. These practitioners make a vital contribution to the Museum’s trilingual practice by translating, copyediting, proofreading, and interpreting between Tamil, English, and Sinhala across a vast range of texts.
“Our Museum Associates, along with Editorial Assistant Kaumadi Jayaweera who oversees all editorial and translation work at the MMCA Sri Lanka, provide inestimable value to all the work we do in building more diverse audiences,” said Sharmini Pereira, Chief Curator at the MMCA Sri Lanka. “It’s been our ambition to publish some of our curatorial research in a format that was linguistically accessible, especially for students of architecture and urban planning in Sri Lanka,” Pereira further noted. She added that, “Being free also means that students and others can access the research without any paywalls or subscriptions.”
Translations of a specially commissioned essay by Pereira, who was also the lead curator of ‘88 Acres’, feature in the Sinhala and Tamil e-books. These editions also carry translations of the transcript from the animated documentary ‘is this an architectural documentary?’ (2023) by contemporary artists Irushi Tennekoon, Sumedha Kelegama, and Sumudu Athukorala, which was on display in ‘88 Acres’. Moreover, ‘දෙවැනි වෙළුම (2024) carries a Sinhala version of De Silva’s seminal essay ‘Experiments in Modern Regional Architecture in Ceylon from 1950 to 1960’ (1965–1966), which has been specially translated from English by Athukorala who is also an established Sinhala writer in the field of architecture, and an architect in his own right.
A Tamil version of De Silva’s seminal essay translated by Miriam Naveendran, long time translator and Tamil language copy editor working with the MMCA Sri Lanka, is available in ‘இரண்டாவது தொகுப்பு’ (2024). “It has been a great joy to be a part of the trilingual practice of the MMCA Sri Lanka and work towards making modern and contemporary art accessible to all the people in our country. We are constantly aware of how vital it is to ensure that quality is maintained and appropriate language is used, to ensure that every visitor at the MMCA Sri Lanka gets to experience and engage with the thought-provoking art on display,” said Naveendran. She added, “In this process, it has been exciting to translate and copy-edit different parts of ‘Second Volume’, as I have learnt so much about Minette De Silva, and have been inspired to share her vision and achievements.”
As part of their trilingual practice, the MMCA Sri Lanka also provides free monthly Sinhala and Tamil Exhibition Tours for their visitors. Visit their Facebook and Instagram for more information on Sinhala and Tamil Exhibition Tours available for their upcoming exhibition.