‘A Voyage to Permanence’ at Museum of Goa Explores Cinema Through Photography, Sound and Alternative Images

~ An interdisciplinary exploration of migration, memory, exploitation and the invisible traces of human experience

Saligao: August 2026: At the Museum of Goa, A Voyage to Permanence brought together the experimental cinema of independent filmmaker Purandar Chaudhuri with photography, sound, visual essays and alternative prints, creating a space to engage with his practice through image, time and material. Held from 12 to 23 August 2026, the exhibition explored themes of migration, labour, impermanence and the human condition through three of Chaudhuri’s seminal experimental films: Impressions of Mingling, Tremors and Dhushor.

Conceived by Jooby Yohannan and curated by art critic and curator Johny ML, with exhibition visuals by Prakash Braggs, the exhibition extended Chaudhuri’s cinematic language beyond conventional viewing. His films, characterised by monochromatic imagery, sparse dialogue and an interplay between still and moving images, resist linear storytelling to consider displacement, collective memory and the fragile continuity between past and present.

On bringing the three films together and the themes that run through his cinematic practice, Purandar Chaudhuri said, “The trilogy is not consciously planned, but the works are deeply connected with my core sensibilities. Each film acts as an empathetic bridge to a different form of human isolation. Whether navigating historical ruins, the silent agony of old age, or the invisible lives of the marginalized, I tried capturing the quiet, often overlooked realities of existence, making the invisible visible.”

The exhibition unfolded through a programme of screenings across three days. Impressions of Mingling was screened continuously on 12 August alongside photographic works and alternative prints, followed by Tremors on 13 August. The programme concluded on 14 August with a special screening of Dhushor in the Museum auditorium, followed by an audience interaction with members of the creative team.

Furthermore, the exhibition marked the launch of the Goa Cyanotype Notebook, foregrounding alternative photographic processes and image-making traditions. A conversation around the photobook A Voyage to Permanence featured Jayanth Kodkani, journalist and writer with a deep interest in cinema and literature, and Nemiraj Shetty, visual artist, curator and one of the founding members of the INTACH Mangalore chapter.

On the curatorial premise of the exhibition and the relationship between cinema, stillness, motion and time, Johny ML said, “I wanted to present Purandar’s films within an art context, where viewers could engage with them in multiple ways. They could sit through an entire film or enter midway and complete the loop at their own pace. This creates a form of viewer-led editing, a critical engagement with visual sequences that opens up new ways of experiencing both their formal qualities and their content.”

On conceiving the project and bringing Chaudhuri’s cinematic practice into an exhibition context, Jooby Yohannan added, “Every frame carries a sensibility of a visual artist which is layered in multiple dimensions. All the three films encourage reflection rather than passive viewing. Presenting the work as an exhibition allows audiences to spend time with the ideas surrounding the film, engage in conversation and share the experiences in a broader artistic context.”

At the centre of A Voyage to Permanence was an invitation to experience cinema beyond narrative. The exhibition created space for audiences to slow down and engage with the visual and philosophical dimensions of Chaudhuri’s work, where image and time become as important as movement.

The project brought together filmmaking, photography, curatorial practice, design and publishing through the collaborative efforts of Purandar Chaudhuri, Johny ML, Prakash Braggs, Jayanth Kodkani, Nemiraj Shetty and Jooby Yohannan. With its programme, A Voyage to Permanence offered a considered engagement with Chaudhuri’s experimental practice, bringing film into conversation with still imagery, alternative photographic processes and the broader language of visual art.

Photo 1 : Visitors watch a screening of Impressions of Mingling at the Museum of Goa, Pilerne, during the recently held A Voyage to Permanence fixture.

PHoto 2: Film director Purandar Chaudhuri at the A Voyage to Permanence event at the Museum of Goa, Pilerne.

Photo 3 : (From left) Photographer Prakash Braggs, film director Purandar Chaudhuri and curator Jooby Yohannan at the A Voyage to Permanence event at the Museum of Goa, Pilerne.