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Sri Lanka

A Travelling Installation
 The Infinite Library

The Infinite Library © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan

The Infinite Library is a travelling installation that uses VR and other media to reimagine the future of libraries as interactive spaces that engage visitors through multisensory forms of storytelling. It seeks to embed human stories within a much grander narrative, one which includes the birth of our planet and the evolution of all life forms.

About the Project
Infinite Library Time Slot Website Banner © Goethe-Institut

Book your time slot
 Experience the Infinite Library in Colombo

In order to prevent you from long waiting hours, you have the option to book a time slot reserved for you to experience the main VR installation at the Infinite Library. 

The Infinite Library Tour

Upcoming Events

Abonnement Zeitungen lokal November 2022 © Goethe-Institut

Panel Discussion
»OUR WAYS OF KNOWING«

The panel discussion »Our ways of Knowing« explores local knowledge systems and practices that are deeply rooted in Sri Lanka’s historical and cultural context. It critically examines the relationship between what might be termed 'modern' education, scientific research and traditioanl systems of knowledge as it interacts with socio-political contexts of colonialism, nationalisn, and the policies that govern how traditional knowledge systems are practiced and reproduced. 

I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library."

Jorge Luis Borges

The Realms

Library of Shadows © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan

Togalu Gombeyaata in Karnataka, India
 Library of Shadows

The Library of Shadows shares puppets from the popular Hindu epic Samudra Manthan, that tells the story of the eternal struggle between the gods (devas) and demons (asuras). 
Library of Elements © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan

Celestial Garden of Medieval Alchemy
 Library of Elements

The Library of Elements is devoted to European medieval alchemy and brings three stages of alchemical transformation: Nigredo, Albedo, and Rubedo.
Library of Navigation © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan

Starpaths of the Pacific
 Library of Navigation

The Library of Navigation is devoted to Polynesian navigation, a knowledge system developed by a seagoing people that colonized the largest ocean in the world.

The World Premier: March 2022, New Delhi

Who's behind "The Infinite Library"?

Mika Johnson © Mika Johnson

Mika Johnson

Mika is the creative director of The Infinite Library and a multimedia artist by profession. He also works in many mediums, including as a director for fiction and documentary projects.

Anurupa Roy © Anurupa Roy

Anurupa Roy

Anurupa Roy is a puppeteer, puppet theatre director and puppet designer. She is the founder and managing trustee of the Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust, a puppet theatre group based in Delhi, India.

Jakub Hlaváček © Český rozhlas Vltava

Jakub Hlaváček

Jakub Hlaváček holds a doctorate in literature and is the publishing director of Malvern Publishing. He specializes in medieval European alchemy.

Christina Thompson © Maria Stenzel

Christina Thompson

Christina Thompson holds a doctorate in English, is an editor and lecturer. Her book Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia, about the history of Polynesian seafaring, has won several literary awards.

Learn more

Vasuki, Leather Puppet by Gunduraju-ji © (Detail): Gunduraju-ji | Sukhman Dhillon

Oral Storytelling
 The Many Forms of Indian Shadow Puppetry

Traditional performing art forms are very importantly rooted in India's cultural history. One such form is Shadow puppetry, characterized by narratives being passed down from one generation to the next .

Experience "The Infinite Library"

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Past Events

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