Sahapedia marks International Museum Day with events in 15 cities

Museum walks, workshops and lectures from May 13-20 will explore history, culture and traditions

New Delhi, May 14: Sahapedia.org, the open online resource on art and culture that has undertaken one of the largest museum mapping projects in India, is marking International Museum Day by encouraging people to understand their histories and traditions through antiquities, artefacts and knowledge protected and conserved by museums in their cities.

Sahapedia is celebrating the International Museum  Day from May 13-20, 2018 with a host of programmes including museum walks, workshops andbaithaks (talks) across 15 cities, in partnership with a number of social, cultural and not-for-profit organisations.

Two cities, Delhi and Ahmedabad hosted the inaugural walks on Sunday, May 13. The walk in the national capital was organised in partnership with the Delhi Police and customised for children of their employees who were taken on a tour of the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum that houses a vast collection of tribal and rural crafts as well as textiles and jewellery.

In Ahmedabad the participants visited the iconic Sanskar Kendra, marking the start of a week of walks and workshops led by a host of researchers and subject experts in cities including Srinagar, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Shillong, Baroda, Amritsar, Allahabad and Varanasi.

Sahapedia is a not-for-profit organisation carrying out extensive work in cultural documentation, research and conservation. One of its key projects is the free museumsofindia.org portal which was launched on International Museum Day on May 18 last year and aims to create an all-inclusive digital database of the more than 1,000 museums across India.

“One of the key objectives of International Museum Day is to raise awareness around museums and identifying them as significant spaces for cultural exchange and enrichment. Additionally, this year's theme — Hyper-connected museums: New approaches, new publics — is aligned with Sahapedia's Museum of India project 's vision of engaging with museum professionals and the audience through varied mediums available, both online and offline,” said Vaibhav Chauhan, Secretary, Sahapedia.

One of the key features of the International Museum Week, as with the nationwide India Heritage Walk Festival that Sahapedia had organised in February this year is ‘inclusivity’. The events scheduled over the week include specially crafted walks for underprivileged children in partnership with CRY in Bengaluru and Magic Bus in Mumbai.

A special blindfold tactile art workshop titled ‘Anubhuti’ is being organised in New Delhi on Friday, May 18 in partnership with Access for ALL.

Dr B. Venugopal, the former Director of the National Museum of Natural History will speak on accessibility and social inclusion in Kochi at the Kerala Museum of History on International Museum Day.

In Chandigarh a museum walk and a storytelling session will be held at the International Doll Museum on May 19.

“Sahapedia has always believed in making heritage engagement programmes more holistic and inclusive. These initiatives have the benefit of highlighting these issues to institutions, and indicating the need to alter heritage spaces into more inclusive spaces,” Mr Chauhan said.

देश के कलाकारों ने रची बिहार की स्वर्णिम गाथा

सदियों से कला-संस्कृति एवं रीति-रिवाजों के लिए बिहार का नाम अलग रहा है। यहाँ का अतीत काफी स्वर्णिम रहा है। भाषा बोली एवं परम्पराओं की विविधता के साथ ही कई योद्धा एवं ज्ञानी पुरुषों ने इस धरती के मान को बढ़ाया एवं भारतीय इतिहास में दर्ज कराया।

सम्राट अशोक, भगवान बुद्ध, भगवान महावीर से लेकर स्वतंत्रता संग्राम में योगदान देने वाले स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों की अलग-अलग कथा कहानी है। एक तरफ भोजपुरी, मगही , अंगिका, बज्जिका आदि बोलियों की अपनी संस्कृति है तो दूसरी तरफ मैथिल की अपनी सौंदर्य रचना है।

 विविधता की दुनिया में कल्पना करते हुए अपनी-अपनी सौंदर्य दृष्टि एवं कल्पनाओं के अनुरूप देश के २२ चित्रकारों ने बिहार म्यूजियम, पटना में चित्रों की रचना की।  कला संस्कृति एवं युवा विभाग, बिहार द्वारा आयोजित इस कला शिविर में अशोक तिवारी, नरेंद्र पाल सिंह, त्रिभुवन कुमार देव, भुनेश्वर भास्कर, नवल किशोर, राजेश चन्द, मानस रंजन जेना, राजेश श्रीवास्तव, के. के. गाँधी,  शिखा सिन्हा, अजय नारायण, मनीषा जैन, रविन्द्र दास, धर्मेंद्र कुमार, मिलन दास, मनोज बच्चन, कुसुमलता शर्मा, सोनल गुप्ता, विम्मी इंद्रा, डगलस, अनिल बिहारी, अनूप चाँद आदि हैं। शिविर के क्यूरेटर अमृत प्रकाश साह एवं म्यूजियम के निदेशक श्री युसुफ से कार्यक्रम के दौरान काफी गंभीर बातचीत होती रही। कलाकारों एवं कलाप्रेमियों के बीच आठ दिनों के इस शिविर में कई सुखद अनुभवों का एहसास हुआ। रंगों की आकृतियों में आनंद का अनुभव होता रहा   ........ काफी सुखद क्षण रहा   ........

भुनेश्वर भास्कर ___________  

Pioneering exhibition on Indian Civilisation opens at National Museum

New Delhi, May 5: A wide swath of the millennia-old Indian civilization came alive through a cluster of artefacts of astonishing brilliance as the National Museum today began a nearly two-month transcontinental exhibition that takes the viewers on an intriguing and exhilarating trip of the country’s spectacular past and its links with the outside world since antiquity. 

Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, President, IGNCA inaugurating the exhibition India & and the World: A History in Nine Stories, at the National Museum today. Also seen Dr. B. R. Mani, Director General, National Museum.

‘India and The World: A History in Nine Stories’, the first of its kind event in India, marks an unprecedented collaboration in museum exhibition with the British Museum, London; National Museum, New Delhi; Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai; and some 20 private collections pooling in their resources for the phenomenal show.     

Chief Guest Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, President, IGNCA, formally inaugurated the exhibition, unveiling a unique line-up of around 200 ancient and modern exhibits which offer a chronological and thematic depiction of the evolution of India with multiple expressions of art and artefacts, stories and aesthetics. 

Some of the eye-popping objects on display include the oldest known hand-axe in the world (1.7-1.07 million years) from Attirampakkam, Tamil Nadu; a replica of the Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro (2500 BC); a gold-horned Harappan humped bull (1800 BC); a Mughal miniature-inspired work by Rembrandt; an Ashokan Edict (250 BC); and an imprint of the Constitution of India having more than 50 paintings supervised by the renowned artist Nandalal Bose.

Shri Rai described the exhibition as a “journey through history”, taking Indians to “moments in history that are a matter of pride for us”.

“This is also a celebration of cultural exchanges and a moment to remember that our civilization has existed for millions of years and what it has given to the world in terms of culture, science and spirituality,” he said.

In a message, Mr. Matt Hancock, UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: “Culture is at the heart of the UK-India relationship and the living bridge that connects our two nations. This exhibition not only explores our shared history, but shows how our institutions are building partnerships that will last well into the future.  I am delighted that it has reached new audiences in Delhi and I look forward to seeing it myself when I host a launch event next week.”

A host of dignitaries, including British High Commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith; Shri L.N. Sharma, Chief Post Master General, Delhi Circle, Dr. Hartwig Fischer, Director, British Museum; and Shri Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General, CSMVS were present at the inauguration.

Dr Mahesh Sharma, Hon’ble Minister for Culture, and Shri Raghavendra Singh, Secretary (Culture) were unable to attend the inaugural due to pressing engagements, but they conveyed their good wishes for the success of the exhibition.

The 7-week epical exhibition at the museum, which comes after a successful showing in Mumbai, commemorates 70 years of Indian independence and a year of major cultural exchange between India and the UK. By offering 124 objects, the British Museum has become the biggest lender for the show and some of these exhibits have never been shown in India earlier.

National Museum Director-General Dr B R Mani in his welcome address said the exhibition has introduced new features in its Delhi leg, including Braille tactile feature for the visually challenged “for creating a tangible experience and a wide range of connections with the objects”.

He said the newly renovated National Museum library has set aside a collection of books in Hindi and English relating to the exhibition for scholars and interested visitors.

Among the iconic objects lent by the British Museum are the Greek copy of the Roman discus-thrower Discobolus (2nd AD), Olduvai handaxe, Head in the style of Alexander, a fishtail dagger, and the 2002 Throne of Weapons made from melted down machine guns and rifles used in Mozambique's civil war.

The exhibition has objects representing the focal theme  in the nine specially-designed galleries, each representing a pivotal moment in history: Shared Beginnings (1,700,000 years ago to 2000 BC), First Cities (3000–1000 BC), Empire (600 BC – AD 200), State and Faith (AD 100–750), Picturing the Divine (AD 200–1500), Indian Ocean Traders (AD 200-1650), Court Cultures (AD 1500–1800), Quest for Freedom (1800–Present), and Time Unbound.

In each gallery, about 6-7 Indian objects are centrally placed, and these are encircled by objects from world cultures, belonging to the same period, for comparable viewing within a global context. Conversations between objects from different places and times, between cultures and nations, are at the heart of the stories told by the exhibition. 

Dr. Hartwig Fischer, Director, British Museum said India and the World represented a new approach and new model of museum exhibition that sets one culture in a global context of shared histories and common ground, looking at similarities and differences and combing the strength of their collections and expertise.

Gallery view of one of the stories at India & and the World: A History in Nine Stories

“This is a history you will not find in textbooks and schools, in that provides a better understanding of how one culture has been in communication and exchange with another. It marks a new dimension and new stage in cooperation between global museums,” he said.

Shri Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General, CSMVS, described “India and the World” as a conversation between objects, cultures, religion and human minds.

“The nine galleries in the exhibition highlight nine iconic moment in Indian history in the context of happenings in other parts of the world,” he said. “It is articulation of India’s place in the world and provides an opportunity for discourse and cross-cultural encounters.”

On the occasion, National Museum released three books: Divyambara: Masterpieces of Costume from the National Museum Collection by Smt. Lotika Varadarajan; Kaivalyam: Jain Painting in the National Museum by Dr S.V. Tripathi and Pawan Jain; and An introduction to the Indus Valley Civilization by Sanjib Kumar Singh and Gunjan Kumar Srivastava.

Unveiling a special postal cover brought out by the Department of Post, Shri L.N. Sharma said the exhibition  showcases Indian history from two million years ago to the present day, not just displaying the regional connects but global links  that provide visitors with a lifetime opportunity and a great learning experience.

Souvenirs including T-Shirt, Designer Jewellery and Canvas Bag with the logo of National Museum were also released.

Dr Anamika Pathak, Curator and In Charge of Exhibition, National Museum proposed the vote of thanks.

Conceived over a period of two years of intense planning and curatorial brainstorming, ‘India and the World’ has been jointly curated by a team in the UK and India with Jeremy David Hill from the British Museum and Prof.  Naman P Ahuja of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi as the co-curators. 

The exhibition is being backed by events such as curatorial walks and talks, besides educational activities like stone tool, Harappan seal and bead making, currency design, scroll painting, clay moulding, blindfold photography and sculpture making, keeping in mind audiences across ages and tastes. There will also be theatre workshops, guided tours, thematic walks for kids and events like treasure hunt and online weekly quiz on the event’s website (https://www.indiaandtheworld.org).

A special feature of the exhibition is its tactile exhibits which, together with supporting aids, provide a multi-sensory experience to the audience. For this initiative, National Museum is collaborating with Access for ALL, Delhi Art Gallery and Radio Mirchi.

The exhibition, which is supported by the Union Culture Ministry, Tata Trusts, the Getty Foundation and the Newton Bhabha Fund, will run till June 30 from 10 am to 6 pm, except on Mondays and public holidays.

Applications open for second edition of Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowship

New Delhi, April 30: Sahapedia.org today announced the second edition of its Fellowship programme with UNESCO for cultural research and documentation. This follows the successful completion of the inaugural 2017 edition which generated scores of detailed audio-visual records of fascinating and often little-known aspects of Indian art, culture, tradition and heritage.

Convocation Ceremony

 The first edition of the Fellowship came to a close on Saturday (28 April) with a convocation ceremony. Awardees who were granted the Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowship in 2017 received their certificates from Mr. S. Ramadorai, President, Sahapedia on the grounds of Sanskriti Museums in New Delhi.

Sahapedia.org, an open online encyclopaedic resource on Indian arts, has begun featuring the content, and contributions of this edition shall be published in entirety by May 2018.

“One reason we launched the Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowship was to encourage the practice of mentorship and relationships between those in the field and those in the academy. The stronger the connections between experts, both practitioners and researchers, the greater our chances for successfully nurturing our cultural diversity and for its impacting other development goals,” Mr. Ramadorai said.

“All of us who are interested in any aspect of India’s arts and knowledge systems need to work together toward an ecosystem that strengthens the diverse and inclusive cultural foundation, which has sustained and moulded us as a country,” he added.

Presidential Address by Mr. S. Ramodarai

The research projects undertaken during the first edition reflect the geographical and cultural diversity of India — ranging from kolam-s (the ancient floor art that is still ubiquitous in homes across Tamil Nadu), Nirgun songs in the Bhojpuri language and Bengali Qawwali and traditional Muslim wedding songs from West Bengal to the marriage rituals in the Rong-Chu-gyud region of Ladakh and Ottoman Hammams in use during Mughal era.

Little-known traditions of the North East, including Folk Musical Instruments of the Poumai tribes, the Myths and Legends of the Angami Nagas and the Ka Poong Tai dance-drama of Tai Khamtis of Arunachal Pradesh have been recorded for posterity. Indian miniature art of the 17th-18th centuries from the collection of the Dresden State Museum in Germany was the subject for one award grantee.

The Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowships for 2018 are being supported by the Ministry of Culture,  through their scheme for Financial Assistance to Cultural Organizations with National Presence.

In the second edition of the Fellowships, Sahapedia has outlined a set of focus areas that will be given preference in the selection process. Details are available here: https://www.sahapedia.org/sahapedia-unesco-fellowships-2018

The Fellowships include a grant of Rs 40,000 each. Post-doctoral scholars, doctoral candidates, post-graduates, and graduates (including those students due to graduate in the summer of 2018) may apply.

The last date for applications is 15th June, 2018. Selected applicants are expected to begin their projects by August 2018 and complete it in six months.

Music Concert by Mala Ramadorai

“The Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowship is one process by which we support research on the diverse fields of arts and cultures of India, on both the well-known and the comparatively lesser known forms and expressions. It encourages both young scholars and field practitioners alike to engage with their areas of interest,” said Dr. Sudha Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Sahapedia.

“Through this Fellowship, we want to support individuals with their work on communities and practices that often do not get the attention they deserve and bring them to the notice of a wider public,” she added.

पटना को कला के केंद्र बिंदु के रूप में विकसित करने की दिशा में एक सार्थक पहल

अलका पांडेय दीप जलाकर उद्घाटन करते हुए 

कला एवं संस्कृति किसी भी देश की आत्मा है। इसके बिना देश का निर्माण संभव नहीं। अगर अपने देश की बात करें तो इसका महत्व और भी बढ़ जाता है क्योंकि भारत विभिन्न संस्कृतियों का सर्जक रहा है। यहाँ की कला और संस्कृति आदि काल से ही विश्व के कई हिस्सों में अपनी गहरी छाप छोड़ती आई है। भारत को सोने की चिड़िया बनाने में न जाने कितने ही कलाकारों ने अपना पसीना बहाया है , पर दुःखद है कि यहाँ के कलाकार, पिछले कुछ दशकों को छोड़ दें तो लम्बे समय से शोषित ही रहा। पर पिछले कुछ दशकों से कला के साथ-साथ कलाकारों ने भी सुनहरे सपने देखने शुरू कर दिए है। कारण है आर्थिक उछाल के साथ-साथ सरकारी और गैर सरकारी स्तर पर कला की महत्ता को गंभीरता से समझने की कोशिश और साथ- साथ रूचि पैदा करना। आज अगर हम राज्य के स्तर पर देखें तो बिहार नई संभावनाओं के साथ शीर्ष पर खड़ा दिखाई देता है।

अभी हाल ही में पटना के नवनिर्मित बिहार संग्रहालय में उद्योग विभाग, बिहार सरकार, उपेंद्र महारथी शिल्प अनुसंधान संसथान तथा पटना की कला संस्था रंग विकल्प के संयुक्त तत्वावधान में एक सिम्पोसियम का आयोजन किया गया।  विषय था "आर्ट फिलेनथ्रोपि एंड इन्वेस्टिंग इन फ्यूचर " । 

इस अवसर पर बिहार सरकार के मुख्य सचिव अंजनी कुमार सिंह ने अपनी बात रखते हुए कहा की बिहार सरकार, बिहार को कल्चरल हब बनाने के लिए सतत प्रयत्नशील है, बिहार संग्रहालय इसी का एक बड़ा उदहारण है। निर्माण के कुछ ही समय के भीतर अंतर्राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर अपनी छाप छोड़ने वाले इस संग्रहालय में अब तक कई राज्य, राष्ट्रिय एवं अंतर्राष्ट्रीय ख्यातिप्राप्त कलाकारों के कृतियों की प्रदर्शनी आयोजित हो चुकी है। इन आयोजनों से स्वस्थ कला का माहौल बनाने काफी मदद मिली है।

इंडिया हैबिटेट सेंटर, नई दिल्ली की अलका पाण्डेय ने भी अपनी बात उपस्थित श्रोताओं के सामने रखी। उन्होंने बिहार संग्रहालय को कलाकारों के लिए उपयुक्त मंच बताते हुए इंटरनेट के इस ज़माने में कलाकारों को भटकाव से बचने और अपनी जड़ो को न भूलने की अपील की।  

अपने सम्बोधन में उद्योग विभाग के सचिव एस. सिद्धार्थ ने कला बाजार को महत्वपूर्ण बताते हुए कहा कि इससे कला और कलाकार दोनों को उचित सम्मान मिलेगा साथ कलाकारों को जीवन यापन का रास्ता मिलेगा ।

रंग विकल्प के सचिव सन्यासी रेड ने सरकार के साथ-साथ निजि स्तर पर लोगों से कला में निवेश पर बल दिया।

कार्यक्रम का संचालन विकास नन्द ने किया।    

Kochi Biennale Foundation gets Asia Arts Game Changers Awards

Kochi, February 10: Acknowledging the immense contributions made by the Kochi Biennale Foundation towards the development of modern and contemporary art, Asia Society Centre on Thursday honoured the KBF founders Mr Bose Krishnamachari and Mr Riyas Komu with the prestigious Asia Society Asia Arts Game Changers Award 2018 at an event in New Delhi.

They were felicitated with the Asia Arts Vanguard award, which acknowledges and celebrates the work of eminent artists whose practice has brought a deeper understanding of the region to the people of Asia and beyond. 

Dedicating the award to the entire Indian art world, artists, patrons, the Government of Kerala and the people of Kochi, Mr Bose Krishnamachari, Director, KBF, said he and Mr Komu are proud to play a role in the project.

 

Riyas Komu, Arpita Singh, Bose Krishnamachari and Benitha Perciyal winners of Asia Arts Game Changers Awards 2018

“The project is only possible through the support of an ever growing art eco-system in India and we are proud to play a role in its evolution. Our work and mission continues and we hope this award will encourage greater philanthropy, corporate giving and government support for the arts across India,” he noted.

Mr Riyas Komu, Director of Programmes, KBF, expressed happiness on receiving the award and said it is a great honour for the biennale.

“It is a great honour for Kochi Biennale foundation to receive award from the Asia Society for being the Game changers in the modern and contemporary art. I would like to dedicate this award to the people of Kochi, a community which lives and celebrates the diversity of human existence,” he said.

Mr Komu also congratulated the other three winners.

The award was bestowed on them along with renowned artists Miss Benitha Perciyal from India, who had earlier associated with Kochi Biennale, Miss Arpita Singh and Mr Sun Xun from China.

This signature event brings together major art collectors, artists, gallerists, dignitaries from the art world, and Asia Society trustees and patrons to honour artists and arts professionals for their significant contributions to contemporary art. 

India Heritage Walk Festival 2018:

Month-long online film festival opens with Ray's Rabindranath Tagore

New Delhi, Feb 4: Biographies of timeless legends, the stories of forgotten men and women,

vanishing traditions, and unseen vignettes of India captured through the lens of the wandering

filmmaker feature in the line-up of documentaries that will be screened throughout February

during the month-long Online Heritage Film Festival.

The film screenings are part of the India Heritage Walk Festival 2018, a multi-city event organized

by Sahapedia, the online encyclopedia of Indian arts and culture, and YES Culture, the cultural

division of YES Global Institute, a practising think tank of YES BANK, to encourage people to

explore the tangible and intangible heritage of their cities and towns.

The Sarangi- Story of a Museum

A total of 25 films, including well-known classics as well as entries selected by a panel of eminent

arts and culture practitioners, including renowned dancer and former CBFC head Leela Samson,

are in the line-up for the festival which opened on Thursday (February 1) with Satyajit Ray's

award-winning 1961 Films Division documentary on Rabindranath Tagore.

Sahapedia willrelease one film nearly every day throughout the month on its Sahapedia will release one film nearly every day throughout the month on its  ww.youtube.com/user/sahapediaonline/featured at 10:00 am, and each is an exploration of

a remarkable facet of the subcontinent’s heritage in the form of people, arts, traditions or

architecture.at 10:00 am, and each is an exploration of a remarkable facet of the subcontinent’s

heritage in the form of people, arts, traditions or architecture.

Weavers of Maheswar (2016) by KeyaVaswani and Nidhi Kamath tells the story of people who’ve

worked hard to revive a vanishing handloom craft; The Sarangi- Story of a museum (2015) by

Manoj Bhandare and Raju Hittalamani is a journey through Kathmandu's museum of music and

musical instruments from Nepal and The Battle of Bhima Koregaon (2017) by Somnath

Waghamare celebrates the valour of the forgotten Mahar (untouchable) soldiers who overthrew

the Peshwa rule in Maharashtra.

Rabindranath Tagore

The lives of legends like Kalamandalam Gopi (1999), the Dhrupad maestros of the Dagar family

(Dagarvaani - 1993), and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (Bhavantarana – 1991) are documented in

some of the classics, while other films introduce viewers to lesser-known gems like The Shillong

Chamber Choir (2008) ; Mystique of Murshidabad(2014); Little Magazine Voices (2014)and

Hyderabadi tryst with Ittar(2017)

The screened films will be available for online viewing throughout the month.

The Film Festival is one among the many events scheduled for IHWF 2018 in February, 2018. The

month-long, multi-city event features nearly 70 public engagement events, including heritage

walks (themed, curated and guided tours conducted by experts), baithaks (talks), workshops and

instameets in nearly 20 cities, focusing on diverse aspects such as architecture, food, heritage,

crafts, nature, and art that make up the cultural fabric of our country.

Details of IHWF 2018 are available on: www.indiaheritagewalkfestival.com

Vaibhav Chauhan, Festival Director (IHWF) and Secretary, Sahapedia, says, “When we made a film

festival a part of India Heritage Walk Festival, it was an attempt to resonate with Sahapedia's

vision of providing varied forms of content on our rich heritage and culture. While there is

tremendous amount of multimedia content on Heritage, that deserves and requires promotion,

there is much still to be documented in an authentic and comprehensive fashion. We hope to

encourage this through the film festival, and highlight Sahapedia's role in providing a platform for creative work in this domain.”

Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO, YES BANK and Chairman, YES Global Institute, says, “India is blessed with a rich heritage and cultural history, which is abundantly manifested in monuments and

architectural sites across our country. Civil society participation in our Nation’s heritage, aided by

activities such as heritage walks, is integral to the preservation and conservation of these sites.

Such heritage tourism initiatives, with the whole hearted participation and involvement of local

communities and citizens, has the potential to instill immense national pride and further the

agenda of heritage development.”

Preeti Sinha, Glocal Convenor, YES Global Institute and Senior President, YES BANK, ‘As we move towards a ‘Digital India’, our vast and rich cultural heritage needs to leverage technology for the new digital age. Digital audio guides for heritage walks, videos and info-graphics for social media

platforms and high quality images of arts and monuments on app based platforms are changing

the way we consume and absorb India’s heritage. The online heritage film festival of India

Heritage Walk Festival is one such initiative to document and promote the various facets of Indian

civilization from some of the most enterprising film-makers. The IHWF is a free festival for the

people of India. We hope our citizens use this opportunity to reconnect with their past and its rich

creative history to build a new digital future.’

‘Biennale spaces equips visitors for extra sensory experiences’: Gauri Shinde

Kochi, Feb 25: In addition to the exhibited artworks, renowned filmmaker Gauri Shinde said the spaces of the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) are in themselves extra-sensory experiences for visitors.

“It is not just watching the art, but also having all your senses involved with the works exhibited. The venue itself equips us to perceive these special things. It may not have been a conscious decision by the artist or curator to communicate this, but you are still receiving the experience that way,” said Shinde, who directed the films Dear Zindagi and English Vinglish.

Noting that the judicious use of space in Aspinwall House and the positioning of the artworks allow visitors to integrate themselves into the experience, she added, “Our observation power somehow just increases 100 to 200 per cent. It is not just art lovers that can perceive the difference, but rather everyone from the connoisseur to the casual visitor.”

Renowned filmmaker and writer Gauri Shinde experiencing Miller Puckette's sound installation titled 'Four Sound Portraits' at onging Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 in Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi.

 Following a tour of Aspinwall House, the Biennale’s primary venue, on Friday, Shinde said visiting South Asia’s biggest contemporary art festival had been an eye-opening experience.

“This was a primary item on my bucket list. I haven’t seen anything like this in India and it actually reminds me of the standards at international art events and museums. The whole experience is very unique,” Shinde said.

She marked for special mention Mexican litterateur Valerie Mejer Caso’s multi-media installation ‘Untameable Light’ and the ‘Defile’ installation by Russian artist collective AES+F.

“These are works that demand your complete attention. Valerie’s multimedia installation is of that kind, while ‘Defile’ really hits you. It signifies how superficial these designer fashion and ideas of glamour are. It is a confluence of decay, death and superficial life,” she said.

सहपीडिया की 11 खंड वाली राष्ट्रपति भवन श्रृंखला जल्द ही वेब मॉड्यूल में होगी उपलब्ध

                  विश्वकोश संस्था अब देष में अन्य संस्थाओं, परियोजनाओं पर भी काम करेगी

 
नई दिल्ली, 24 फरवरी: भारत के राष्ट्रपति के 340 कमरे वाले भव्य एवं विशाल आधिकारिक निवास की कई खंडों वाली विशाल प्रलेखन परियोजना अब डिजिटल अवतार के लिए पूरी तरह से तैयार है।

Dr Sudha Gopalakrishnan (Left), Executive Director, Sahapedia and Dr Yashaswini Chandra (Right) greet Ms Omita Paul, Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan recently to mark the completion of the Multi-Volume Documentation Project on the historic heritage building.

इंदिरा गांधी राष्ट्रीय कला केन्द्र (आईजीएनसीए) के सहयोग से सहपीडिया द्वारा शुरू की गई यह महत्वाकांक्षी परियोजना अब इस गैर लाभकारी संस्था की वेबसाइट (www.sahapedia.org) पर संक्षिप्त वेब आधारित मॉड्यूल के रूप में उपलब्ध हो जाएगी। महान ब्रिटिश वास्तुकार एडविन लुटियन द्वारा डिजाइन किया गया और निर्मित, वास्तु पर आधारित, इस प्रतिष्ठित और भव्य राष्ट्रपति भवन पर जानकारी चाहने वालों के लिए यह काफी मूल्यवान साबित होगा।

भारत की कला, संस्कृति और विरासत पर एक खुला ऑनलाइन स्रोत, सहपीडिया ने इस परियोजना पर 2014 में काम शुरू किया और राष्ट्रपति भवन के वास्तुकला, कला, उद्यान और इतिहास जैसे विभिन्न पहलुओं को बहुत ही खूबसूरती से सचित्र पुस्तकों के रूप में संकलित किया है। ये खरीद के लिए अमेज़न इंडिया पर और प्रकाशन विभाग की बिक्री काउंटरों पर उपलब्ध हैं।

President Pranab Mukherjee with core team members of the non-profit encyclopaedic online arts body Sahapedia at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan recently. Sahapedia has just concluded a three-year-long multi volume documentation project on the official residence of the President of India.

साहपीडिया के परियोजना प्रबंधक यशस्विनी चंद्रा ने कहा, ‘‘हमने पुस्तकों के साथ-साथ वेब मॉड्यूल की एक श्रृंखला भी तैयार की है और जल्द ही उन सभी को साहपीडिया की साइट पर अपलोड कर दिया जाएगा। ये इमारत के इतिहास और विरासत की बेहतर समझ हासिल करने के लिए शोधकर्ताओं और आम लोगों दोनों के लिए मूल्यवान होंगे।

पुस्तकों के 11 खंडों में सात मुख्य खंड और चार अतिरिक्त खंड हैं, इसके अलावा दो खंड बच्चों के लिए भी है। सभी खंडों में ऐतिहासिक इमारत का पूरा ब्यौरा दिया गया है जो पहले कभी वायसराय हाउस के नाम से जाना जाता था।

पुस्तकों की सूची में शामिल हैं ‘‘राइट आॅफ लाइन: द प्रेसिडेंट्स बाॅडीगार्ड’, ‘द प्रेसिडेंसियल रिट्रीट्स आॅफ इंडिया’, ‘फर्स्ट गार्डेन आॅफ द रिपब्लिक: नेचर इन द प्रेसिडेंट स्टेट’, ‘ए वर्क आॅफ ब्यूटी: द आर्किटेक्चर एंड लैंडस्केप आॅफ राष्ट्रपति भवन’, ‘द आर्ट्स एंड इंटीरियर्स आॅफ राश्ट्रपति भवन: लुटियन्स एंड बेयंड’, ‘एराउंड इंडियाज़ फर्स्ट टेबल: डायनिंग एंड इंटरटेनिंग एट द राष्ट्रपति भवन’ और ‘लाइफ एट राष्ट्रपति भवन’।

पिछले हफ्ते राष्ट्रपति ने परियोजना के पूरा होने को चिह्नित करने के लिए सहपीडिया से कोर परियोजना टीम के साथ- साथ सहायक विषेशज्ञों को जिम्मेदारी सौंपी थी। परियोजना टीम ने लगभग 50 विद्वानों, शिक्षाविदों, फोटोग्राफर, शोधकर्ताओं, संपादकों और डिजाइनरों के समूह को सफलतापूर्वक प्रबंधित किया।

President Pranab Mukherjee with Dr Sudha Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director of Sahapedia, a non-profit encyclopaedic arts body at the Rashtrapati Bhavan recently. Sahapedia has recently concluded a three-year-long multi volume documentation project on the official residence of the President of India.

यशस्विनी ने कहा, ‘‘इस अवसर पर राष्ट्रपति के सचिव ओमिता पाॅल ने कहा कि यह परियोजना एक चुनौती थी  लेकिन हमें इससे काफी अनुभव हुआ। इस असवर पर राष्ट्रपति प्रणब मुखर्जी के साथ एक ग्रुप फोटो लिया गया था।’’

सहपीडिया की कार्यकारी निदेषक डाॅ. सुधा गोपालकृष्णन ने कहा, ‘‘सभी लोगों ने बताया कि यह एक बहुत ही अनोखी और जटिल परियोजना है जिसमें प्रत्येक क्षेत्र के शीर्ष विशेषज्ञों को शामिल किया गया है। हमारे पास पुस्तकों पर काम करने वाले अति विशिष्ट फोटोग्राफर थे और हमने सभी नए तस्वीरों के साथ- साथ दुर्लभ अभिलेखीय तस्वीरों का इस्तेमाल किया। हम इसे समय पर लाकर बहुत खुश हैं और आर्थिक मदद प्रदान करने के लिए आईजीएनसीए के आभारी हैं।’’

टेक्स्ट के साथ संलग्न काफी संख्या में चित्रों और तस्वीरों को प्राथमिक स्रोतों से और अभिलेखीय अनुसंधान द्वारा लिया गया है।

इस परियोजना से जुड़े कुछ प्रमुख नामों में शामिल हैं: एस. कालिदास, कुलदीप कुमार, शर्मिश्ठा मुखर्जी, लीला वेंकटरमण, स्क्वाड्रन लीडर (सेवानिवृत्त) राणा टी.एस. छिना, दिनेश खन्ना, गिलियन राइट, प्रो. अमिता बविस्कर, नरेंद्र बिष्ट, प्रदीप कृष्ण, डॉ. नारायणी गुप्ता, राम रहमान, प्रो ए.जी.के. मेनन, प्रो. पार्थ मित्तर, प्रो. नमन पी. आहूजा और डॉ. लीसी कोलिंघम।

President Pranab Mukherjee with Dr Sudha Gopalakrishnan (third from right), Executive Director of Sahapedia, a non-profit encyclopaedic arts body with the core team that worked on the just concluded multivolume documentation project on Rashtrapati Bhavan at the official residence of the President of India, recently.

एक गैर-लाभकारी संस्था के रूप में, सहपीडिया ने भारत के सांस्कृतिक विरासत का काफी प्रलेखन किया है और इसका उद्देष्य देश की दृश्य और प्रदर्शन कला, साहित्य और भाषाओं के ज्ञान संसाधन आधार को बनाना है।

चालू कैलेंडर वर्ष में, विश्वकोश संस्था ने देश भर में फैले लगभग 20-25 परियोजनाओं पर काम करने की योजना बनाई है।

डॉ. गोपालकृष्णन ने कहा, ‘‘हम देश में भक्ति परंपराओं और अन्य संस्थानों का भी दस्तावेज़ीकरण करेंगे। ऐसा पहली बार हुआ है कि एक निजी संस्था ने भारत की सांस्कृतिक विरासत और कला के कई पहलुओं को प्रतिबिंबित करने का ऐसा बड़ा प्रयास किया है।’’

‘Confusing’ Road movie, a decade in the making, to be screened at Biennale

KBF to show artist-filmmaker Babu Eshwar Prasad’s Gaalibeeja as part of Artists’ Cinema package

Kochi, Feb 22: An extension of his canvas onto the cinema screen, Gaalibeeja (2014) – the debut feature by noted painter Babu Eshwar Prasad – is as known to film audiences for its arresting visuals and critique of modernity as for having baffled the Censor Board.

With its sparse dialogue, existential concerns and fragmented non-linear narratives, the Kannada film is intended as an homage to the ‘road movie’ genre with “the road itself the protagonist”. It was initially denied a screening certificate after being deemed ‘too confusing’.

Literally translating to ‘Wind seed’, Gaalibeeja will be shown in a special package, titled ‘Cinema from the Sub-continent’, today (Feb 22) at the Pavilion, Cabral Yard, at 6.30 pm. A Q&A session follows the screening. Films in the package, conceptualised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation, will be screened intermittently as part of the ‘Artists’ Cinema’ programme.

“Just as the seed travels in the wind, my movie is about a journey. I have always had this fascination with journeys. I have also been most attracted to road movies. The road movie is the ultimate ‘vehicle’ for a character on a journey of reflection and change,” Prasad said.

While it reflects the works of filmmakers Jim Jarmusch, and Abbas Kiarostami, the film is at its core a dialogue with the iconic film Alice in the Cities (1977) by German auteur Wim Wenders – one of the first road movies Prasad saw. “I can never forget the impression it made on me,” said Prasad, who was first exposed to world cinema as a printmaking student at MSU-Baroda.

“The desire to make a film has been a longstanding one. As an artist devouring good cinema, I wanted to pursue filmmaking as an art form. All those years of watching have helped crystallise my ideas on the stories I want to tell and the way I want to tell them,” said the Bengaluru-based artist, who had been shooting footage during car journeys along the featured road since 2006.

Seen through the eyes of a civil engineer, the 96-minute wholly self-financed movie is about his encounters during a road-widening project in an unnamed village and along the way. “Many characters in the movie are inspired by real life people whom I have met or have known. In that way, this is a very personal, even autobiographical, endeavour,” Prasad said.

It derives also from his artistic practice as a painter of landscapes. “Landscape has been my central preoccupation in my painting. It is a loaded genre which speaks of many things at the same time and I want to look at all its dimensions. Most of all I want to be able to witness the changes it has been undergoing – not as a direct statement, but as a more understated and complex process underway,” Prasad said.

“As an artist, one always works with the still frame. With cinema, one has the possibility of speaking to movement and sound. I wanted to capture the moving landscape,” he added.

Enchanting images of Paris by debut photographer Rupin Thomas

New Delhi, Feb 20: Various facets of the beautiful city of Paris captured though its breathtaking vistas, iconic architecture, sublime cemeteries, its sunsets and full-of-life graffiti, have been brought alive through a brand new debut exhibition by photographer Rupin Thomas.

 Comprising 50 images that take a look at life in and around the ‘City of Love', the week-long show, titled  'La vie à Paris: A Study in Volition,' was inaugurated last evening at the Lalit Kala Akademi here by Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant along with ace fashion designer Ritu Beri. They also launched a catalogue designed and conceptualised by Rupin at the opening of the show, which continues till February 25.

 "It is a pleasure to see Rupin's work; he has captured the feel of one of the most fascinating cities of the world. Paris is a favourite city for travellers; its history, its people and its culture are fascinating. He gives a beautiful visualisation to the multicultural ethos of the city inhabited by people from Africa, the Arab world and other countries. The artist has also captured both the quiet solitude and people chilling out in parks in the city,” he said after the inauguration.

An economist by training who has spent over 10 years in the US and around four years travelling across Europe, Rupin spent more than three summers documenting the evolving city of Paris, focusing especially on the brilliant juxtaposition of the old and the new.

Curated by Uma Nair, the photographs selected from a total of 6,000 images are mounted in four sections with a cross-section of the famed iconic Eiffel Tower and a picture of the 10th Arrondissement just below it greeting visitors. The four distinct segments are  Landscapes, Still Life Studies, Solitaire - - Quiet Corner and Street Art and Graffiti.

Congratulating the photographer designer Ritu Beri said, "It is a fantastic exhibition and the pictures do justice to the city. For me Paris is my second home and I have often felt that I was French in my last life because I seem to fit in there very easily despite not knowing the language when I first went there 20 years ago.”

 The celebrated fashion designer said Paris is beautiful, but so is India. “I think the next exhibition by Rupin should be set in India," she added.

 Mr. Kant also urged the photographer to show his next work based on India.

"Rupin has given a great insight into Paris. He has captured it so beautifully; I greatly enjoyed it. Hope he does his next exhibition about India," he said.

 Famed artist Arpana Caur, who is known for her own collection of images, was among the throng of early visitors to the show.

 “I am deeply moved by the idea of unveiling Paris though its cemeteries and gravestones. To represent the beauty of a city through the element of death and the idea of eternity through its architectural elements is indeed a discerning study," she said.

 The artist also became the first collector of Rupin's oeuvre as she booked the picture of a three- legged chair in a graveyard belonging to the theme ‘Quiet Corners’.

The 34-year-old photographer said the purpose of the exhibition is to showcase the diversity of Paris "where people from different walks of life and countries come to work.”

 The inauguration was attended, among others, by Hindi poet Surendra Sharma, National Gallery of the Modern Arts (NGMA) Director General Adwaita Gadanayak, Director General, AIR (News) Sitanshu Kar and a host of artists and photographers. 

‘Biennale a forum to exert pressure on system of neglect’: Riyas Komu

KMB co-founder delivered inaugural address at two-day international symposium
on the political and economic pressures on art production and art curation

Kochi, Feb 08: Providing an overview of the past half-century of art infrastructure-building in India, renowned artist and Koch-Muziris Biennale (KMB) co-founder Riyas Komu described the Biennale as the inheritor of a pan-Indian tradition of artist-led activism.

“Despite the absence of proper institutional structures and lack of support from the central government, Indian art has evolved through the efforts and leadership of strong practising artists and movements. Over successive political administrations and national budgets, art has continued to be neglected. The Biennale is a challenge to this system,” Komu said here today.

KMB co-founder Riyas Komu speaking during the 'Curating Under Pressure' conference session with Leonhard Emmerling (left), Programme Director South Asia at Goethe-Institut, and Aaron Kreisler, from Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury.

Komu was delivering the inaugural address at a two-day international symposium that seeks to address a range of concepts and contexts and ask what they mean for the ethics of curating. Titled ‘Curating Under Pressure’, the conference – co-hosted by the Kochi Biennale Foundation and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan – runs till Wednesday at the Pavilion in Cabral Yard.

Over that time, it will explore questions around political and economic pressures on a biennale, censorship and how the contemporary arts respond to these and similar constraints. Among the questions discussed will be the role of art in times and circumstances of pressure and whether biennials – currently the most successful model of international art exhibitions – have the power to instigate change.

“The KMB is a project with many layers of pressure. Despite these, it has become a forum for different kinds of resources and agencies – previously functioning in niches – to come together and put pressure on the system,” Komu said, noting that the Biennale had successfully sustained its artistic spirit over three editions.

“In the 2016-17 Budget, the Union government had allocated Rs 2,500 crores to culture, which was about 0.13 per cent of the total allocation – to be split between the country’s libraries, museums, ASI, Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana, cultural institutions, among other beneficiaries. The Biennale is challenging this system by generating an ecosystem of creativity by art-making, curatorial exercises and artist practitioners,” he said.

 KMB 2016 Bose Krishnmachari during a panel discussion at the 'Curating Under Pressure' conference with (from left) Leonhard Emmerling (left), Programme Director South Asia at Goethe-Institut, Alisa Prudnikova, Azar Mahmoudian and Shuddhabrata Sengupta

This was a sentiment echoed and remarked upon throughout the first day, which saw participation from Leonhard Emmerling, Programme Director South Asia at Goethe-Institut, Aaron Kreisler, from Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, of the Raqs Media Collective, which curated the 11th Shanghai Biennale, Berlin Biennale Director Gabriele Horn and Reem Fadda, Curator of the sixth Marrakech Biennale.

In a session titled ‘Censorship and State Interference’, KMB co-founder Bose Krishnamachari noted that the KMB was unique because it prioritised artistic freedom despite budgetary pressures. The discussion also examined the role of art in the face of political pressure and explored ways to respond to censorship and state-attempts to co-opt events like biennales.

Krishnamachari was part of a panel featuring Sengupta, Artistic Director of the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art in Russia Alisa Prudnikova and Azar Mahmoudian, who was part of curatorial team of the 11th Gwangju Biennale.