Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Last month

I have not been able to record quite a lot of things that have been going on in the last two months. I was invited by my friend Nisha Nair to host/conduct the book opening of her very first curatorial project 'People Called Mumbai'. The event took place at the Hive in Bandra - a fascinating labrynthine building that creates cells for working and different cultural activities. I wasn't able to document the place extensively, but I will probably go there again to capture it.

Before all that, I was busy putting up an exhibition at SEA for the advisory meeting that happened on Jan 9th. I also intended to bring out our first newsletter then, however, it will only be released now after the student works have been put in - those that were displayed in the exhibition. The newsletter also underwent some revisions and scrutiny.

The next week after the exhibtion, we went for a study trip to Dahanu for a week. We spent considerable time with Design Jatra that includes Pratik Dhanmer, Shardul Patil, Mayukh Gosavi and Anuradha Wakade. We also met Rima, a third year intern from Academy of Architecture who is currently assisting the practice. I enjoyed all of their enthusiasm, passion and command over their subject of traditional building practices in Murbad and its engagement with natural landscape.

Right after my return from the study tour, I flew off to Delhi for putting up CAMP's exhibition; after which I have been in Bombay compiling the study tour work with students at school. At the same time, I have gotten busy with CAMP's next exhibition that will but put up at Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla. The different geographies I have cut in this short span of time need detailed posts, those that get formulated in the head, but I have not been able to put things down on the blog only due to the lack of committed time.

For example, setting up the exhibition at Jorbagh in Delhi deserves some attention, for I got to experience a many eccentricities of art and artists. Covering up a whole building in a single mask, chopping off windows from walls, drilling into beams and columns, hanging objects from ceilings, removing windows - all was done to make the space suited for the planned exhibit. Further, installing the exhibits and the way they come together in the chaos of the space was even exciting. I want to recount these events in detail.

While at Delhi, I got the opportunity to meet people like Jeebesh Bagchi, Ashish Rajyadhyaksha, and some others of whom I have heard of being prominent in the contemporary cultural scene in India. At the same time, I got introduced to Amol Patil and Poonam Jain from the Clark House Initiative (artist group in Mumbai) with whom we did some parts of the CAMP installations in Jorbagh. Poonam and Amol were in Delhi for putting up their own art shows at the Japan Foundation. They happily came to help CAMP after finishing their work at the foundation. Both, Amol and Poonam studied at Rachana Sansad, and that immediately opened up a common circle of people we knew. Further, we found out that we live in the same neighbourhood in Mumbai! We connected quickly. After my return, I got to meet the entire team of Clark House for a collaborative project that will be executed at the Bhau Daji Lad museum.

I may not be able to write on all of these different engagements in detail - since it all depends on the moods of the author and the space I am in, and also because then the time for reading or thinking about it will be gone. But I must certainly record some instances that gave me satisfaction, pleasure and added to my knowledge of understanding the world. Details will come subsequently.












1 comment:

AKHIL said...

Please CALL ME when you come to ranibaug next! my house is literally one minute away from there and workplace is 3-4 mins away by car!