For the Foundation Project implemented by IFA which will facilitate research towards documentation and recognition of Sikki and Moonj craft forms as important practices from the state of Bihar, using the existing collection at the regional gallery of the Bihar Museum, Patna as an entry-point. The project aims to create a research-based intervention to revive these crafts through a participatory designer-artist approach to ensure inclusivity of the community. The outcomes of the project will be a knowledge bank documenting the crafts in the form of brochures, catalogues for products that artists can make using the craft forms, and samples of products developed and created. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be the audio-visual documentation of the crafts, interviews of the artists, copies of brochures and product catalogues, the sample designs of the developed products with their photographs along with recordings of the workshops. This is a collaboration with the Bihar Museum. Project funds will pay for workshop costs, contract fees, travel and living, production, printing and purchase of books.
For the Foundation Project implemented by IFA which will facilitate research towards challenging the traditional museum catalogue to design one or more decks of 52 cards - a kind of ‘pocket museum’ - created as a game that would be a tool for curatorial reimagination of the collection at the regional gallery at the Bihar Museum, Patna. The outcomes of the project will be these decks of cards with possible interactive screens and QR codes to aid visitors to curate their own exhibitions digitally, a reference map, and a digital rendition of the game that can be played remotely. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be the set of physical cards, samples of visitor curated digital exhibitions, the reference map and the digital version of the game, along with recordings of workshops conducted for in-house curators and visitors. This is a collaboration with the Bihar Museum. Project funds will pay for contract fees, printing and pre-production.
For the Foundation Project implemented by IFA which will explore the role that the music programmes of the All India Radio Aizawl played in the lives of ordinary people in Mizoram, amid the depressing reality of insurgency and state repression. It aims to problematise simplistic narratives and offer a more nuanced understanding of peace and progress in contemporary discussions. The project will enquire into the shared sense of community experienced by the listeners and its impact on their faith and identity. The outcome of this project will be a monograph. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be a monograph and audiovisual documentation from the field. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, and archive fees.
For the Foundation Project implemented by IFA which will explore the oral narratives around a local hero, a Veeragara, Veera Tammanna of the Kadu Golla community in Karnataka. In an attempt to understand the ways in which marginalised voices are often ignored or silenced by dominant narratives, the project will enquire into discrepancies in documentation and Veera Tamanna’s absence from the historical discourse of the region. The project will not only attempt to document the prevalent oral narratives about this hero, but also construct a new song as a conversation between him and King Ranabhaire Gowda, the ruler of the region.Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the song, the monograph and audiovisual documentation from field visits. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, production, studio hire and purchase of books.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which will engage sixth to tenth grade students from the Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya, in Kalkeri village, Dharwad, Karnataka, who study music, to explore the world of the makers of musical instruments of Miraj, and build connections with them. This project will enable students to understand and appreciate their contributions to Hindustani music. The outcomes of the project will be a public performance and a process document of the project. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be recording of the performance, photographs, the process document and video documentation of the entire project. Project funds will pay for workshop costs, contract fees, travel and living, performance, documentation and purchase of books.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will critically explore the experiences of migration of the queer and trans community from Kerala to Bangalore resulting in a report/monograph on the queer history of Kerala drawing primarily from the materials at the Queer Archive for Memory, Reflection and Activism (QAMRA) at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. The project will critically examine the archival materials at QAMRA, and collect stories pertaining to such migration from the community. The outcomes of the project will be the report/monograph and possibly an exhibition or other cultural productions based on the research findings. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the report/monograph and recordings from the exhibition or cultural productions, if any. This is a collaboration with the QAMRA at NLSIU Bengaluru. Project funds will pay for contract fees and travel and living.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will explore two stories that run in opposing directions – the one of ascension of Siliguri with its progress as a town; and the other of loss, cultural disruption and continued deprivation of the river Teesta. Investigating this peculiar nexus, in which the geological changes of the river is the narrative of a town and its population, the project will attempt a fresh biography of both, exploring songs, dances, prayers, recipes and literary narratives of Siliguri and river Teesta and their meandering and conflicting histories. The outcomes of this project will be an essay in Bangla and English, audiovisual documentation from the field, and a digital archive. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the essay in Bangla and English, extensive audiovisual documentation, a link to the digital archive, and a download of the material of the digital archive in soft copy. Project funds will pay for travel and living, contract fees, purchase of books, hire of equipment, printing, materials, library and archive fees, and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will study the unexplored history of shoemaking in Dehradun Valley to understand what the craft and making of essential objects tell us about the history of a place and people, especially the shoemakers in this case. The outcomes of this project will be a photo essay and a short film on a select set of shoemakers from Dehradun. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the photo essay and the short film. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing, hire of equipment, library and archive fees, and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will explore the question of modernity and citizenship in cinema in the erstwhile princely states of Hyderabad, Kolhapur, Jaipur, and Indore. To understand the history of cinema outside of the framework of film as an industry and profit-making enterprise, this project will examine how rulers of the princely system viewed and engaged with cinema as patrons. The outcomes of this project will be an essay, an exhibition and audiovisual documentation from the field. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the reports, will be an essay, documentation of the exhibition and audiovisual documentation. Project funds will pay for travel and living, production, hire of equipment, library and archive fees, and purchase of books.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will examine the significance and impact of printed Arabi-Malayalam magazines run by women publishers and editors from the Mappila community in Kerala in the early 20th century. Through a study of the readers, writers, content, and topics covered by the magazines, the project will explore the subaltern history of Mappila women and document unrecorded and unrecognised voices of this minority community. The outcomes of this project will be an exhibition and audiovisual documentation of the magazines and interviews from the field. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be a documentation of the exhibition and audiovisual documentation of magazines and interviews from the field. Project funds will pay for contract fees, premiere of the exhibition, documentation, travel and living, hire of equipment, materials, library and archives fees, printing, and software subscriptions.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which aims to offer a revisionist reading of the pocket-sized Hanuman Book series printed out of Madras (present-day Chennai) and published in New York between 1986 and 1993 by the artist Francesco Clemente and writer Raymond Foye. The project will reflect upon and critique how they heavily used Indian craft traditions and processes while keeping these books out of circulation in southern India. The project will bring these texts and histories back into circulation, with particular attention to their distribution in South Asia. The outcomes of this project will be a digital archive and audiovisual documentation with annotated notes. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables, along with the final reports, will include a digital archive of researched documents, interview transcripts and audiovisual documents with annotated notes. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing, hire of equipment, purchase of books and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will investigate the cultural memory of exile and identity formation in Chhota Lucknow, situated in Metiaburuz, Kolkata. It will attempt to understand the narratives of displacement of a community that was the custodian of the Nawabi culture of Lucknow in Kolkata, and that underwent systematic marginalisation over several decades while clinging on to the fading cultural memory of Lucknow and Wajid Ali Shah. The outcomes of this project will be a multimedia exhibition, audiovisual documentation, a lecture demonstration and an essay. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be documentation from the multimedia exhibition and lecture demonstration, audiovisual documentation, and the essay. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, premiere of the exhibition, production, and documentation.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will examine the role of illustrations in a variety of Tamil magazines in the second half of the 20th century. It will seek to understand how the ascription of supplementary nature of illustrations to fictional narratives was understood and negotiated in the public sphere. The outcomes of this project will be an open-source digital repository and a monograph. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with reports, will be a link to and a sample from the digital repository and the monograph. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, archive fees and purchase of equipment.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will study the Muslim community’s spatial formations and sensorial practices in Kayalpattinam, a southern coastal town in Tamil Nadu. It will examine how various traditions negotiate the influx of modernity in different socio-religious contexts in a Muslim-majority district. The outcomes of this project will be an essay, audiovisual documentation, and a catalogue of ritual performances and built forms. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with final reports, will be an essay, audiovisual documentation, and a catalogue of ritual performances and built forms.Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, premier of exhibition, documentation, hire of equipment, archive fees, library fee, printing, purchase of books, stationery, and materials.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will create a multimedia installation using the forgotten subaltern literary and music genre Gujili Paatu of Madras from the early 20th century, and classical Sangam literature. Drawing from the real-life love stories of five women reported in newspapers, government reports, interviews, and journals, the project will examine the underlying connections among Sangam literature, Gujili Paatu and contemporary literary and artistic expressions to trace the continuum of the theme of love in Tamil cultural traditions. The outcome of this project will be a multimedia installation. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with final reports, will be a copy of the installation as an experimental film. Project funds will pay for contract fees, production, travel and living, hire of equipment, and purchase of books.
