For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will research, document and analyse how the University of Mysore has been documented and portrayed in the Star of Mysore newspaper since the late 1970s. Unlike ‘official’ histories, the project will attempt to narrate the quotidian stories of the University gleaned from opinion columns, photographs and articles from the newspaper’s archives. The outcomes will be a database of the newspaper’s coverage of the University; a visual essay based on this coverage; podcasts and written interviews with alumni who have written for the newspaper; and periodic articles for the newspaper based on research on the scholarly cultures of Mysore. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the visual essay, podcasts, written interviews, articles and the database. This is a collaboration with the Star of Mysore newspaper, Mysore. Project funds will pay for contract fees and production expenses.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA to create an accessible, digital archive of the Star of Mysore’s reports on the built heritage in Mysore and investigate their impact on the government’s and citizens’ involvement in protecting and revitalising old buildings. The project will also explore conservation efforts, disputes over re-structuring the buildings, and their significance in citizens’ lives. The outcomes will be the digital archive; an interactive social media account (Instagram and Twitter) of heritage buildings as seen through the lens of the newspaper, together with views of the lay public; an archive of oral histories about the buildings gathered from the local community; and public programmes including talks and walks. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the digital archives, access to the social media account and recordings of the public events. This is a collaboration with the Star of Mysore newspaper, Mysore. Project funds will pay for contract fees, production expenses, transport, venue hire and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will result in five to seven short animated pieces strung together as a film in English and Kannada, bringing to life selected exhibits from the SL Bhatia Museum, Library and Archives. The aim is to make science accessible to children by telling stories of human persistence in medicine. The outcomes will be the animated pieces; the film; a booklet about the animated exhibits in English and Kannada, together with experiments and games based on the collection; and public programmes including tours developed around the animated exhibits and virtual and physical screenings of the film. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the animated pieces, the film, booklet and recordings of the public programmes. This is a collaboration with the SL Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore. Project funds will pay for contract fees, production expenses and local travel.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Arts Platforms which will curate a series of 12 to 15 sessions of discussion on the online platform titled Re-Cognising Dance. Propelled by a need to create a healthy and safe space for building dance scholarship in India, this series hopes to build robust and stimulating conversations on neglected themes, bridge the classical-folk divide, and provide access to resources, collaborations, scholars and mentors in the field of dance. The outcomes from this project will be the 12 to 15 virtual sessions of discussion and a website that will be a repository of textual and audio-visual materials. The Project Coordinators’ deliverables to IFA with the final report will include recordings of the sessions of discussion and a download of the website. Project funds will pay for contract fees, zoom and canva subscriptions, and website domain and hosting.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, which will re-examine Hyderabad’s public museums and archives as social institutions at a time when the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated into two states, with Hyderabad as the capital of both from 2014-2024. Investigating this particular decade (in which the collections too are being bifurcated), the project will attempt a new collective biography of these institutions that will address their origins, collection records and ownership dilemmas over conflicting histories and contested objects and artefacts. The outcomes of this project will be a symposium and a series of museum podcasts. The Project Coordinators’ deliverables to IFA with the final report will be audiovisual documentation of the symposium proceedings and copies of the podcasts. Project funds will pay for contract fees and the symposium.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project implemented by IFA under Arts Projects (Research/Practice), which will investigate the narratives of visual culture and spatial politics in Bangalore through a study of the evolution of public statues and sculptures since the early 1990s. The outcomes of the project will include an archival photo collection of public statuary, six to eight in-depth case studies of public statues, and a public exhibition highlighting the project findings. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the archival photo collection of public statuary with annotations, maps, a detailed illustrated project report of six to eight in-depth case studies, and detailed documentation of the public exhibition, including publicity creatives, photographs and audio-visual documentation. Project funds will pay for contract fees, exhibition, local conveyance and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project implemented by IFA under Arts Projects (Research/Practice), which will create a theatrical production on Bangalore’s imminent water crisis. The play will focus on the paradoxes of Bangalore’s development such as the inequalities created by water scarcity, the changing imagery and management of water as it moves through the city, and a future-focussed approach towards sustainability. The outcomes of the project will be a playscript and the production. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the playscript, and photographs and audio-visual documentation of the production. Project funds will pay for contract fees, production, consumables and travel and living.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, which will study the sociopolitical and cultural history of Manipur between the 1960s and 1970s through the work of a group of poets known as the ‘Angry Poets of Manipur’. The project will attempt to understand poverty, unemployment and corruption during this period through their writing and through detailed interviews with them. The outcome of this project will be a set of audiovisual songs based on the poetry and interviews. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a set of audiovisual songs and documentation of the interviews from the field. Project funds will pay for contract fees, equipment hire, books and stationery, and travel.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, which will create an interactive map of the alternative history of film as told by a location scout in Bombay in the 1970s. By situating itself along historical and present labour routes in the city, it will attempt to organise and record the myriad subcultures of the cinema as they exist in the city. The outcome of this project will be a virtual interactive map. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a copy of the map, a link to the virtual map online and audiovisual documentation from the field. Project funds will pay for travel and living, contract fees, production, books and library and printing and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, which will investigate the ways in which youth from marginalised caste groups navigate the contemporary Kannada theatre space, by examining the conflicts they grapple with to claim their cultural legacies. The project will explore the layered cultural hegemonies of Kannada theatre, the possibilities of imagining counter-cultural aesthetics, and how gender affects these negotiations. The outcomes of this project will be a theatre production, a workshop, an essay in Kannada and English and an online oral archive of interviews from the field. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be audiovisual documentation of the workshop and theatre production, an essay, and a link to the online archive. Project funds will pay for professional fees, production and travel and living.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that engages eighth grade students of the Government High School in Baganakatte, Shivamogga district in an in-depth study of stone inscriptions in Shivamogga. They will develop a short theatre script based on the local stories found on these inscriptions by connecting them to their Kannada language curriculum. The outcome of the project will be a performance in the presence of school staff and villagers. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will include photographs and video documentation of the performance and the entire project. Project funds will pay for honorarium, material, workshop, professional fees, performance, documentation and travel.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that engages students from fifth and sixth grade of the Government Higher Primary School in Avverahalli, Ramanagara district to explore the flora and fauna of the seven hills around Ramanagara. They will do this through a series of hiking expeditions and engagements with visual arts, theatre and storytelling, which connect to their geography, science and language curricula. Curriculum-based outdoor learning pedagogy will provide firsthand experiences in a natural learning environment. The outcomes of this project will be a performance and an exhibition for school staff and community members, and a publication containing the children’s writings. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will include the publication, photographs and video documentation of the entire project. Project funds will pay for honorarium, travel, exhibition and performance, professional fees, workshop and printing.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, which will study the non-dominant Tamil narrative traditions that are replete with instances of disfigurements, associated with two deities, Sudalai Madan and Madurai Veeran. It will examine aesthetic features of embodiment and shape contained in these narratives, while documenting the visual, oral, ritual and performative accounts in accessible formats. A core objective of this project is to study disability access cultures in relation to the performance and reception of these narrative traditions. The outcomes of this project will be manuscript for a book, pedagogical videos, and a haptic exhibition. The Principal Investigator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the manuscript for the book, pedagogical videos, and audiovisual documentation from the exhibition. Project funds will pay for professional fee, honorarium, travel and living, and printing and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, which will investigate the existing practices, patterns and problems in the performing arts in the context of safety and through the lens of individual practitioners working with formal or quasi-formal theatre groups, collectives and institutions in India. It will focus on the aspects of physical, mental and legal safety and well being of actors, directors, facilitators and designers and their audiences. The outcomes of this project will be a publicly accessible resource library containing safety kits, checklists, video tutorials, sample contracts and a digitally accessible forum for anonymous grievance redressal. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be links to the publicly accessible library and digitally accessible forum, checklists, video tutorials and sample contracts. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, internet and library subscriptions and equipment rental.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, which will trace the interplay between imagination and realities surrounding the river Teesta and the Teesta highway, as expressed through music. The songs and stories of the river represent the alternative histories of the people who work along this highway, and capture a landscape battered by development. This project will explore how people cope with their transformed lives and how musical and storytelling practices have evolved to reflect these shifts. The outcomes of this project will be songs produced in collaboration with local musicians, performances in community spaces and video diaries capturing the rhythm of life along the highway. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be music recordings, stories from walks, visual diaries and audiovisual documentation of the process. Project funds will pay for contract fees, production cost, and travel.
