For research towards a stylised documentary on Hindi pulp fiction that reflects the struggles of the writers and publishers as producers of ‘low art’. It will trace the journey of the writer through the system that enables the publishing and distribution of pulp fiction, thereby illustrating the ethos of the world that produces such material. This project is co-funded by Recyclewala Films Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai.
For the study and documentation of landmark art exhibitions in India from 1947 to the present. It will include those exhibitions that were planned but did not materialise, thereby attempting to create a framework by which to address and analyse how exhibitions typify attitudes, thoughts and articulations on contemporary art.
For research into the construction of the genre of science fiction in Hindi by shedding light on how writers have used their own understanding of both science and the potential of science to perceive, comment on and reinvent their past, present and the future. It will also look at how productions, articulations and manifestations of science fiction influence aural and visual cultures in India.
For a ceramic artist’s experimentation with different clay bodies and firing techniques to make a large-scale ceramic installation, consisting of individual units of varying shapes and sizes, to be exhibited during the India Art Fair in 2015.
For research towards and the making of a series of animations that will explore movement in drawing, in a site-specific context. The final outcome will be animations that make visible facets of everyday experiences in Delhi, as recreated through memory and drawing, and developed and exhibited as in-process work in the Nehru Place market.
For a two-day colloquium titled ‘Locating Art Histories: Dialogues on Language, Writing, and Research in India’ organised by the Asia Art Archive (AAA) in New Delhi. The colloquium builds upon the Bibliography project AAA has been doing for the last three years, and will engage with the question of art writing in various Indian languages.
For the creation of a publication, two workshops and a public exhibition to be held in Delhi in January-February 2014 to demonstrate imaginative ways of re-thinking the question of cultural infrastructure. The New Models on Common Grounds project that is part of the Raqs Media Collective’s work as Artist Directors of INSERT 2014 will invite speculations from 30 artists to respond to particular sites symbolic of the cultural life of Delhi.
For research into a shawl painting tradition from Nagaland called Tsungkotepsu, towards an examination of the visual, material and social cultures of the Naga tribes. The study of Tsungkotepsu, as woven form of expression, will enhance understanding of how traditions reinvent themselves by merging with ‘larger’ traditions to ensure their own survival. The research will result in a monograph,a film, and the creation of puppets inspired by Tsungkotepsu motifs.
For the research and documentation of printed images from popular Urdu literature produced in the first half of the 20th century, leading to the creation of a curated website. This project will examine when and why Urdu went from being a mainstream language reflecting the cultural plurality of North India, to one associated with Islam.
For a series of performance art workshops exploring imaginative processes of performance-making. Held across different cities in the country, these workshops will result in several performance pieces, titled harkats. The performance-making processes along with critical conversations and reflections on performance art will be documented.
