For a tour by contemporary dancers through the southern states of India, extending the reach of a highway performance circuit called Chaali that was conceived and put in place on the basis of an IFA-supported feasibility study. The tour will strengthen advocacy for Chaali and initiate processes to establish an institutional base for it.
For research towards a chronicle on the history of jazz in Goa, Bombay and Calcutta between 1930 and 1980. The study will trace the roots of this unique tradition through the lives of its best-known exponents and lead to a manuscript that blends true accounts with fictionalised narratives.
For preparatory research towards the development of highway performance circuits for contemporary dance. The outcome would be a strategic plan for a single performance circuit along highways across south Indian states with the aim of expanding opportunities for performance and establishing a sustainable infrastructure for contemporary dance.
For the construction of an imaginary photographic studio, by a visual artist and a photographer, to extend the creative possibilities of the photographic image. They will design and photograph a series of tableaux that will critically portray stereotypical images of the south Indian woman drawn from Hindu mythology and forms of popular visual art.
For the conception and design of a collaborative music performance by two musicians/composers and a baul singer. The collaborators’ collective exploration of the soundscapes of baul will result in a document with audio work files and a record of discussions, interviews and photographs that will lead to a full-fledged performance.
For the use of an open well as a site, and a quilt as a prop, by a visual artist, a choreographer and a photographer/visual artist to develop a collective language that extends the formal parameters of visual art and dance. It will result in installations, visuals and choreography that will help the collaborators conceptualise a full-fledged site-specific exhibition/performance.
For research into three professional art schools in Bangalore, exploring the distinct modes of communication adopted by teachers in the classroom, and critically assessing Karnataka’s arts education policy. Apart from facilitating arts-related workshops and seminar presentations, research findings are expected to lead to a book on art pedagogy.
For the study and documentation of emerging religious art and architecture in Bangalore that have often provoked communal and ethnic conflicts. The study will explore the politics of public space and lead to a documentation of roadside icons that combine calendar art, modern architecture, historical styles and technological innovations.
For a Karnataka tour of three contemporary shadow-puppetry performances targeted at children and involving university departments of folklore. The performances, which were jointly created by theatre artists, visual artists, musicians and puppeteers, will introduce children to the arts and help sustain folk performance traditions.
For research towards a sourcebook in Kannada on important sculptural traditions in south India. With the aim of enhancing the skills, knowledge and creativity of traditional sculptors, the sourcebook will comprise an introduction to the Shilpashastra; line drawings highlighting the aesthetic features of various schools of sculpture; and explanatory notes and photographs.
