For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which will develop a physical exhibition, a multi-modal book and a symposium drawing from the materials at the Herbarium located at the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). The project will explore the Herbarium as a site of scientific knowledge focusing on processes of knowledge production, archiving practices and the use of the data for research as well as pedagogic and public history purposes. The outcomes of the project will be an exhibition tentatively titled Landscapes/Labscapes, a multimodal book as an extension of the exhibition chronicling the story of the herbarium, and a symposium. The Project Coordinator’s final deliverables will be the images from the exhibition, the multi-modal book and recordings of the proceedings from the symposium. This is a collaboration with the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). Project funds will pay for travel and living, contract fees, and production.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which will develop a series of essays, curated walks and structured writing workshops drawing primarily from the materials from the Photo Archives at the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). The project will critically explore Pondicherry as a site of tourism and history with the aid of the picture postcards and photographs available at the archives anchoring it into three broad thematic frames of heritage and tourism; everyday life and leisure; and waste, value, and the materiality of the archive. The outcomes of the project will be scholarly essays, curated walks, structured writing workshops and a small brochure for the archival photos of streetscapes of Pondicherry. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables along with the final reports will be the essays, outcomes from the workshop, photographs from the curated tours and the brochure. This is a collaboration with the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing and publication, venue hire and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which will develop a photo-film by weaving the archival materials from the Photo Archive, STARS Archive and Herbarium, the three collections available at the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). The film will narrativise a fictional account of an elusive Tamil woman who has successfully through the ages escaped the attempts of being photographed by various photographers. It intends to address the intersections of photography, ecology and women. The outcomes of this project will be the film, an exhibition of images from the Herbarium paired with audio featuring relevant Sangam poems, a series of audio-visual social media posts, and public engagements with children. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables along with the final reports will be high resolution digital copy of the film, finished high resolution audio pieces, social media posts along with a selection of images from the Herbarium, and photographs from the public engagements. This is a collaboration with the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). Project funds will pay for contract fees, production and travel and living.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, that will develop a series of twelve podcasts based on the materials available at the SL Bhatia History of Medicine Museum. They will focus on themes related to the history of medicine, traditional medical practices and beliefs, evolution of modern-day medical procedures, women and medicine, deities of disease, and mental health and institutions in colonial India, amongst others. The outcomes will be the podcasts, associated blog-posts and caricatures for each episode, an interactive website to host the podcasts, an audio-guide for the museum, and public events including talks and walking tours in the museum. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be podcasts, blog posts, website, audio-guide and recordings of public events. 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, consumables and transport.
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 titled Entry-Points which is a research project that will use select objects from the Museum of Christian Art (MoCA) in Goa to trace larger global histories of iconographic and material affinities that resulted from cross-cultural transmission of ideas and objects among Europe, Asia and the Indian Ocean littoral. Beginning with the sixteenth century, the project will stage unexpected constellations of objects from the museum and elsewhere, together with contemporary artworks, to offer new frameworks of interpretation for a cultural moment that was unique to Asia. The outcomes will be an e-catalogue/book of the staged materials and newly commissioned artworks, a workshop and a three-part seminar. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the book, and video and audio material related to the public events. This project is a collaboration with the MoCA, Goa. Project funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees, printing and stationery, and travel and living expenses.
This Project was Terminated by IFA and the Project Coordinator is ineligible to apply to IFA in the future.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, to develop one of the country’s first dedicated museum podcasts tentatively titled Altars of Time: A History of Goa through its Christian Art. This will narrate the history of Goa through select objects from the Museum of Christian Art (MoCA) in Goa. The podcast will consist of 25 episodes of about 15 minutes each. Each episode will explore one object through its craftsmanship, aesthetics, and the social and religious spaces where it originated, situating it within the broader context of Goa and the Indian Ocean. The outcomes will be the podcast and a story-map exhibit website which will visually highlight the location and timeline of the artifacts discussed in the podcast. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the podcast and the story-map. This is a collaboration with the MoCA, Goa. Project funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees and production expenses.
For the implementation of a Foundation project by IFA, which will result in an essay titled Indian Commodities and Commodified Indians in Late Eighteenth Century Portraiture based on the paintings at the Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) Kolkata. The paintings by European artists, commissioned by the European administrators in India, present Europeans amidst their dazzling material objects and the ‘natives’ who were ever present to serve them. While the essay will focus on the biography of the exotic objects and the lived reality of the native labourers in the paintings, it will also offer insights into larger questions around the ‘Orient’, transcontinental trade and the material culture of colonial India in the eighteenth century. The outcome will be the essay, an online exhibition or a website, an interactive social media platform, as well as talks at the Victoria Memorial Hall. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the essay, the exhibition or website, and recordings of the talks. This is a collaboration with the Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata. Project funds will pay for honorarium, website, travel, books and resources, and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation project by IFA, which will result in an audio-visual documentation titled Influential Shahirs: Narratives from Marathwada, an archive of eight shahirs – poet performers - four men and four women in Maharashtra. These shahirs inspired by Dr B R Ambedkar’s ideals of social revolution, have been a source of great inspiration for the masses and their songs have helped to sustain the Dalit movement in the rural areas of the region. Yet little is known about the poets or the compositions, as their work has been completely ignored by the mainstream establishment. This project seeks to recognise, acknowledge and archive their work and their role in the promotion and sustenance of a long socio-political movement. The outcome will be a series of eight articles and eight audio/video recordings of live performances. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the eight articles, the audio/video recordings and transcripts of the songs. This is a collaboration with the People’s Archive of Rural India - PARI. Project funds will pay for honorarium, travel, stationery and books and resources.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, to create Jol-a-bhumi r Golpo Katha / Stories of the Wetland that will document and disseminate the stories of the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) as experienced by the community, created by young people of the community. The EKW - the largest stretch of sewage-fed wetlands in the world that sustains a population of over a lakh, and a diverse species of flora and fauna - is under threat today. This project will empower children from the EKW community to tell their own stories to the world through the PARI (People’s Archive of Rural India) platform. The outcome will be a series of research and workshop-based narratives that will take multiple forms such as podcasts, paintings, photo-stories, comics, and so on. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the narratives, together with video recordings of the workshops. This is a collaboration with PARI. Project funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees, travel, stationery, and equipment rental.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, to create an audio-visual archive of the lives of 10 ‘stateless people’ who have served in detention centres in Assam. The project titled Facing History and Ourselves, will attempt to problematise the official narratives of the state in the public domain, with a series of open-ended conversations of a more personal nature around the ideas of home, kinship, friendship, work, and experiences in the detention centres. It will also address the larger questions which the artist has been engaged with over the years around memory, citizenship, and the location of the nation-state in the state of Assam. The outcome will be a series of audio/video recordings, each accompanied by a descriptive text about the person being interviewed and their family. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the audio/video recordings and text. This is a collaboration with the People’s Archive of Rural India - PARI. Project funds will pay for honorarium, travel, and post-production expenses.
For the implementation of a foundation project to create a site-specific exhibition titled Route no 033, comprising photographs, images, videos, voices, sounds, and noise. The installation will present a centre-less, rhizomatic map of certain sites in Kolkata that will make visible the multiple narratives of the city. The intention is to show that a city is like a palimpsest that is layered with overlapping histories, intersecting maps, and inter-meshed stories with numerous entries and exits. The outcome will be the exhibition, and talks and lectures. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the documentation of the exhibition, recordings of the talks and lectures, and other textual material if any. This is a collaboration with the Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata, and will draw materials from their rich photo archive. Project funds will pay for production cost, honorarium, professional fees, equipment hire, travel and consumables, and events.
