Grant & Projects

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will facilitate research towards an exhibition and a catalogue essay of selected objects from the collection of Silver at Zapurza Museum of Art and Cultures (ZMAC) in Pune, Maharashtra. The exhibition will create a narrative-based scenography by looking at a select range of objects, curated through the lens of domesticity, gender, patronage and changing consumption patterns. The outcomes of this project will be an exhibition plan and curatorial inputs, catalogue essay, object notes to accompany the exhibition, detailed research notes and bibliography, an online or hybrid seminar, training modules for museum staff and prototype for on-site activities. The Project Coordinator’s final deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be the photographs and curatorial notes of the exhibition, detailed research notes and bibliography, draft of the catalogue essay, the proceedings and audio-visual recordings of the seminar, and drafts of the plan and prototype for onsite activities at the museums. This is a collaboration with the Zapurza Museum of Art and Culture in Pune, Maharashtra. Project funds will pay for travel and living, contract fees, archive and library fees.

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will facilitate research on the intellectual histories of Pune, focusing on the intersections of the visual arts traditions of Pune as well as the rich legacy of literature, cinema, theatre, musical practices and its histories of social reforms. By engaging with the collection at Zapurza Museum of Art and Culture (ZMAC) in Pune, Maharashtra, the research will explore the ways in which these objects or artifacts spoke to the historical moment in the urban and sub-urban narratives of Pune. The outcomes of this project will be the draft of research publication/s, a series of public lectures and programming and an extended curatorial catalogue created around the selected objects for online interface and social media. The Project Coordinator’s final deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be the draft of research publication/s, the illustrated catalogue, the proceedings and audio-visual recordings of the public lecture and programming and the curatorial catalogue. This is a collaboration with the Zapurza Museum of Art and Culture in Pune, Maharashtra. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, production, exhibition, publication and archive and museum fees. 

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will facilitate research and analysis to uncover the historical significance of lobby cards and explore the broader discourse on intersection of cinema, design, and spatial dynamics based on the collection of Tamil film lobby cards at The Cinema Resource Centre. The outcomes of the project will be a series of scholarly essays, an online catalogue, zines, lecture performances and heritage walks. The Project Coordinator’s final deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be soft copies of the writings and essays, hard and soft copies of the printable zines, audio and video recordings of lecture performances, and photo and video documentation of the heritage walk. This is a collaboration with The Cinema Resource Centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Project funds will pay for travel and living, printing, contract fees, documentation, hire of equipment, website building, hire of venue, and materials.

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will facilitate research and documentation towards creation of an inventory of the artefacts in the Heritage Section of the Ever Living Museum. The outcomes of the project will be a highly detailed inventory with photographs of all the artefacts in the Heritage Section of the Ever Living Museum, a website with the photographs and descriptions of the artefacts and oral history interviews of Kyntiewbor War, founder of the museum. The Project Coordinators’ deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be the detailed inventory, photographs of the artefacts from the collection, a website, the oral history recordings and audio/visual documentation of the public programmes. This is a collaboration with the Ever Living Museum, Shillong, Meghalaya. Project funds will pay for hire of equipment, contract fees, exhibition, stationery, materials, website hosting and domain charges, and travel and living.

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will explore the robust spice trade that was central to Kochi’s past and the poly colonial influences that informed the history of Kochi. The project will draw inspiration from the Muziris Papyrus scrolls, the book Hortus Malabaricus, and the map of Tabula Peutingeriana and showcase in an animated form, the ancient spice trade in Kerala, the various types of spices grown in the region, and the different trade routes used to transport these spices to other parts of the world. The outcomes of this project will be a three-part animated film, a series of public engagement programmes, workshops, and a comprehensive research and documentation highlighting the cultural heritage of the region. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables along with the final reports will be a high-resolution digital copy of the film, along with a selection of images and recordings from the workshops and photographs from the documentation. This project is in collaboration with Bastion Bungalow, under the Kerala State Archaeology Department. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, production, licenses and permissions.

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 implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which will facilitate research towards three to four scholarly essays and long form visual articles based on the materials available at the Queer Archive for Memory, Reflection and Activism (QAMRA) archival project at National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. The project will critically examine the archival materials to historicise Section 377 and trace the cultural and socio-political struggle towards decriminalising homosexuality in India. The project will also explore the idea of community in the ways they are imagined and formed by queer persons. The outcome for the project will consist of the three to four essays and long-from articles, and a possible symposium. The Project Coordinator’s final deliverables will be the essays, long-from visual articles and the proceedings or recordings from the symposium if it happens. This is a collaboration with the QAMRA at NLSIU Bengaluru. Project funds will pay for contract fees and travel and living.