For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions that will involve long-term artistic research processes of unpacking the artistic genre of landscape, through everyday exercises like walking, and foraging of machine learning image archives, followed by painting and drawing exercises, as well as independent publishing, derived from syntagmatic exercises in relation to AI prompt engineering. The outcome of the project will be an inventory of painting of landscapes, a printed visual of unrecognised images from the Google human-challenge tests, independent publishing on various topics related to AI, and an anti-archive of uncategorised images designed in machine learning through ImageNet. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be soft copies of the paintings and image documentations of the artistic processes. Project funds will pay for contract fees, materials, printing, books, and travel and living.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that seeks to rediscover the lost songs of Sindhi Sufi saint Shah Latif Bhitai in order to fill the gaps in the reception, recognition, and performance of his poetry. Through a rigorous process of sharing, teaching, and learning, the project aims to bring together scholars and musicians in order to study this Sufi tradition of singing and its role in community life across Kutch. The outcomes of this project will be a workshop between older and younger musicians to learn about Shah Latif’s missing surs, a booklet on the artists who perform Shah Latif, audiovisual documentation from the field, and a series of community shows, mehfils, and baithaks. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the booklet and audiovisual documentation of the workshop, baithaks, performances, and artists’ profiles. Project funds will pay for contract fees, workshop, printing, documentation, travel and living, communication, and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will delve into the undocumented aspects of the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, shedding light on its historical significance and the crucial role played by the Panther magazine in disseminating its ideologies. The outcomes of this project will be a comprehensive research article on the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, in English and Gujarati, a multimedia exhibition complemented by a digital archive of the magazine, and audio documentation of field interviews. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the research article on the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, in English and Gujarati, the digital archive for the Panther magazine, and audio documentation of field interviews, capturing firsthand perspectives. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing, hire of venue, documentation, hire of equipment, library and archive fees, purchase of books and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will explore the making of a site-specific installation that disrupts everyday life, to map the emotional registers of the quotidian. The outcome of the project will be a site-specific installation. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be photographic documentation of the installation and the artistic process images. Project funds will pay for materials, contract fees, travel and living, and printing.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations which will bring together artists who are friends in late night potluck sessions in order to compile a lexicon of multilingual terms and neologisms that point to the disruptions caused by digital screens in our everyday lives, including our sleeping and eating habits with a focus on the deferral of the night. The outcomes of the project will be five potluck sessions and a larger session to conclude the project, an artist’s book, and the web tool of the lexicon. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be audio/visual documentation of the potluck sessions, a copy of the artist’s book, and an offline version of the web tool. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing and online subscriptions.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions, which will create a work of speculative fantasy eco-fiction centred around the ecology of the tidal sluice networks in Goa. Based on ongoing research into the estuarine geography, its history and architecture, the project will explore stories, materiality of the spaces, repair processes involved, tools and architecture of the sluices through intermedia works including drawing, writing, audio-visual materials, found objects and maps. It will also create the abstract characters Ngan and Nilnil representing the river and ocean respectively, and explore their journeys. The outcomes from this project will be an artist book, a journal documenting the course of the project, and a website consisting of textual and audio-visual essays and a series of drawings. The Project Coordinator's deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the artist book, a copy of the journal, the essays and drawings, and a download of the website. Project funds will pay for contract fees, printing and publicity, equipment hire, travel and living, materials, props and costumes, purchase of books and subscriptions, and website hosting.
For research into the life and work of Maneklal Gajjar, textile blockmaker and master craftsman from Pethapur, Gujarat. The focus of this project will be Maneklal’s archive of prints of his designs, business records, letters, photographs and personal objects, complemented by interviews with his family, crafts community, designers and scholars who were in contact with him. The outcome of this project will be an illustrated biography of Maneklal Gajjar and an immersive exhibition of his works. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the manuscript for the book and audiovisual documentation generated during the fieldwork and exhibition. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, exhibition costs, travel, food and living costs, printing and stationery costs and an accountant’s fee.
For research to analyse the role of Gujarati little magazines between the 1960s and 1980s as a modern phenomenon which emphatically articulated the voice of dissent and cultivated alternate discourses of nation and culture. By examining the editorials, manifestos, advertisements, literary writings, non-fictional writings and cover pages of the magazines, the project will explore the sociopolitical and culture conditions that contributed to its heydays. It will also investigate what led to the later effacement of the legacy of culture of dissent in Gujarat. The outcome of this project will be a monograph in Gujarati and English. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the monograph and audio visual documentation of magazines and interviews in the field. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel and living costs, professional fees, books and stationary, equipment, library fees, and an accountant’s fee.
For a study of the complex and multi-dimensional relationship that we have with the internet. It will be explored through an imagined conversation between an artist and the internet where over time the dynamics of power will shift between them. The outcome of the project will be an animated website that will enable active viewer participation. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the website downloaded on a drive. Grant funds will pay for production and professional fee.
For the creation of a feature-length film to build a narrative image of the Mughal princess Zeb-un-Nissa, daughter of Aurangzeb, through her poetry, her depiction in Mughal miniatures, and the issues around the Deccan palace where she lived for some time — its current state and the need for its preservation in an increasingly polarised political environment. The film will record alternative accounts of history before they are obliterated forever and situate Zeb-un-Nissa’s poetry in the current environment of neglect, loss, and selective amnesia. The outcome of this project will be the film. The Grantee’s deliverable to IFA with the final reports will be the film and audiovisual documentation of interviews with historians as well as the English translation of Zeb-un-Nissa’s poems. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel, food and living costs, professional fees, equipment rental, and an accountant’s fee.
