Arts Practice

Subhendu Bhandari


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions that will enable the development and creation of a series of theatrical productions in government schools and districts of West Bengal. Centred on a story developed around the fraught relationship between young adults, social media and the internet, this theatrical production seeks to move beyond the conventional practices and frameworks of proscenium theatre to find a new language of performance that would enable the performance to reach new audiences in the interior districts of West Bengal. The outcome of the project will be the series of performances. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be a copy of the final script, photographs and video documentation of the rehearsals and the final performance. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, printing and stationery, materials, documentation, costumes and sets, hire of venue, purchase of books, and library fees. 

Garima Gupta


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will experiment with the making of an artist book in the form of a dragon-scale scroll, containing the micro-narratives of the Mahakali River, as a site of spirituality, and cross-border trade. The outcome of the project will be an artist book experimenting with the form of a dragon-scale scroll. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the soft copy of the artist book, and photographs of the artistic process. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, and materials. 

Millo Ankha


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will delve into the mythological world of nature worship in the ancestral land of Ziro valley, Arunachal Pradesh. In collaboration with the elders, women and girls of Apatani community, a speculative visual archive will be staged through performance, drawing, and photography. The outcome of the project will be a visual archive created as a zine. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a zine, and selected images from the visual archive. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, materials, hire of equipment, communications, and printing. 

Shivesh Kumar


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will delve into involving Chhau dancers in contemporary theatre towards the making of a devised theatrical production. The outcome of the project will be the playscript in Hindi and the pre-production process of the devised theatrical production. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the playscript, and the audio-visual documentation of the artistic process of the devised piece. Project funds will pay for contract fees, and travel and living. 

Parshathy Nath


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions that will enable the creation of a theatrical production centred around the actor and the epic character Shoorpanakha. Imagined as a process that will unfurl the actor-character dichotomy, this work seeks to move beyond conventional frameworks in dance, drama and storytelling to find a new language of performance that will offer a fresh paradigm to artistically engage with a complex, elusive and subversive character such as Shoorpanakha. The outcome of the project will be the performance. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be photographs and video documentation of the training sessions, rehearsals and the final performance.  Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, costumes, hire of venue, materials and documentation. 

Neelambari Bhattacharya


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will involve two women filmmakers to explore a Zubaan-published story on witchcraft titled Cast Out authored by Samhita Arni, by developing a distinct design vocabulary through a collaborative process of experimental storytelling. The outcome of the project will be the pre-production process of the animation film adaptation of the fictional piece. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a pre-visualisation bible, (including the design aesthetic, visual script, soundscape) and a learning document, as a compendium of the artistic process in this interdisciplinary collaboration. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, materials, hire of equipment, and subscription of software services. 

Purvi Bharat Sharma


Project Period: Eight months

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. 

Areeba Ansari


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will examine the urban youth subculture of skateboarding in Humayunpur, Delhi, using the camera as a diagnostic tool to delve into the social realities around the subculture as an affective act. The outcome of the project will be a photo essay or a short documentary. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a photo essay or a short documentary along with images of artistic process. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, and hire of equipment. 

Ram Lal Bhatt


Project Period: One year and three months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions that will lead to the reimagination and revival of five puppet characters and their stories that are part of the string puppetry tradition of the Natt lineage of Rajasthan. Alongside the richness of artistic practice, the tradition, over generations, has also been subject to serious marginalisation and caste-based oppression of the practitioners. This project, while drawing on the strengths of traditional practice, will recreate the puppet characters and their narratives in ways that will subvert feudal, patriarchal and other hegemonic systems, thereby enabling conversations around oppression and resistance. The outcomes from this project will include the five newly created puppets and the accompanying stories, one live performance and 15 episodes of digital content that will be made available online. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be photographs and videos from the process and the live performance along with recordings of all the 15 episodes. Project funds will pay for contract fees, materials, travel and living, hire of equipment, hire of venue, publicity and communication. 

John CF


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions that will enable a cross-disciplinary artistic exploration of the inter and intra-connectedness of body, food, land and community. Structured around workshops and conversations with the elders and youth of the farming community in Wayanad, this project will bring together folklore and native wisdom contained in songs, stories, sayings, food, cultural practices, images, materials, seeds, and language. The outcome of this project will be an exhibition and an artist book. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be copies of the artist book and photographs and video documentation of the workshops, the process and the exhibition. Project funds will pay for printing, travel and living, contract fees, materials, and hire of equipment. 

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