Staying Connected #22 | Our Digital Spaces | September 08, 2022

Many of our engagements, events and conversations have moved online, and we try to find a balance between how things were, and how they have shaped up to be. In the same way, many artistic projects we have implemented in the last few years engage with digital lives, digital memory, archiving the work on a digital medium, or creating an interactive social media form to bring in the larger public. How different are these digital spaces? How do interactions on these platforms change artistic outcomes, the way we perceive images and our understanding of archiving practices? This edition of Staying Connected looks into these questions and brings to you the outcomes of some projects that are available online, information about events conducted by us in the last few months; and what’s new at IFA.

What was the genesis and evolution of Art Deco architecture in Delhi?
Geetanjali Sayal explores.

Photo Credits: Prashansa Sachdeva

Take a look at this growing visual archive of art deco architecture in Delhi, a project by Geetanjali Sayal in which she examines the role of the Art Deco style in shaping the cultural identity of Delhi under British rule. Featuring images of buildings, typefaces and posters along with stories attached to each of them, this project deep dives into the changing nature of this disappearing architectural style. 

Click here to know more about the ongoing project.  

Geetanjali Sayal received a grant in 2020-21 under the Arts Research programme, made possible with support from Titan Company Limited.

What are the stories behind the public statues and sculptures in Bangalore?
Salila Prasad Vanka, Ravi Kumar Kashi and S Madhuri Rao question.

Photo Credits: Ravi Kashi

Engage with this evolving archive of crowdsourced images of statues and figures in Bengaluru that explore narratives with regard to the city’s visual culture and spatial politics and give us a glimpse into what is remembered in the form of public art. This is part of the foundation project with Salila Prasad Vanka.

Click here to know more about the ongoing project.  

Salila Prasad Vanka is Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project, implemented by India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) under the Arts Projects (Research/Practice) category of the Project 560 programme, supported by Sony Pictures Entertainment Fund.

An interactive book with tales of Bengali female medical practitioners

A project with students of different linguistic groups coming together to create a kitchen garden in the school

A workshop that explores the themes and styles of shadow puppetry

Watch and listen to three conversations about projects that delved into these themes, organised as part of Project Showcase @ IFA, a series of online presentations to showcase, discuss, and engage audiences with the diverse projects we support across programmes.

মেয়ে ডাক্তার: মেয়েলি ডাক্তারি / Female Doctor: Feminine Practice

Here is a presentation by Barun Chattopadhyay about his project that involved creating a book of  stories from Jnanadakini, Chandal, Namasudra, Malbadiya, Dom, Muchi, and Methor communities in Bengal, highlighting the role of female medical practitioners in alternative medical practices. The experimental book highlights how fiction-writing in Bangla can be a counterpoint to Anglophonic colonial modernity. Also present was contemporary artist and educator Sanchayan Ghosh who offered insights on printmaking technologies and their influence on Barun's project.
This session was held in Bangla.

Barun Chattopadhyay received a grant from IFA in 2017-18 under the Arts Practice programme.

Art for Farming

Watch Aparna Deshpande’s presentation about her project at Government Primary School in Vijayanagar, Belagavi, Karnataka, that involved bringing together regional agricultural practices to develop a vegetable garden where students from different linguistic backgrounds could connect with each other. Shanta Siddannavar and Savita Desai, teachers from the school also shared their experience of closely witnessing this project.
This session was held in English, Marathi and Kannada.

Aparna received a grant from IFA in 2016-17 under the Arts Education programme, made possible with support from Citi India.

തോൽപാവക്കൂത്തുംസമാന്തര പാരമ്പര്യങ്ങളും/Tholpavakoothu and Parallel Puppetry Traditions

Click here to watch a presentation by KK Ramachandra Pulavar about a shadow puppetry workshop he led in 2019 near Hosur, Tamil Nadu, by bringing together stalwarts from six puppetry traditions across India to explore contemporary approaches to conceptualising, devising and performing shadow theatre. These traditions were Tholu Bommalata tradition of Andhra Pradesh, Thol Bommalattam tradition of Tamil Nadu, Ravanchhaya tradition of Odisha, Togalu Gombeyaata tradition of Karnataka, Chamadyache Bahulya tradition of Maharashtra and Tholpavakoothu tradition of Kerala. Malayalam poet and visual artist MR Vishnuprasad also engaged in a conversation with Pulavar.
This session was held in Malayalam.

KK Ramachandra Pulavar received a grant from IFA in 2019-20 under the Arts Practice programme.

Open Calls for Proposals

Are you an artist, scholar, cultural practitioner
hoping to apply with your project ideas to IFA

Arts Practice (Explorations):
This programme category accepts proposals where artists expand their present range of practices in new directions.
Apply under this category of the Arts Practice programme by September 09, 2022.

Arts Research:
The programme invites proposals from scholars, researchers and practitioners to research the various histories and expressions of artistic practices in India.
Apply by September 15, 2022.

Arts Education (Arts-Integrated National School Projects):
The programme is currently accepting proposals from Government-aided and non-profit schools located in non-metropolitan areas across India to implement arts-integrated projects in these schools. Apply for this category under the Arts Education programme by October 15, 2022.

Programmes open throughout the year:

The arts can be on your table! Get a glimpse of what we do through our merchandise.

Our beautiful set of six coasters featuring select IFA projects over the years is available to purchase!
Flip to the verso of the coasters to read about each of these unique projects. Surround yourself with the arts as you take a break and enjoy your cuppa. 

Get them here.

 

Publications

Browse through the wide range of material published by IFA. These publications are a way for us to share our work in the field on topical concerns and interests, with the public. You can buy these and also read some of them online for free.

Painters, Poets, Performers: The Patuas of Bengal (2017) is a visually rich and informative book on the history and evolution of Patachitra–literally, 'painting on cloth'–in Bengal. 

You can buy it here.

This book was supported by Infosys Foundation.

Embroidering Futures: The repurposing of kantha (2012) traces the journey of kantha from its origins to its current avatar, through the tales and recollections of collectors, inheritors, designers and producers of this unique piece of embroidered cloth. 

Buy it here or click here to read the PDF.

This book was supported by Infosys Foundation.

Beyond the Proscenium: Reimagining the Space for Performance (2010), published by the IFA Theatre Infrastructure Cell, is a collection of essays and interviews edited by Anmol Vellani, that underscore experimental perspectives on performance spaces and the emergence of unconventional artistic experiences. 

Buy it here.

This book was supported by Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust.

ArtConnect (2008-2013) is a leading magazine on the arts in India featuring contributions by and interviews with writers, artists and scholars, offering perspectives on contemporary and traditional art practices, and exploring unique and often overlooked areas in the arts, published by IFA from 2008 to 2013. 

Click here to read all issues of ArtConnect for free.

 

Support Us

At IFA, we believe that the arts and culture are essential to our individual and community lives, and for a more equitable and just world. We continue to turn to the arts for inspiration and to regain trust and hope in our lives. We invite you to donate your loyalty points or become a Friend of IFA, and join a community that supports artists in adapting to new realities and keeping their work going.