For research towards a book on the production, distribution and design aesthetics of pamphlets and little magazines produced and sold from Battala and College Street in Kolkata. The researcher will analyse the distribution of these printed materials and how this is linked to the social class of the creator/designer as well as the intended viewer or consumer. A designer’s sensibility will inform the resulting book, which will contain photographs of the little magazines and pamphlets and of the printing presses and materials.
For the development of RELOCATE in which context, special arrangements, lights, sound, video and the body will be layered to blur the line between the visual arts and performance. Different media will be combined with elements of performance to reflect and contain the complex ways in which we experience the world today. By enabling spectators to locate their bodies and experience within the space of the installation, the artwork will interrogate the nature of the viewing experience.
For research on the Kshetrayya padam, a form of Carnatic music set to seventeenth century love poetry. The research will lead to a film exploring the representation of the Kshetrayya padam over the last two centuries. The film will examine how the Kshetrayya padam has been transmitted in independent India and how social and historical factors, particularly its association with the Devadasi tradition, have determined the position it now occupies in Carnatic music and the manner in which it has come to be represented in Bharatnatyam performances.
For the study of the relationship between digital technology and the folk art forms, especially the resistance arts, which draw on the Bundeli tradition of the Narmada Valley region of Madhya Pradesh. The research will map the transformation in these folk art forms with the advent of technology, leading to the creation of ‘digital folk arts’. The research findings will be documented in a DVD and will be uploaded on the Jatan Trust website.
For a residency that supports four emerging choreographers to explore and test their creative ideas, develop their choreographic skills and build a working methodology for dance creation. The resident artists will each be paired with a mentor who will help to stimulate their interpretive and creative processes. The residency will culminate with a public presentation of original solo or ensemble performances by the resident artists.
For making of an innovative biographical film on the path-breaking Marathi playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar, which will also explore the history and notions of experimentation in Marathi theatre. The film’s narrative will be driven by multiple voices and move seamlessly across Elkunchwar’s life and ideas in a non-linear manner, juxtaposing ‘real’ situations, people and spaces with the playwright’s ‘theatrical’ characters, situations and locals.
For the transformation of the Humayuna-nama, a sixteenth century chronicle of the Mughal emperor Humayun’s life, into a performance called Gulbadan, which will combine shadow puppetry and live acting with cinematic techniques and other visual media. Among other things, Gulbadan will portray the rarely recounted lives of Mughal women, their role in the Mughal court and the politics of the harem, which the chronicle documents in great detail.
For the intensive education of twelve young boys in the Kashmiri theatre form, Bhand Pather, with a special focus on its musical aspects. The project builds on an earlier grant for a 35-day workshop, which initiated a large group of youngsters into the theatre form. This two-year programme will turn out a cadre of proficient Bhand Pather practitioners, while also creating breathing space for cultural expression in the strife-ridden Kashmir Valley.
For the production of a film on the history, form, style and aesthetics of the mobile theatre of Assam. The film will record the transformation in themes and repertoire of this genre of performance, capture the experience and perspectives of its promoters, directors, actors, technicians and stagehands, and document the impact of globalisation on its practice.
For the making of a fictional film on the Indian magic lantern or Shambharik Kharolika, the late nineteenth century cinema projections made with painted images on glass. The film will recreate the performance of Shambharik Kharolika and navigate through the lives of its practitioners. Stylistically, the film will reference the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma and the painted curtains of the Parsi theatre, which influenced the practitioners of the Indian magic lantern.
