For the making of an experimental docu-fiction film which will explore the precariousness of the lives and work of freelance Computer Graphics (CG) and Visual Effects (VFX) artists in the South Indian film industry. It will explore the dual invisibility of these artists - within the organised film studio system as well as in the aspired anonymity of the CG image itself - making their existence fragile and tenuous. The outcomes of the project will be the film and part of the work hosted on an online portal as interactive digital fictions. The grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a high-resolution copy of the film and an offline version of the interactive online portal on a hard disk. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, honorarium, travel and living, equipment hire, website creation, purchase of e-books and online subscriptions and an accountant’s fee.
For examining the history, memories, and experiences of the Sindhi community that has made Bangalore their home post the Partition of India. Through interviews across two generations, the project will explore notions of identity and home, memories of tradition, and experiences within the changing cityscape of Bangalore. The outcome of the project will be a short film. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the short film and documentation of interviews. Grant funds will pay for documentation, post-production and professional fees.
For the creation of a dystopic science fiction tale exploring the human relationship with the internet and the possible impact of its absence. The project aims to explore themes of human rights, censorship, net neutrality and imposed restriction of access to the internet through interviews with diverse users. The outcome of this project will be a dramatised reading with music, interspersed with illustrations. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be documentation of the process and a recording of the performance. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees, and performance costs.
For speculation of the future of artistic sovereignty, amidst threats to digital privacy in the age of surveillance statecraft. As a diagnosis of the precariousness of arts philanthropy in the subcontinent, the grant will combine elements from superfiction, participatory art and institutional critique. The outcome of the project will be a video lecture performance. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the video of the lecture performance and Zoom tapestries. Grant funds will pay for professional fees and materials.
For an exploration of the various stories of people from marginalised communities as shared on the internet thus claiming their own space which they are often denied in society. Taking the form of letters written to the internet the outcome of this project will be a publication. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be a copy of the publication. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, honorarium, printing and publishing, refreshments and stationery.
For photo documentation of the abandoned, ignored and almost invisible infrastructure of cybercafés in Bangalore. The outcome of the project will be an online photo exhibition. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be photographs of the cybercafés. Grant funds will pay for equipment hire, professional fees, local conveyance and honorarium.
For the creation of three short videos that explore the impact of internet shutdowns and throttling, across different regions in India. With specific reference to the year-long blackout of communications including internet services in Kashmir, this project seeks to unravel the idea of ‘digital apartheid’ in which citizens are denied the means to participate in a highly networked and digitised world. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the three short videos. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees and purchase of stock images and footage.
For an artistic engagement to explore the Raithara Santhe or farmers market in the Shivanahalli neighbourhood of Bangalore. Drawing from detailed interviews with residents, shop owners and push-cart sellers, the project seeks to identify stories, memories and experiences of the community to this neighbourhood’s unique food culture through artistic interventions. The outcome of the project will be artwork/s evoking the santhe at a central location in Shivanahalli. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be photo-documentation of the interviews and the process, and the artwork. Grant funds will pay for materials, research and documentation, conveyance and design fee.
For research into the community kitchen and the history of culinary engagements of 1Shanthiroad, a studio and artists’ space based in Bangalore. By collecting recipes from artists, residents, staff, patrons, and the extended family of the space, and interviewing key figures from its history, the project will frame the kitchen and food as integral to the site and function of the space as a collective. Screenings, lectures, cooking classes, potluck dinners etc will act as triggers to activate and expand the research enquiries. The outcome of this project will be a cookbook and an open archive of materials, resources, references and audiovisual documentation. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the cookbook and audiovisual documentation of workshops, exhibitions and interviews with the resource people. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, local travel, exhibitions, film screenings, workshops, professional fee, equipment rental, design, printing, books and stationery purchase and an accountant’s fee.
For a series of gaming interventions as a theatrical strategy to examine and reimagine the issues related to the urban commons in Bangalore, with a specific focus on lakes, in the face of rapid and brutal development. Using the tools and elements from Live Action Role Playing games (LARP), participatory art, and storytelling, the audience will be invited to take on roles to play the game. The outcome of the project will be this interactive game theatre performance played over ten engagements in the Sarjapur/ Bellandur neighbourhoods. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a detailed textual illustrated document outlining the game design process, interview records and transcripts, and photographic and video documentation of game-testing, final production, and the subsequent ten engagements with audience. Grant funds will pay for game productions,professional fees, fabrication costs, honorarium, travel and conveyance, printing, materials, books, venue, refreshments and an accountant’s fee.
