Grant & Projects

Aastha Gandhi


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations which will attempt to explore expressions for the haunting images of migrant bodies witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic, through a performance that is informed by and draws from legislation that governs various aspects of migration in India. The performance will explore this through textual, physical, aural and digital means. The outcome of the project will be the performance. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be audio-visual documentation of the performance and the artistic process in the studio. Project funds will pay for contract fees, hire of venue, travel and living, and books. 

Khandakar Ohida


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations which will research the possibility of a digital/virtual museum based on a 50-year-old collection of objects that carry emotions and history, which were stored in an ancestral mud house demolished in 2022. The outcome of the project will be the digital/ virtual museum, in the making. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be an offline version of the digital/ virtual museum along with 3D and VR files and audio/video recordings. Project funds will pay for the hire of equipment, contract fees, hire of venue, materials, and travel and living. 

Mythili Anoop


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations which will attempt to reimagine Mughlai Vesham, a form of Mohiniyattam which incorporates the courtly style of Kathak including its costume, now erased from public memory. The outcome of the project will be the experimental dance piece with live music and a research paper on the artistic process. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a video recording of the experimental piece and the research paper. Project funds will pay for contract fees and the hiring of equipment.

Devarati Chakrabarti


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which will develop a series of essays, curated walks and structured writing workshops drawing primarily from the materials from the Photo Archives at the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). The project will critically explore Pondicherry as a site of tourism and history with the aid of the picture postcards and photographs available at the archives anchoring it into three broad thematic frames of heritage and tourism; everyday life and leisure; and waste, value, and the materiality of the archive. The outcomes of the project will be scholarly essays, curated walks, structured writing workshops and a small brochure for the archival photos of streetscapes of Pondicherry. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables along with the final reports will be the essays, outcomes from the workshop, photographs from the curated tours and the brochure. This is a collaboration with the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP).  Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing and publication, venue hire and stationery.

Karthik S


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which will develop a photo-film by weaving the archival materials from the Photo Archive, STARS Archive and Herbarium, the three collections available at the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). The film will narrativise a fictional account of an elusive Tamil woman who has successfully through the ages escaped the attempts of being photographed by various photographers. It intends to address the intersections of photography, ecology and women. The outcomes of this project will be the film, an exhibition of images from the Herbarium paired with audio featuring relevant Sangam poems, a series of audio-visual social media posts, and public engagements with children. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables along with the final reports will be high resolution digital copy of the film, finished high resolution audio pieces, social media posts along with a selection of images from the Herbarium, and photographs from the public engagements. This is a collaboration with the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). Project funds will pay for contract fees, production and travel and living.

Joshua Remsanga Sailo


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations which will attempt to reconstruct Mizo folktales through movement arts that creates a new ‘folk dance’ in collaboration with community members as a way of recovering memories that were lost after the coming of Christianity to the region in the 20th century. The outcome of the project will be the new folk dance, along with open movement workshops, curated happenings, and community dining. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be audio-visual documentation of the artistic process, along with written/ illustrated notes on the exploration and public events. Project funds will pay for contract fees, hire of venue, and travel and living. 

Bhamati Sivapalan


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will trace the collective memories of the erstwhile dwellers of the town of Old Tehri that went under water after the construction of a dam. Through science/ speculative fiction storytelling, and storyboarding, this project will attempt to explore the loss of lived experiences of this ghost town, in the wake of the monstrous ambitions of the industrial nation-state. The outcome of the project will be the science/ speculative fiction, along with a storyboard for eventual development as an illustrated narrative. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the script of the speculative fiction and a soft copy of the storyboard. Project funds will pay for travel and living, contract fees and materials.

Vikram Iyengar


Project Period: Six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Workshops, Residencies, Seminars, which will create four residential workshops for movement artists from East and North East India to inspire critical thinking while nurturing choreographic practices. Four artists from diverse backgrounds will restage their earlier pieces as they work with the participants of the workshop as facilitators. The outcomes of the project are four intensive residencies and workshops for dance and movement artists, culminating in formal public presentations, along with analytical documentation of the process, and a blog. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be photographs, audio-visual documentation of the residencies and workshops, process documents, and the link to the blog along with an offline version of the blog. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, and production. 

Mamta G Sagar


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Curated Artistic Engagements, will create a series of poetry events – primarily in Kannada, and a few other languages - as public and private interactive sessions, in different parts of Bangalore to explore the psychogeography of the city through multilingual poetic exercises. The outcomes of the project are public and private interactive poetry sessions, an exhibition of poetry installations, poetry videos and poetry performances, a book of poems, and a digital book of photographs of the project. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be audio-visual documentation of the project, a digital book of photographs of the project and a soft copy of the book of poems. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, hire of venue, food, printing, and materials.

Gangappa S Lamani


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will engage 25 students from the fourth fifth and sixth grades of the Government Higher Primary School, in Alkeri Gauliwada, Uttara Kannada district in exploring a local community dance form Radmal that is rapidly vanishing from these regions and the cultural life of the Gauli community. This is a collaborative project with the community that will craft a series of workshops that enable students to use the material from their Kannada, Social Science, History and Math syllabi in exploring the dance form. The outcome of the project will be a series of performances.  The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be photographs and video documentation of the project. Project funds will pay for stationery and materials, workshop, performance, travel and contract fees.

Geetha KH


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will engage fifth and sixth grade students of the Government Lower Primary School, in Yelagudige, Chikkamagaluru district in a project titled Beejadinda Battalige (From seed to Coffee Mug). The students will explore the journey of coffee from seed to the beverage across its various stages of production through a set of multidisciplinary activities, connecting their curriculum of science, language and social science.  The outcomes of the project will be a series of performances, an exhibition and a publication. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the publication and photographs and video documentation of the entire project including the performance and exhibition. Project funds will pay for printing, exhibition and performance, travel, workshop, contract fees and documentation.

Suryakanth Nandur


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will engage eighth grade students of the Government High School, in Pethsirur, Kalaburagi district, in making an illustrated book titled Chitra Samputa (A Picture Book) in the Surapura style of painting. The project aims to develop imaginative and artistic skills among students through the exploration of drawings and its applications to their language and social science curriculum. The outcomes of the project will be an exhibition and a publication. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the publication and photographs and video documentation of the entire project including the exhibition. Project funds will pay for workshop, travel, exhibition, publication, stationery and materials, contract fees, and documentation.

Aravind K


Project Period: One year two months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will engage sixth and seventh grade students of the Government Higher Primary School, in Moodambail village in Dakshina Kannada district in a project titled Chiv Chiv Hakkiyuu mattu Haaruva Chitteyu (Hums of Birds and Flying Butterflies). They will learn and document the names of birds, reptiles, and plants in their local dialect in an attempt to bridge their curriculum of science, language and social science. The outcomes of the project will be an illustrated dictionary, a series of performances, an exhibition and a publication. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the dictionary, the publication and photographs and video documentation of the entire project including the performance and exhibition. Project funds will pay for workshop, travel, performance, contract fees, publication and stationery.

Balla RV


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will engage eighth grade students at the Government Girls Pre-University College, High School Section, in Guledgudda, Bagalkot district in a project titled Maggada Maatu (Voices of the Loom). It will document the process of making and issues related to Ilkal sarees from the region, by connecting them to their curriculum in language and science. Through this project students will become community researchers recording the legacy of their local handloom industry. The outcomes of the project will be an exhibition and a publication. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the publication, and photographs and video documentation of the entire project including the exhibition. Project funds will pay for printing, workshop, stationery and materials, travel, contract fees, exhibition and documentation.

Subhaschandra Bhajantri


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will engage eighth grade students at the Government Girls Pre-University College, High School Section in Badami, Bagalkot district in a project titled Kappe Arabhatta Yaaru? (Who is Kappe Arabhatta?). The project will document and critically examine stone inscriptions in and around the region with a special focus on Kappe Arabhatta, an 8th century Chalukya warrior mentioned in the inscriptions. Through this project students will become researchers recording their local history and enrich their study of social science, and Kannada language curriculum. The outcomes of the project will be a performance and a publication. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the publication and photographs and video documentation of the entire project including the performance. Project funds will pay for printing, workshop, travel performance, contract fees, stationery and documentation.

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