For the creation of an experimental mixed media audio-visual presentation titled Sharif created as a collaborative work by a group of five artists engaging in diverse art forms. It explores the physical and emotional isolation of people in a world hyperconnected through technology. The outcome of the project will be an audio-visual presentation that explores the journey of three friends over five years, 2011 to 2015, a time when the internet had entered all aspects of their lives. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be process documentation and a copy of the audio-visual presentation. Grant funds will cover travel and living, costumes and properties and professional fees.
For the making of a zine that explores aspects of sexuality on the internet, through the erotic lives and experiences of people online. The project encompasses a wide range of issues and concerns related to menstrual and mental health, adolescence, sexual orientation, cyber crimes, pornography, cybersex, consent and privacy. The outcome of the project will be the zine. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will also be the zine. Grant funds will pay for printing and publications, honorarium, communications and purchase of e-books and online subscriptions.
For an exploration of trans-human and cyborg identities through the creation of an e-Devi - the Goddess of faster internet connections and better download speeds - and a portal with the rituals for online darshans by devotees. This project attempts to study the construction of digital deities, while also highlighting the need for crafting a more ethical and critical engagement with the virtual world. The outcome of the project will be a cyborg goddess in Augmented Reality; a mobile-friendly e-darshan portal; and a bilingual - Hindi and English - devotee initiation pledge about safe online behaviour. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be documentation of the project, free access to the portal, and the portal downloaded on a drive. Grant funds will pay for website creation and professional fees.
For the making of an audio play titled The Chat Room in Alwal that will relive the moments of accessing internet cafes for the first time 25 years ago. The outcome of the project other than this play will be a blog with photographs of the internet cafe. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be the audio play, the link to the blog, and all the materials of the blog downloaded on a drive. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, honorarium, local conveyance, printing and studio hire.
For the excavation of decades of email archives, and interviews with the excavators, in an attempt to trace human journeys through its digital footprints over the years. The outcome of the project will be a creative essay made using excerpts of emails, images and graphic attachments. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be audio and video recordings of interviews and the creative essay. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, honorarium, materials, communication and stationery.
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 a photography-based exploration of notions of nostalgia, temporality, hyperreality and alienation in the age of technology and the internet. Based on the itinerary for a seven-day tour to Japan that never happened due to the pandemic, the project uses multiple visual devices to photographically simulate the tour. The outcome of the project will be a set of still images. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be these still images. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, printing and scanning, materials and equipment hire.
For the creation of a theatrical performance that will look at death and mourning in the age of the internet, through the particular lens of queer communities online. Based on testimonials, the performance will involve an ensemble of five actors. It will be interactive and devised, using text, movement and spatial design. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be a still and video documentation of the rehearsals and video documentation of the final performance. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, honorarium, purchase of software, rehearsals and properties, and venue hire.
For the creation of hypertext poetry/ fiction based on an exploration of the place of pornography and erotic imagery in India from the past to contemporary times. Through research into erotic and desirous images created under royal patronage to the more recent images in the digital sphere, the project seeks to focus on the contemporary understandings of terms such as ‘erotic’ and ‘sexual’, particularly from the point of view of female and queer pleasure. The outcome of this project will be a website containing the hypertext poetry/ fiction alongside a selection of erotic images, and a foldable booklet. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the hypertext poetry/ fiction, copies of the booklet and the website downloaded on a drive. Grant funds will pay for printing, honorarium, professional fees, purchase of books and online material and website creation.
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 an audiovisual medley that explores habitual tendencies of violent human behaviour, and how it is impacted with increasing usage of the internet. The project aims to explore the ways in which the internet acts as a medium that perpetuates and enhances the contexts that cause violent behaviour. The outcome will be an audiovisual medley of montages which incorporates archival footage, basic animation, stop motion cinema, and live-action embedded with music. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be this audiovisual medley. Grant funds will pay for set construction, equipment hire, materials and honorarium.
For the making of a short film that explores the impact on education and shifts in the lives and work of teachers, who are compelled to use digital technology and the internet to teach during the pandemic. A series of interviews with teachers whose lives have been disrupted will be conducted in and around Jaipur. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the film. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, equipment hire and local conveyance.
For a study of the complex and multi-dimensional relationship that we have with the internet. It will be explored through an imagined conversation between an artist and the internet where over time the dynamics of power will shift between them. The outcome of the project will be an animated website that will enable active viewer participation. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the website downloaded on a drive. Grant funds will pay for production and professional fee.
