For the creation of a musical instrument named ‘Noori’. Exploring new dimensions in instrument design, materiality, and sound, this project aims to create an instrument which is both fretted and non-fretted, string and percussive, with monophonic, polyphonic and microtonal possibilities. The outcome will be two iterations of the instrument, interactive sessions of the work-in-progress, and performances. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be video and audio documentation of the instrument making process and the performances. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, materials, travel, professional fees, documentation and an accountant’s fee.
For the dissemination of Men of Pukar, an IFA-supported photographic project portraying the people and landscape of Poompuhar. Extending beyond Poompuhar, this project will constitute photo exhibitions in and around the regions of three ancient port cities—Tondi (Tyndis), Muchiri (Muziris), and Korkai—located in present day Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Drawing on descriptions of the inhabitants and terrain of these cities in the ancient Tamil epic Silappadikaram, this work seeks to revisit these sites in an attempt to initiate conversations around identity and territory, and rekindle collective social memory. The outcome of the project will be three photo exhibitions and interactive sessions. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be still documentation of the exhibitions and the discussions. Grant funds will pay for costs towards travel and living, exhibition, event, photo documentation and accountant’s fee.
For the creation of a collaborative performance work, exploring politics around notions of identity of the ‘refugee’. Anchored in a doctoral dissertation on Sudanese refugees, the performance will be built on the individual and collective explorations and experiences of marginalisation, exclusion, borders, statist politics, ‘refugee-ness’ and ‘other-ness’ by seven artists. It seeks to question dominant discourses on the refugee, challenging homogeneity, and aspires to build human connections and inclusion. The work will be scripted, devised, directed, and performed by a collective of seven artists who hail from theatre, movement, literary, and visual arts backgrounds. The outcome will be a series of work-in-progress performances across South India. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be photographs, video and textual documentation of the process, and performances. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, professional fees for resource persons, travel and living, rehearsal space rental, documentation, materials, and an accountant’s fee.
For the creation of a sound installation using information gathered on the usage, wastage, and pollution of water in India. Tentatively titled Water.org the work seeks to understand the politics around water resources in India and build awareness about it. The outcome will be an exhibition of the interactive installation and an e-book created from information gathered from multiple sources. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be the material gathered for the work, an E-book, images of the graphical notation score, photographs of the process and media reports of the exhibition. Grant funds will pay for costs towards purchase of materials, professional fees, travel, and an accountant’s fee.
For the creation of a performance-work titled Shiva that explores queer identities. Based on personal experiences, it will trace the story of a young poet coming out to his mother, through a series of letters and poems that express fear, conviction, choice, and a deep longing for her acceptance. The performance also seeks to draw on and challenge the tenets of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, viewing them from a queer perspective. Imagined as an iterative, creative series of performances, this process seeks to emerge as a platform that will trigger dialogues on alternative identities, relationships, gender, sexuality, masculinity, peer pressure, and mob violence. The outcome will be a series of eight performances across Karnataka. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be photographs and video documentation of the process work and performance. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, travel and living, professional fees, rehearsal / performance space and studio hire, production, printing and publicity, documentation, and an accountant’s fee.
For a visual and written exploration of the idea of attachment through an engagement with the minority community of Armenians in Kolkata. Using alternative photographic processes involving unique materials, this project seeks to bring a forgotten and almost extinct Armenian community to the forefront of discussions through a researched body of work. The outcomes of this project will be an exhibition/ installation comprising documentary photographs of spaces and objects, negatives in the collections of the families and portraits of family members prepared using alternative photographic processes; and the draft of a book containing photographs and essays. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the photographs, the draft of the book and still and video documentation of the exhibition / installation. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, honorarium, material costs, travel and living costs, purchase of books, studio hire, stationery and printing, and an accountant’s fee.
For a series of workshops by a dance practitioner in five cities of India, pegged around the performance piece Queen-Size. The workshops are aimed at generating conversations around sexuality, desire and gender activism raising critical queries about Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code constituted in 1861 that criminalises homosexuality. The outcome of the project will be the five workshops. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be still photographs of the workshops, written comments of the audience, media reports and publicity material. Grant funds will pay for travel and living costs, professional fees, honorarium, production management cost, freight and local travel, workshop costs, and an accountant's fee.
For a series of workshops over eight months and an exhibition in the historic Chitpur locality of old Kolkata. The workshops are a continuation of the ‘Chitpur Local’ project designed to re-activate the cultural life of this locality with rich history and heritage. Eight artists in collaboration with local residents, businessmen, artists, craftsmen, police and schools will create various cultural activities, innovative audience engagement and a digital archive. Outcome of the project will be the workshops and a community exhibition. Still and video documentation of the workshops and the exhibition will be deposited as deliverables. The material will also be shared on the website and social media pages of the project. Grant funds will pay for workshops costs, professional fees, community collaborators’ fees, documentation costs, honorarium, website maintenance costs, and an accountant's fee.
For the creation of a musical performance based on notions of Manipuri identity that are embedded in the literature and folklore of the Meitei community, particularly that of its diaspora spread across Assam, Tripura, and Bangladesh. Through extensive field trips and interviews, the project will explore histories, stories, and songs of the Meitei community and its subsequent migration, to understand the constructions and erasures of identity—both within and outside of Manipur. The performance seeks to generate fresh perspectives on the current sociopolitical landscape of the state. The outcome will be the performances.The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be an audio CD, documentation from the field trip, stills and video recordings of the premiere performance. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel and living, professional fees, a premiere show, studio hire, documentation, production of a CD, research material, and an accountant’s fee.
For the creation of a multimedia exhibition, a seminar, and performances centred on the archival collection of music and papers of the Senia Gharana exponent, Pandit Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury. The rich collection, comprising the published and unpublished writings of Birendra Kishore, his personal notebooks, music ephemera, and photographs, will enable critical dialogues around music pedagogy, archiving, and engaging with archival materials for musical experimentations. The seminar also aims to foreground regional perspectives in the understanding and writing of music histories. The outcome will be a seminar, an exhibition, and performances. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be still and video documentation of the exhibition, seminar and performances, and the papers that will be presented at the seminar.
