For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will facilitate research towards creation of a short non-fiction film that explores the intersections and interactions of notions of woman/ feminist, architectural practice, and social action. Based on the oral history records of the Women of Vaastukala Archive, this project will create a narrative audio-visual archive in the form of a documentary film to bring alive histories of labour and culture, where the question of what objects/spaces/histories are deemed archive-worthy will be examined. The primary outcome of this project will be the documentary film. The Project Coordinator’s final deliverables to IFA, along with the reports will be copy of the final film and any other images and audio-visual materials created through the research towards the film. This is collaboration with the Women of Vaastukala Archive, an online platform. The Project funds will pay for contract fees, hire of equipment, travel and living and hire of venue.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that aims to study the Arabana Muttu in Malabar and examine how this ritualistic art form shapes ethical habits, collective emotions, and local subjectivities through embodied training, ritual, and performance. The project combines ethnography and filmmaking to document how Arabana Muttu moves between devotional and secular spaces, especially within the Kerala school Kalolsavam circuit. The outcomes of this project will be a full-length documentary film in Malayalam, a scholarly monograph in English, a curated digital archive of recorded performances and interviews, and a package of edited audio-visual clips, field notes, and contextual materials for public and scholarly use. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will include the documentary film, the monograph manuscript, the digital archive, and the accompanying metadata. Projects funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, purchase of equipment, archive and library fees, printing, purchase of books, stationery and communication.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions that will focus on the creation of a mixed-media documentary film titled Ballads of Ponnani. The project revolves around a 65-year-old music club Basanth Bahar, where three to four nights a week, a group of men gather beneath a single photograph of Mohammed Rafi, alongside portraits of legendary Malayalam singers like KJ Yesudas, and the room fills with the soulful strains of Bollywood classics and traditional Mappila Pattu. At the heart of the story are three men and their labouring bodies torn from the daily toil, but finding renewal through a fading musical tradition of a withering music club. The Project Coordinator's deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be documentation materials from the project, and the documentary film. Project funds will pay for contract fees, hire of equipment, travel and living, consumables and hire of venue.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations which will involve experiments in the making of a graphic narrative in mixed-media book form, by aggregating personal stories regarding women’s health and the social stigmas surrounding it, from a queer artist’s perspective. The outcome of the project will be an interactive and engaging book-form set in a public place, combining different mediums like sculpture, textiles, and video, contributing to a larger graphic narrative. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be documentation of the artistic process of making the graphic narrative book form. Project funds will pay for materials, hire of equipment, installation, contract fees, publicity and marketing, travel and living, and hire of venue.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that delves into the material culture linked to the ritualistic practices of Muslims in hinterland Malabar. It also examines the significant contribution made by Mamburam Thangal to the formation of different ritualistic complexes in the region and the evolution of Mappila subjectivity during the 18th and 19th centuries. The outcomes of this project will be a seminar on the evolution of 18th and 19th-century Mappila Muslims, a documentary film, an exhibition of project findings, a manuscript in Malayalam, and publications in online and print media. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the documentary film, the items from the exhibition, including videos, photos, and graphic designs, as well as a digital archive of project findings. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, printing, purchase of books, exhibition, hire of venue, archive fees, stationery and materials.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions that will enable the creation of a theatrical production centred around the actor and the epic character Shoorpanakha. Imagined as a process that will unfurl the actor-character dichotomy, this work seeks to move beyond conventional frameworks in dance, drama and storytelling to find a new language of performance that will offer a fresh paradigm to artistically engage with a complex, elusive and subversive character such as Shoorpanakha. The outcome of the project will be the performance. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be photographs and video documentation of the training sessions, rehearsals and the final performance. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, costumes, hire of venue, materials and documentation.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will critically explore the experiences of migration of the queer and trans community from Kerala to Bangalore resulting in a report/monograph on the queer history of Kerala drawing primarily from the materials at the Queer Archive for Memory, Reflection and Activism (QAMRA) at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. The project will critically examine the archival materials at QAMRA, and collect stories pertaining to such migration from the community. The outcomes of the project will be the report/monograph and possibly an exhibition or other cultural productions based on the research findings. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the report/monograph and recordings from the exhibition or cultural productions, if any. This is a collaboration with the QAMRA at NLSIU Bengaluru. Project funds will pay for contract fees and travel and living.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will examine the significance and impact of printed Arabi-Malayalam magazines run by women publishers and editors from the Mappila community in Kerala in the early 20th century. Through a study of the readers, writers, content, and topics covered by the magazines, the project will explore the subaltern history of Mappila women and document unrecorded and unrecognised voices of this minority community. The outcomes of this project will be an exhibition and audiovisual documentation of the magazines and interviews from the field. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be a documentation of the exhibition and audiovisual documentation of magazines and interviews from the field. Project funds will pay for contract fees, premiere of the exhibition, documentation, travel and living, hire of equipment, materials, library and archives fees, printing, and software subscriptions.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will study the Muslim community’s spatial formations and sensorial practices in Kayalpattinam, a southern coastal town in Tamil Nadu. It will examine how various traditions negotiate the influx of modernity in different socio-religious contexts in a Muslim-majority district. The outcomes of this project will be an essay, audiovisual documentation, and a catalogue of ritual performances and built forms. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with final reports, will be an essay, audiovisual documentation, and a catalogue of ritual performances and built forms.Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, premier of exhibition, documentation, hire of equipment, archive fees, library fee, printing, purchase of books, stationery, and materials.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations which will involve traveling through the West Coast of India, to explore imperial fort debris, lagoon ecosystems, and people’s narratives of resistance movements in these places against the onslaught of aggressive development, towards the making of a lecture performance. The outcome of the project will be the lecture performance. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be photographs and audio-visual documentation of the travels and the lecture performance. Project funds will pay for travel and living, contract fees, and materials.