Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Touching base, briefly

As a girl balances herself on a tightrope in a street in Sion, her act is caught in an illusion of stepping on the roof of a passing taxi

Where past meets the future

A child sneaks a peek into one of the installation artworks at a previous edition of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

When we spoke to Brinda Miller recently, the artist and chairperson of the Kala Ghoda Association put the pandemic into fresh perspective. "Although it was a bad experience, somewhere, people are not ready to acknowledge that it happened. I feel, to move on we have to look back and learn from our past," she told us. As the art precinct prepares for Mumbai's most exciting gala event - Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) 2023 that will be held between February 4 and 12 - Miller described their overarching theme, Past Forward. "The role of visual art is to mirror our social climate and that is exactly what we expect from our participating artists. The growing need for upcycling made its presence felt in the previous years and so, we are looking at installation artwork that uses such materials. The concept of movement and the idea of a busy street should also be kept in mind. Carts, cycles, wheels and animal transportation are some of the cues we would like artists to ideate around," Miller shared with this diarist adding that this year, the logo for the fest also depicts a horse on wheels.

To art together

A zine fest at Fluxus Chapel

When this diarist came across the mention of shares on the social media page of the city art hub, Fluxus Chapel, curiosities were piqued. Himanshu S, who helms the space, clarified that it had nothing to do with the stock exchange. "Generally, people always praise a new art space. But it will be very interesting if everybody who loves the space contributes to make it functional," he said. To this end, for a ‘share' priced at R750 for three months each, patrons can receive access to facilities such as the space's library, or even exhibit their own work for a week. "It is more about a connection between the artist and the user of the space, and how both can take responsibility to cover the running costs," he added. For more details, a visit to the Bandra venue is recommended.

Where stories meet

Students at the book fair

City-based indie bookstore Kahani Tree held their first on-ground school book fair last week after a span of two years. Founder Sangeeta Bhansali said, "We had nearly forgotten the joys and revelations physical events can lead to. We keep organising lit weeks but with the school fair, students were able to meet kidlit authors." Held at Kandivali's Akshara High School, the fair saw students perform plays from Himanjali Sankar's book, The Lies We Tell and Paro Anand's The Other. "The interactions between the authors and students was the best part. While the latter felt inspired, the former was happy to address their curiosity," Bhansali shared with this diarist. The kids also got to read the books before meeting the authors.

All roads lead to Prithvi Theatre

A 39-year-old celebration that brings theatrewallahs and enthusiasts together, year after year to honour art, craft and talent is back after facing a shutdown due to the pandemic. The annual Prithvi Theatre Festival will finally be hosted after two years in November this year, and will span two weeks comprising a fusion of music, dance and drama. The festival that will keep the city's kids and arts-oriented audience busy for two weeks has a special focus this time. The organisers intend to bring new talented artistes and performers to the fore. The format will be both experiential and educative. Interested folks can keep an eye on @prithvitheatre for updates.

Nature in focus

Picture clicked by Ashvini Kumar Chhabra. PIC COURTESY/FACEBOOK

To mark the 68th National Wildlife Week, celebrated from October 2 to October 8, the Maharashtra Nature Park Society had organised a series of public participation sessions. Apart from nature walks in schools and colleges, they hosted an on-the-spot photography competition, of which three pictures would win. While Ashvini Kumar Chhabra bagged the first prize, Sachin Pawar and Rutvi Naik won the second and third prizes, respectively. "We had a total of 55 participants in a matter of two hours. There were two categories - mobile and camera photography. The selections were based on the precision in clarity, pointer and framing," Tushar Shinde, director, Maharashtra Nature Park, told this diarist.