A sequential light festival in the city aims to re-introduce the photic scope of art as an intimate fluid medium
ROW at LEV Festival (October 2020) at Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura in Gijon, Spain. Pics Courtesy/TUNDRA
From illuminated tiered structures at Durga puja pandals and wedding entrances to lit-up floating lanterns, the ebb and flow of photic patterns continue to fascinate the child in this writer. Like fiery dandelions and starbursts — that glimmer within shut eyes — they guide her home. Light carnivals around the world have evolved in a ritualistic climate. Be it Loi Krathong in Thailand, the Festival of Lights in France, the Pingxi Lantern fiesta in China or Diwali in India, the celebrations symbolise expressions of gratefulness, the commemoration of a community’s safekeepers, peace, and the victory of good over evil. But can light installations fuel artistic articulation beyond these consistent contexts? Can an audience’s engagement with light transcend the visual? Floating Canvas Company, a platform centred on the intersection between art and design, presents ROW by TUNDRA to seek answers to such pertinent questions.
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The installation at Criatech Festival (October 2020) inside Capela de Jesus in Portugal
The irradiated display will be the first of a series of satellite events that will form the Mumbai Light Festival. Aagam Mehta, co-founder of the platform, says, “We were aiming to launch a bigger show at the beginning of this year but that was when Omicron hit the country. The show has now been pushed to February or March 2023, and the five to six serial light installations planned for the next few months will pave the way for the gala event. We have researched light festivals and their scope for the past few years. Launching this Mumbai edition will help us season viewers to the possibilities of the medium and understand their expectations better.”
TUNDRA’s experimental outdoor set-up
After receiving nearly 273 artiste applications for the festival, a first in Mumbai, the organisers had to manoeuvre logistical challenges. “In a nutshell, it was encouraging. The process of curating these displays allowed us to explore the potential of homegrown light artistes and the kind of work they are capable of. The festival renders an accessible platform for these creators,” notes co-founder Shakti Swarup Sahu. He explains that although Indian viewers have some reference to light art, navigating it as an experiential process — through audio-visual cues and wall texts — will be new. But what gives photic art an edge over other media? “The ever-changing nature of these set-ups is truly intriguing. Seeing them at different times of the day can affect the viewer differently,” Sahu adds.
Aagam Mehta and Shakti Swarup Sahu
TUNDRA, an artist collective with members from different European countries, conceived ROW to experiment with high-speed rotating LED blades that create a holographic screen effect. But instead of using the blades as a conventional 2D screen, the group combined several holographic fans by placing them in a row — thus adding a third dimension in terms of image depth. The technology that is primarily used for advertising was harnessed to create art.
But how can an ordinary observer, with little understanding of technology or math, relate to the concept? Artist Klim Sukhanov from the collective elaborates, “We have tried to visualise all the chaos and order of radio signals permeating the air and our bodies every second. It’s a manifestation of the endless rows of data floating in the air that can be converted into different signals, pieces of dialogue, music and any kind of abstract information transmitted at every turn, from every other device nowadays.”
Although a limited-capacity display, Mumbai Light Festival is making an effort to promote social responsibility. For every purchased ticket, the organising platform will gift a ticket to a student from one of the city’s municipal schools. Here’s to spreading light with inclusive art.
From: September 21 to October 5; 10 am to 11 pm
At: Tao Art Gallery, 165, The View, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli.
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 249 onwards
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