Art in progress

Oscar Wilde once said, “The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.” Art imitates life. Life imitates art. An age-old symbiotic pattern. Intrinsically woven into this pattern is an artist collective, the Theatre Jam. Under the canopy of trees, they showcase their art.

Movement artists glide, dancers inspire photographers, painters hang art on trees, actors indulge, thinker questions the poet’s pain and you get the idea. Performing, collaborating, debating, you’ll find them lounging comfortably on green grass on the first Sunday of any given month. Their chosen space is a park. Lovers on park benches, children playing around, joggers, exercise junkies, housewives and apparently, even fortune tellers stop a while. “Once a truck full of Metro workers driving by stopped and gave us an audience,” says Deepak Srinivasan who conceived the idea.  

A typical session apparently begins with introductions and a discussion on the context of the jam in terms of “free art, art in public spaces, art for a certain purpose,” says Deepak who goes on to say, “It is an organic process. It breaks down levels in terms of who’s a performer and who’s not a performer.”

Post the intellectual brouhaha, artists are invited to perform or display their art. Poetry reading, story telling, exhibitions, installations, plays, music, dance and any other kind of art finds an audience here. There is no registration process, no ticket sales. Love for the arts, a little understanding and patience is apparently all that is asked of anybody. After each performance, their might be a discussion. This discussion could result in improvisation. The word organic begins to make sense. 

The jam, which is backed by ‘Maara’, an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation with varied interests, was founded in response to the absolute lack of spaces for artists. And as Ikta Mittal, a member of ‘Maara’, points out “one art complements an other form of art,” the design of Theatre Jam is perfect for collaborations. What is of even more value is that the design is engineered to allow for active dialogue allowing for a more active relationship with the members of the surrounding community.

The audiences seem thrilled. Shwetha Jairam, an audience member stated she was ‘charmed’. She says, “it is an open forum and there is a chance to engage in conversation and understand what people want to say.”

“This jam is very much in keeping with our community media mandate. Media should not be controlled by anybody,” says Ikta, while expressing her desire that slowly this ‘Jam’ becomes community-owned. Deepak hopes that the core members of the team would change locations, developing the same format in other areas in the city. Each area with its own self-sustained artist collective. 

If inspiration strikes or merely fanciful, then Jayanagar is a good destination on the first Sunday of any month. Once you get to the South End Circle, you need to head in the direction of Nanda Talkies. Parks will run parallel on both sides of the road. Stop at the one between 33rd Cross and the 36th Cross. The artist collective can be found in the park on the left.