A window to a creative world

Cultural Activities

The first edition of ‘Ruins of the Renaissance’ (ROTR) may not have made it the creativity and innovation festival that it had hoped to be due to factors like the distance to the venue and inadequate marketing.

 But the concept of a festival that believes in ‘everybody is creative’ and the host of interesting activities lined up for the second edition seem to be much more convincing this time around. 

Anusha Pinto, marketing head, ROTR, says that while the concept behind the festival has stayed consistent, the approach has become more structured and scaled-up. 

“When the ‘festival boom’ took place a few years ago, the ROTR founders Shweta Thakur and Shinoy Thomas saw that there was only music festivals around and no platform for artists to come together. So they decided to start a festival where art and science came together and where bystanders were urged to try out different things instead of just watching,” she informs. 

The multi-disciplinary, pet-friendly festival will have activities of all sorts – workshops, exhibitions, installations, live music, plays, dances, open mic, pop-up restaurants, a film festival, and so on. 

From learning how to make dream-catchers or the nuances of analogue music production to perfecting the art of Krav Maga, a style of martial arts developed for the Israeli military, there’s something for everyone! Besides this, one could sit and watch Sameer Hazari make 3D art live, rekindle a childhood love for kite flying or simply try out skateboarding for fun! There’s also ‘Aura’, the spirituality center, which is ‘the only quiet place amidst the madness’, as Anusha puts it. 

Mumbai-based hip-hop act ‘Bombay Bassment’ performed last year and are returning this year with a whole new set. “Last year, the festival had a smaller crowd comprising mostly of artists, which was quite amazing. Artistes across different disciplines mingling and sharing ideas was what made ROTR stand out. This year, we’re looking at playing to a bigger crowd of fans,connecting with other artistes and generally having a good time,” notes bassist Ruell Barretto.

Graffiti artist Shunnal Ligade aka ‘The Bathroom Painter’ finds the line-up more appealing this edition. “There are a lot more artists this time. But I’m essentially doing what I did last year with live graffiti and a workshop on different spraying techniques. The idea was to essentially make people aware of how to express themselves through graffiti and it was amazing to see nearly 100 people lose themselves to paint at the same time,” he recalls.

Bharath AJ, founding director of ‘Young Innovators’, is a first-timer to ROTR and will be conducting a workshop on astronomy aero-modelling.

 “What drew me to the festival was the concept of making hobbies into careers. There’s innovation and culture coming together, which is needed. Our workshop is for parents and children and will be a unique activity for the family to bond to,” he shares.

ROTR takes place on May 31 and June 1 at Karle Town Centre (Hebbal). For details, log on to www.rotr.in