Artistic excursion to connect with nature on Sunday

The exercise is part of a year-long project by city artist-academic Shabari Rao

An art project is inviting people to visit the ancient rock formations near Savandurga, a monolith hill 50 km from Bengaluru, on Sunday.

These rocks are said to be more than 2.5 billion years old whereas the average human lifespan is 72 years or so. The hope of the excursion is to introspect our place on Earth as transient beings and to learn to co-exist.

Open Invitation is a year-long project led by Shabari Rao, an artist, educator and researcher based in Bengaluru. Vocalist-composer Bindhumalini Narayanswamy, filmmaker Manush John, and inter-disciplinary artiste Navya Sah are her collaborators, and geologist Thejaswi Shivanand is among visiting researchers.

Over five hours, the researchers will talk to participants about the project and the ecological significance of these rocks and encourage them to observe and listen to nature as they walk barefoot, gently and consciously. Film, sound and performance will be in store. For Shabari, this is an exercise to reposition humans from “domineering beings” as they see themselves in the natural world to instead being a part of it and living “synergistically” with other forms of life. Facing the towering and ancient rocks of Savandurga should set the context as she says, “In the scheme of evolution, human beings are like Mayflies.” These flies die in a day.

The Covid-19 crisis made many pause and rethink about their relationship with ecology and Shabari drew inspiration from that. “We have a home close to Savandurga, where we spent a good amount of time during the pandemic. My kids used to play on these rocks and I felt the urgent need to create a work to heighten our sensitivity towards nature,” she says.

The excursion is open to all age groups. Open Invitation on July 10, 2.30 pm to 7.30 pm, near Savandurga Hill.

To register, write to [e-mail]