JOIN USA curation of sensorial experiences...
It was around December 2020, when the world was trying to cope with the pandemic, that the physical launch of the Bengaluru-based Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) was shelved. However, neither the bleak situation nor the prevailing gloom could dampen the zeal of the founder, Abhishek Poddar, to bring art enthusiasts together, and he decided to go for a virtual launch. But, little did he know the festival that celebrated the launch of the digital museum would be a hit and become an annual event.
“Last year, owing to the pandemic, we decided to take the museum to the people rather than just wait for people to come to the museum,” said Kamini Sawhney, Director, MAP. Going virtual enabled MAP, a private art museum, to reach out to diverse audiences across the globe which otherwise would not have been possible. The second year’s festival, ‘Art is Life: SoundFrames’ that was held last month was produced in collaboration with Berklee College of Music and focused entirely on music, the intersection of music and the visual arts. “Music is one of the most popular art forms and we felt it was important to use the power of music to get people to engage with the visual arts,” said Sawhney.
Exploring a wide array of musical genres, ‘Art is Life: SoundFrames’ showcased over 25 events including never-before-seen performances, lecture-demonstrations, panel discussions, educational workshops and exhibitions featuring more than 65 artists from across the world like Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam of SubraMania, Grammy-winner Ricky Kej, Berklee Indian Ensemble and Women of the World, musical talents from IndianRaga, young Hindustani maestro Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar and the Durbari Qawwals of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah.
From the performances of famed mother-son duo Kavita and Kanishk Seth to Penn Masala, a capella group that has made its mark in Indian fusion music, the festival had something for everyone. “For upcoming talents, we had sessions by internationally renowned DJs and for veterans, there were performances in Hindustani and Carnatic Classical Music, Sufi, Thumri, and Qawwali, besides engaging panel discussions, talks, immersive workshops and exhibitions,” informed Sawhney. Not to forget the Berklee Indian Ensemble’s concert, featuring some of its greatest hits besides their newest arrangements and performance by the Women of the World.
A global pastiche
The Grammy-winning musician, Ricky Kej, had co-curated a pastiche for the festival that not only included artists from around the world but also art forms that are not widely known. “It was exciting to bring the artists together for one epic virtual presentation,” said Kej. The sensorial performances left the audience spellbound as they travelled the world through this programme and experienced bursts of sound as they listened to jazz in the busy streets of New York, traditional tribal songs from a farmer in Andhra Pradesh, Mizo music by Zaii Hauchhum, Yakshagana from Karnataka and many more performances by talented artists from across the globe.
Kej, who has been nominated again at the 64th Annual Grammy for his latest 'Divine Tides', claims that it is one of the most organic and experimental sessions that he had worked on in a long time. “While we did develop the concept and identify the artists, we did not interfere beyond that and the musical content was created solely by the artists,” he revealed. “The festival overall presented an unparalleled experience for the audience, whether they are based in India or elsewhere in the world,” he said.
Sadhana Rao, a practitioner of research in the art space, was part of two sessions in the fest. Sharing her views on ‘Art is Life: SoundFrames’, Rao said: “It exudes an energy associated with multi-genre musical performances, diverse artistic voices and eclectic visual art exhibitions. The canvas was vibrant and there was the enduring power of artistic expressions.”
Given that the pandemic is still around, Rao feels that digital fests are the safest options and they help blur geographical boundaries as well. However, she agrees that “both physical and digital fests are completely different in appearance and experience.”