A letter from Artist in residence Sankar Venkateswaran
A letter from Artist in residence Sankar Venkateswaran. [dated March 2011]
The dates in the calendar are closer than they appear…
With a little less than three weeks to return to India after the three months in Switzerland, I am left with the sound of steel ringing in my ears – sounds ranging from cow bells to steel pans and of the most sophisticated and very recently invented Swiss idiophone instrument – The Hang.
And what comes in my mind when I close my eyes are the various masks that I have seen here - new, old, rural, folk, archaic, futuristic - with various looks - some are happy, some are vice, some are otherwise, some look dim, some are condescending – however they all express one thing – a revelation of the self. Carpenters, mountaineers, doctors, farmers – people from all walk of life come together to celebrate the fasnachts – people share food, music, dance and joy. Each village and each city has its own unique way of doing the facnacht and they have distinctive designs for what they wear, which, in many ways, assert their identity and bond them together as a community. In fact, one could look at some of these fasnachts as grand choreographies!
I was very fortunate to see various productions, both theatre and dance – a few of them are extraordinarily superb – Zimmerman & de Perrot, for instance. This has given me some idea about the European sensibilities of performance appreciation – thanks to Martha Monstein and Sandro Lunin who made sure that I see the best and the most unique.
I was lucky to meet and interact with various artists based in Switzerland – actors, directors, dramaturges, dancers, technicians, and of course the wonderful people at Rote Fabrik and the most warm hearted people from the Pro Helvetia office – Alexandra Von Arx, to be specially mentioned – because of her, I could meet the Hang makers of Bern and I was able to have my hands on the Hang which otherwise seems a very difficult and expensive instrument to access. I do have some dreams in my mind towards creating a work and towards that, collaboratively making a new instrument hybridizing the Hang and the Mizhavu of Kerala – I have had some preliminary discussions with the Hang makers Felix and Sabina regarding this and they seem to be inspired by this idea. It was surprising to learn that the early Hang was a marriage between the steel pan of Trinidad and the Ghatam of South India that happened in Switzerland!
Travelling in Switzerland is free! Not for all, but for me – thanks again to Pro Helvetia - my imagination and inspiration has no limits with access to the Hanghaus, various cities, villages and wide range of cultural institutions and museums. I was so inspired and moved to see the works of Picasso, Giacometti and Carl Jung among many others in real.
The three month residency was also a rigorous phase of soul searching for me – how can I make sense out of this residency and how do I synthesize this experience into a piece of performance that would make sense? I am inclined to make a solo self devised piece which brings these elements together and bridges my sensibilities of theatre with what I see here. But this needs more thought and homework from me before arriving certainty. With one more fasnacht left for me in Basel – which is at the core of my proposal to Pro Helvetia – that is to look at the correlation between the rhythms that are heard and the rhythms that are seen and the relationships of a particular subject (Sujet) with these rhythms and designs, my mind is mapping something significant – I think. Sankar Venkateswaran. March 12, 2011
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Sankar Venkateswaran is a theatre artist, musician and crosscultural practitioner. He is a graduate of Calicut University School of Drama & Fine Arts, Kerala and the Theatre Training and Research Programme (TTRP), Singapore, and has appeared in productions in Europe, Japan and South East Asia. Residecy at: Rote Fabrik Zürich
Date: 7 January - 31 March 2011
The Way of the Master – The Great Artists of India
The exhbition, The Way of the Master – The Great Artists of India, 1100–1900 opens at Museum Rietberg Zurich this April, bringing to Switzerland 800 years of Indian painting and about 200 masterpieces. [dated March 2011]
The exhbition, The Way of the Master – The Great Artists of India, 1100–1900 opens at Museum Rietberg Zurich this April, bringing to Switzerland 800 years of Indian painting and about 200 masterpieces by more than 40 artists.
Seasoned journalists S Kalidas, Associate Editor India Today, Aveek Kumar Sen, Senior Asistant Editor The Telegraph and Baradwaj Rangan, Deputy Editor The Hindu will be in Zürich on the invitation of Museum Rietberg to attend the opening of the exhibition.
THE WAY OF THE MASTERS – The Great Artists of India, 1100–1900
1 May to 21 August 2011
800 years of Indian painting, some 240 masterpieces by more than 40 artists – and all this at a glance. For the first time an exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of the entire history of Indian painting. What makes it even more exciting is that the focus throughout is on individual painters.
Museum Rietberg has decided to celebrate the work of Indian painters from every region of the sub-continent over the last eight centuries. This exhibition is the result of decades of painstaking research. To identify individual artists, microscopically small signatures were deciphered, pilgrim registers were searched for artists’ names and genealogies, and systematic stylistic comparisons were made. Once more, Museum Rietberg is doing pioneering work and is also accompanying the exhibition with a major publication which should provide new bases for further research.
More than forty artists stand at the centre of the exhibition, and their works convey a broad and comprehensive idea of Indian painting to the visitors. The earliest exhibits are illustrated manuscripts from the twelfth century; the latest works from the early twentieth century are large-format paintings from Udaipur which in their choice of composition and perspective reveal the growing influence of photography. The exhibition which was conceived by the Museum Rietberg will also be shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 26 September 2011 to 8 January 2012.
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
12 April 2011 – 1 April 2012
Tradition and Innovation: Three Painter Generations in North India In the Park-Villa Rieter more treasures by the famous family of painters around Pandit Seu from the north Indian Pahari region can be seen.
1 May 2011, 15.00 Masters on Masters Short talks by three distinguished specialists in Indian art history, Milo C. Beach, B.N. Goswamy and Eberhard Fischer (in English) Park-Villa Rieter
8 and 15 May 2011, 12.00 Nainsukh – A Film by Amit Dutta Matinée at Filmpodium Zürich Information and Reservations: www.filmpodium.ch
19 and 26 May 2011, 19.30–21.00 Wonders of their Time: The World of Indian Painters Course by Jorrit Britschgi (in German) Volkhochschule des Kantons Zürich Information and Reservations: www.vhszh.ch
22 May 2011, 11.00 The World of Indian Painters Talk by Jorrit Britschgi, curator of the exhibition (in German) Park-Villa Rieter
9 July 2011, 20.00 The Zurich Chamber Orchestra at the Museum Rietberg
For further information: www.rietberg.ch
Blooming Sikkim: International Public Art Festival 2011 Gangtok
Swiss artists Reichkin Guido, Karin Walchli who are currently on a residency in India will be participating in the festival Blooming Sikkim: International Public Art Festival 2011 Gangtok. [dated March 2011]
Swiss artists Reichkin Guido, Karin Walchli who are currently on a residency in India will be visiting Gangtok to participate in the festival Blooming Sikkim: International Public Art Festival 2011 Gangtok.
Venue: Gangtok, Sikkim, India
When: 21/3/2011 - 31/3/2011
Where: Sikkim, India
Region: Asia/South
Country: India
International artists:
Reichkin GUIDO, Karin WALCHLI, Thomas EICHHORN, Echostream, Gyaltsen Lama, Katell GELEBART, Sound Delta Wild
Indian artists:
Bani ABIDI, Ravi AGARWAL, Sarnath BANERJEE, BIR, Mrityunjay CHATTERJEE, Sheba CHHACHHI, (Group) Desire Machine Collective, Passang DORJEE, (Group) Frame Works Research & Media Collective, Sanchayan GHOSH, Shilpa GUPTA, Ratna GUPTA, Lokesh, Sangay PALDEN, Prashant RASAILY, Vishal RAWLLEY, Mahbubur REHMAN, Sreejata ROY, Gigi SCARIA, Asim WAQIF.
Swiss Artists: Reichlin Guido and Karin Walchli
Art Form: Visual Arts
Reichlin Guido and Karin Walchli’s art is focused on contemporary pattern and abstractions, the tension lying in the crossovers and relations between ornament and picture/image. Within this context they are dealing with ornamental traditions across cultures, considering their art as a contribution to the ongoing discussion on values and meaning of ornament.
Partner Organisation for Residency: Vyom Centre for Contemporary Arts, Jaipur
Residency duration: 7 February - 6 May 2011
The Cully Jazz Festival
The Cully Jazz Festival stages will be shared by jazz stars and newcomers like the three young Swiss bands: Plaistow, the Marc Perrenoud Trio and Andreas Schaerer’s «Hildegard lernt fliegen». [dated March 2011]
More than 45,000 jazz fans make their way to Lake Geneva each spring. Nevertheless, the Cully Jazz Festival, launched three decades ago, has retained its reputation as a relaxed and intimate event. This year, too, the stages in the picturesque Vaud village will be shared by jazz stars and newcomers alike.
Three young Swiss bands deserve a special mention: Plaistow, the Marc Perrenoud Trio and Andreas Schaerer’s «Hildegard lernt fliegen». These current beneficiaries of Pro Helvetia’s high priority jazz promotion have the opportunity to introduce themselves in public to international event organisers, journalists, agents and label representatives.
Programme details at www.cullyjazz.ch.
Denis Maillefer invited by National School of Drama
National School of Drama Final Year Students present DRIVE under the direction of Swiss theatre director Denis Maillefer. [dated March 2011]
National School of Drama Final Year Students present
DRIVE
Concept & Direction by Swiss theatre director Denis Maillefer
At Abhimanch, National School of Drama
From 28th February to 6th March 2011 at 6:30 pm
Also on 4th, 5th & 6th March at 3:30pm
Swiss theatre director Denis Maillefer invited by National School of Drama After the very successful presentation of the theatre production For the First Time – ‘La Premiere Fois’ by Théâtre en Flammes,as part of the 11th Bharat Rang Mahotsav in 2009, the Director Denis Maillefer was invited to conduct a workshop with the final year students of the National School of Drama, New Delhi in 2009 and once again for a second time in 2011. The production that Denis Maillefer is working on with the NSD final year students is called DRIVE.
Brief on the production
Must theatre deal with real life? Must theatre tell us about the reality close to us, just outside the stage, just outside the school (for us in NSD)? Of course, could be the answer, but not in an absolute realistic way. We are not journalists, we don’t exactly work on a documentary. So what did we do? What is Drive about? The students went to the streets of Delhi. They had to find a ‘partner’. For the female students, this partner had to be a traffic police woman.For the male students, he had to be an autorickshaw driver. Then the idea was to get in touch, ask questions, talk, know as much as possible about their professional lives and their private life. The second step, for the students was to build a stage character from the real person. Not just imitate or exactly play this person, but find, from the real one, a detail, a way of being and then play this newborn character. The third step was to collaborate with the design students, who were also in the same process from the beginning. All students had to build a specific little space for each character, on stage. What does the 'box' tell the audience about the character? How does it help to play?
Swiss Contemporary Dance Days 2011
Fourteen dance companies from Switzerland are presenting their latest creations to international experts and festival directors at the Swiss Contemporary Dance Days 2011 [dated March 2011]
Fourteen dance companies from all regions of Switzerland are presenting their latest creations to local audiences as well as to international experts and festival directors at the Swiss Contemporary Dance Days 2011 in Berne this March.
For more information visit: http://swissdancedays.ch/index.php?id=524&L=1
Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council is delighted to invite Jayachandran Palazhy of Attakkalari, Mandeep Raikhy of Gati Dance Forum and Sadanand Menon to Berne, to experience and witness the festival.
Visit the new website www.danceplatform.ch which has been launched as part of the Swiss Dance Days 2011. The site introduces professional dance companies working in Switzerland and gives an overview of the richness and diversity of contemporary dance choreography in Switzerland.
Film 'Return to Gorée' at Journée de la Francophonie in Bangalore
swissnex presents Swiss film maker Pierre-Yves Borgeaud’s 'Return to Gorée', a French film with English sub-titles on African singer Youssou N'Dour's epic journey. [dated March 2012]
swissnex presents Swiss film maker Pierre-Yves Borgeaud’s 'Return to Gorée', a French film with English sub-titles on African singer Youssou N'Dour's epic journey
at Journée de la Francophonie in Bangalore
Date: Thursday 17 March 2011 (Time tbc)
Venue: Alliance Francaise Bangalore
Synopsis of film
The musical road movie, Return to Gorée, tells of African singer Youssou N'Dour's epic journey following the trail left by slaves and by the jazz music they invented. Youssou N'Dour's challenge is to bring back to Africa a jazz repertoire and to sing those tunes in Goree, the island that today symbolizes the slave trade and stands to commemorate its victims. Guided in his mission by the pianist Moncef Genoud, Youssou N'Dour travels across the United States of America and Europe. Accompanied by some of the world's most exceptional musicians, they meet people and well known figures, and create, through concerts, encounters and debates, music which transcends cultural division.From Atlanta to New Orleans, from New York to Dakar through Luxemburg the songs are transformed, immersed in jazz and gospel. But the day of their return to Africa is fast approaching and much remains to be done to be ready for the final concert...
