Mumbai has found itself a new and unconventional art space, the Sassoon Docks.
The 142-year-old space, the oldest docks in the city, will transform into a
public art exhibition with murals, installations, film screenings, talks, and
audio-visual experiences. This is the Sassoon Dock Art Project, a part of the
St+art Mumbai 2017 Urban Art Festival and it is here to paint the town red,
white and every other colour imaginable.
It’s
not just art that will be on display. Expect a talk by urban designers Faizan
Khatri, AWP, Ayaz Basrai and Sameep Padora, screening of aerial videos and a
graffiti workshop. Through the weekends in November, there will be special
schedules, which will include guided walks, interactions with international
artists. For instance, the Singapore Weekender, November 17 to 19 will see
artworks by The Yok & Sheryo, Tan Zi Xi, a Zine festival and screen
printing workshop, an exhibition, film screenings, and performances by
Turntablist and Producer DJ KoFlow. In addition, chef Gresham Fernandes
(Social) and chef Bjorn Shen (Artichoke) will create a special collaborative
menu. The festival is being organised in association with Asian Paints, Mumbai
Port Trust (MBPT), Singapore Tourism Board, Bonjour India, and Institut
Français. Here are some of the international artists to watch out for.
The Yok & Sheryo
Sheryo is a Brooklyn based Singaporean visual/mural artist,
while Yok is an Australian-born artist. The duo will be putting up an immersive
installation titled ‘Varuna Vessel’. “It pays homage to fisherman from the Koli
tribe and celebrates the bond between their life and vessel (boat), which is
their livelihood,” says Yok. The murals are inspired by their travel around
South East Asia and Singapore, and time spent in India. “Since Singapore also
started as a fishing village similar to Sassoon Dock, we wanted to draw
parallels” says Sheryo.
Tan Zi Xi
The Singapore-born, London-trained artist Zi Xi will be
giving a lesson on ocean and pollution with her installation. Titled ‘Plastic
Ocean’, the installation is a space that gives the illusion of being trapped underwater,
surrounded by plastic waste. “The four walls are covered with mirrors. The idea
is to show a microscopic representation of pollution in the oceans,” says Xi.
She wants people to realise what it must be like for fish living in the ocean,
slowly choking to death on plastic. The installation will use recycled plastic
sourced from Dharavi. “It was highly disturbing to read about plastic pollution
in the ocean. We often take shortcuts when disposing our waste without
realising it is one day going to come back and bite us,” she says.
LIVIL (Olivier Holzl)
Olivier Hoelzl alias LIVIL works with stencils, and his work
uses a combination of picture and text. His work at the festival will include a
stenciled artwork of Koli women. “I did thorough research on the community from
my home in Vienna, Austria and with the support of the organising team,
gathered all the necessary material for my installation for the project. As I
like to work with on topics concerning communities, I decided to showcase the
Koli community and how they work together,” he says.
Clemens Behr
The Berlin-based Behr creates abstract installations,
composed of cardboard, wood, paint, tape and found materials, often resulting
in subtle confusions between 2D painting and 3D objects. Behr will create two
large installations. “The first one is outside [in the courtyard] and is a mix
of mural and installation and a mix of construction and deconstruction. The
work inside is a kind of cityscape with aesthetic elements, materials and
impressions from the city. It can be seen as an accessible painting too,” he
says.
Instagramming art
One of
a kind
At the St+art Mumbai
festival, Instagram in collaboration with local emerging street artists Do x
Khatra, is unveiling a #KindComments themed wall. As part of the global
initiative, Instagram has turned walls all around the world – New York, Dallas,
Mexico City, Jakarta, Tokyo and more – into beacons of kindness. The Mumbai
mural will see hand gestures coming together to form a heart, supported by
words and symbols of kindness conceptualised in colourful graffiti. “The theme
of #KindComments is meant to encourage our communities to consciously think
about how they can do their bit to keep Instagram a kind and positive place for
everyone. “Anyone can be a part of the #KindComments movement – all they have
to do is share an Instagram post of something meaningful and uplifting, share a
kind comment with their friends, or leave a positive comment on someone else’s
post; and sit back and watch the positivity spread from one person to the
next,” says Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach, Instagram, India.
Source: THE HINDU-11th November,2017
