Lights, camera, perform
22 Feb 2014 5:50 AM IST
The idea of the Vikram Sarabhai Festival was born a few years after his tragic and early death in 1971. He was the co-founder of Darpana with Mrinalini Sarabhai, and its main supporter. He was a great lover of the arts, and a connoisseur. It was felt that the best way to remember and pay homage to him would be to have a yearly multi- arts festival in his home town, Ahmedabad.
From a modest beginning in 1974 in the Tagore Hall, till 1994, the festival highlighted major national and international artists like Prabha Atre, Bhimsen Joshi, The Battery Dance Company, Gruppa from Sweden, Pratap Sharma and Alyque Padamsee and Darpana’s own new productions.
With the birth of Darpana’s own unique theatre, Natarani in 1994, the festival shifted gear and became the Vikram Sarabhai International Arts Festival, with a thrust towards highlighting and producing major new collaborative work. These have included collaboration between countries, between artists of different styles and between performing artists, painters, sculptors and installation artists.
The 38th Vikram Sarabhai International Arts Festival explores different aspects of the issue of displacement. More and more people in India and elsewhere are getting displaced and dispossessed due to circumstances outside their control. Industrialization, mining, big dams, climate change, economic and political reasons lead massive groups of humanity to lose their homes and roots. UNHCR figures show increasingly wider swathes of humanity being uprooted and usually not finding proper rehabilitation. This project aims at bringing public awareness of the problem, to raise voices to influence governments, especially the Indian government, to put in place just, equitable and humane policies to settle these millions. This project is also supported by the UNHCR – United Nations High Commission for Refugees.Performances that will be a part of this festival are - LDR, concept, choreography and direction: Revanta Sarabhai, performed by: Revanta Sarabhai and Sarathy Korwaralong with original Soundscape and Music: Sarathy Korwar. Unearthed, directed: Yadavan Chandran and Mallika Sarabhai. Performed by: Mallika Sarabhai with Palanivelu, Murali Nair, Padmakumar, Pinakin Thaker, Sonal Solanki, Manikandan, Pooja Purohit, Priyanka Raja; Original music score: Jayan Nair and the Darpana musicians. The Damned is the last piece that will be performed on 12 March. The Damned has concept and artistic direction by Naomi Deira and will be performed by: Mallika Sarabhai and The Darpana Performing Group.
WHEN: 10 to 12 March
WHERE: Sri Ram Centre
From a modest beginning in 1974 in the Tagore Hall, till 1994, the festival highlighted major national and international artists like Prabha Atre, Bhimsen Joshi, The Battery Dance Company, Gruppa from Sweden, Pratap Sharma and Alyque Padamsee and Darpana’s own new productions.
With the birth of Darpana’s own unique theatre, Natarani in 1994, the festival shifted gear and became the Vikram Sarabhai International Arts Festival, with a thrust towards highlighting and producing major new collaborative work. These have included collaboration between countries, between artists of different styles and between performing artists, painters, sculptors and installation artists.
The 38th Vikram Sarabhai International Arts Festival explores different aspects of the issue of displacement. More and more people in India and elsewhere are getting displaced and dispossessed due to circumstances outside their control. Industrialization, mining, big dams, climate change, economic and political reasons lead massive groups of humanity to lose their homes and roots. UNHCR figures show increasingly wider swathes of humanity being uprooted and usually not finding proper rehabilitation. This project aims at bringing public awareness of the problem, to raise voices to influence governments, especially the Indian government, to put in place just, equitable and humane policies to settle these millions. This project is also supported by the UNHCR – United Nations High Commission for Refugees.Performances that will be a part of this festival are - LDR, concept, choreography and direction: Revanta Sarabhai, performed by: Revanta Sarabhai and Sarathy Korwaralong with original Soundscape and Music: Sarathy Korwar. Unearthed, directed: Yadavan Chandran and Mallika Sarabhai. Performed by: Mallika Sarabhai with Palanivelu, Murali Nair, Padmakumar, Pinakin Thaker, Sonal Solanki, Manikandan, Pooja Purohit, Priyanka Raja; Original music score: Jayan Nair and the Darpana musicians. The Damned is the last piece that will be performed on 12 March. The Damned has concept and artistic direction by Naomi Deira and will be performed by: Mallika Sarabhai and The Darpana Performing Group.
WHEN: 10 to 12 March
WHERE: Sri Ram Centre
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