Neighbourhood-Artist Residency
We selected three artists working with different mediums to situate their methods of practice within the community of Govandi for four months. The result of this engagement will lead to distinct exhibits and workshops, which will respond to lived realities and future aspirations of the community.
Jerry is a storyteller and visual communicator, who has a master’s degree in Animation Film Design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He has worked with research projects around experimental narratives and participatory research and is now realising his creativity as a filmmaker and storyteller. His residency will try to bring out the spirit of the space (Govandi), not just socio-politically, but also emotionally by exploring the stories of its residents and highlighting the interpersonal relationship within the community. Leveraging the power of art to incite emotions and facilitate change within individuals and the community, the installation would reflect a collaborative introspection.
Afsana
Afsana is a film being projected onto the building facade, by one of our artist residents. The film is an introspective collaboration between him and the resident’s where they share their stories through creative mediums of claymation, drawings, writing and more.
Projection Mapping
Nisha Nair Gupta is an architect, urban researcher and writer. She is currently a PhD research scholar at Centre of Urban Science and Engineering at IIT-Mumbai. She spearheads the publishing initiative 'People Place Project’ that is invested in urban research, pedagogy and publication, since its inception.
Her residency looks at mapping the people and bringing forth the stories and voices of belonging and becoming. Aiming to create an intimate reading, these stories also build a walkthrough of the everyday life in the neighbourhood and hopes to build a repository of stories for a neighbourhood that is inherently theirs.
Awaaz: Voices of Govandi
Awaaz is a collection of stories co-written by 7 residents of Natwar Parekh Compound and portrays the complexities of their daily lives in a resettlement neighbourhood. This book is edited by Nisha Nair, from People Place Project @peopleplaceproject and an artist resident at Govandi Arts Festival 2023. Published by Yoda Press.
Book
Meera has been working with the artisanal sectors in India since 1989. She has worked in various capacities such as development of artisan groups, business management and exports as well as leading a craft institution to national visibility. She is facilitating a documentation team to discover the richness of handwork that exists in every human settlement. Since the communities in Govandi have migrated from across India, they carry with them memories and skills of the regions they have come from. For the festival, she will be enabling interactions that create new learning as well as a sense of value for these practices.
Button Masala
Button Masala is a clothing brand which uses innovative, sustainable and unique fashion design system. They are a no cutting, no sewing and a one size fits all brand. Meera Goradia organised this workshop for the community at Govandi during the 2023 edition of the Govandi Arts Festival.
