How can music lead people to think of water conservation? Neerunusiru, the experimental piece by Swiss artist Christina Della Giustina, singer Vasundhara Das and ghatam exponent Sai Chandrashekhar will come together at Bengaluru Fantastic this weekend to do just that. The sound and light for the performance are driven by data on water usage in Bengaluru, collected by Scientist Vishal Mehta in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science. "Telling people to turn off the tap as they brush their teeth only goes so far," says Archana Prasad, co-founder, Jaaga, and one of the organisers of Bengaluru Fantastic, a Tech-Arts Festival that will take over M.G. Road this weekend.
Artists, tech experts, architects and researchers will come together over three days to create a vision for Bengaluru, in keeping with the United Nation's seven sustainable development goals. Talks, panels, workshops, installations and performances will, says Prasad, "paint a radical, open, optimistic vision of the future. We want to do this by bringing technology together with artists and designers and putting them in the public space." The government plays a crucial role, says Prasad. "We would run to the government for permissions earlier but we understand how important it is to have them on board." This event is being supported by BMRCL and the Department of Tourism.
Lekha Washington, who creates post-surrealist work, will explore notions of being through her highly conceptual work and the influences of functional art, in a panel titled Designing to Tech Art this afternoon. Thespian Arundhati Nag will join Arundhati Ghosh and Rebecca Spurgeon for Theatre and the Public: Does Tech have a role? The Srishti School of Art Design and Technology will host the Experimental Lab and Rose Lejeune and Avani Tanya will come together in Reimagining Collections. Urban Expert Ashwin Mahesh will jion Sean Biagsvedt and Damien Miller for what is India's Clean Future and Anat Cohen and Marcello Goncalves will bringing some afternoon jazz to the streets of Bengaluru.
3D printing, hosted by Redd Robotics, Maya- The Cyborg in a Saree, hosted by the Srishti & Desire Machine Collective are part of the lineup on Sunday. The traditional drum jam will take place at 4 pm, with Vasundhara Das and Roberto Narain as well.
Bengaluru is a thriving hub of technology and experimental art, although these don't often find their way into public spaces. Tech circles, bursting with innovations, remain confined to their spaces, much like artists and designers.
"These two groups rarely meet and when they do, it's hardly ever in a way that the public can be part of it too," she says. "Bengaluru is the perfect place for a festival like this: It's India's Silicon Valley and has a fabulous experimental art scene where artists aren't afraid to go ahead and try new things."
