2014 - Kolkata & Santiniketan: TO MAKE A WORK tutored by Wendelien van Oldenborgh & Grant Watson, Anjalika Sagar (The Otolith Group), Andrea Philips (Goldsmith's University), Anshuman Dasgupta and Rustom Barucha. Framework: Grant Watson.
Marie-Andree Pellerin, Andrea Philips, Michelle Brown, Charlie Dance, Grant Watson, Kim Schonewille and Malina Suleiman at Tagore's family house.
Participants: Eduard Cachucho, Kim Schonewille, Marie-Andrée Pellerin, Maria Barlasov, Abner Preis, Bryony Gillard, Charlie Dance, Michelle Browne, Eona McCallum, Bonbon Juan, Louis Liu and Malina Suleiman.
This research trip as part of the DAI- course TO MAKE A WORK / MOTIVATION, AFFINITY, CIRCUMSTANCE will bring the group to the academy in Santinketan in West Bengal, India, established by the poet Rabindranath Tagore in 1919; the same year as the Bauhaus and influenced by Bauhaus ideas. The school and university of which it formed a part, sought to bypass British colonial education systems and become part of a process of decolonisation, and cultural revival and modernism. Kala Bhavan the art school at Santiniketan produced some of India's leading modernist artists including Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij, Behodbehari Mhukerjee, who made large-scale public works, which can still be seen still be seen on the campus.
Santiniketan: sculpture by Ram Kinkar Baij
These artists tried to synthesise local conditions and questions with a larger international perspective and within a situation culturally and politically charged. This trip will provide an opportunity to think about the context in which these works were made in relation to our chosen terms - motivation, affinity, circumstance, and compare them with our situation today.
The course TO MAKE A WORK / MOTIVATION, AFFINITY, CIRCUMSTANCE is part of a much larger research project with the Institute of International Visual Arts (Iniva), Goldsmiths University, NGBK (Berlin) and the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) with the possibility for students to participate in a forum on Tagore at NGBK in Berlin in April 2014.
Schedule TRIP TO SANTINIKETAN:
28.01
DAI students depart from A'dam: 14:40
29. 01
DAI students arrival in Kolkata: 07:40
Michelle Brown, Bryony Gillard and Charlie Dance
Check in: Lytton Hotel
30. 01
India Museum PM – Victoria Memorial
Maria Barlasov, Abner Preis, Malina Suleiman and Louis Liu at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata
31. 01
Jurasenko (Tagore's family house)
& Experimenta Gallery
Bonbon Juan & Louis Liu
01.02
9.00 am Rustom Bharucha meets us at Lytton Hotel
Departure 10.10am Howrah Train Station
DAI- students in transition between Kolkata and Santiniketan
Train station Santiniketan
Arrival: Bolpur 12.15
Check in at Park Guest House, Santiniketan
Team will have teaching session with Rustom Barucha (cosmopolitanism and friendship, then question and answer session)
Grant Watson attending class.
Eduardo Cachucho, Marie-Andree Pellerin and Rustom Barucha
Louis Liu
02.02 Team meet with Ram Siva Kumar (Tagore's paintings, Santiniketan Modernism)
03.02 Team meet with Swati and Noninda
Tour of artworks of the Campus sculpture and murals with Anshuman Dasgupta
04. 02 Team meet with Kala Bhavan students – studio visit and DAI students presentation
Visit to the Archive and Tagore's House with Anshuman Dasgupta
Anshuman Dasgupta and Siva Kumar
05. 02 All Day – Visit to Santhal Museum and countryside on bikes with Anshuman Dasgupta
06. 02 Grant, Wendelien and Anjalika leave to Kolkata
Free day to develop research
07. 02 DAI Students and Andrea Philips Leave to Kolkata / Check in Lytton Hotel
08.02
17.40 DAI Students Depart Kolkata to Amsterdam
All photo credits Wendelien van Oldenborgh