ADDA at RANAN | Iftekhar Ahsan - founder of, and explorer at, Calcutta Walks | SUNDAY, 3 January 2016, 5pm to 7p
space and time to engage and exchange with individuals and organisations
that activate, energise and re-define the complex socio-cultural landscape of Calcutta
"what are you passionate about
what makes you tick, why do you do what you do?"
Calcutta. Travel. Learning. Cultures. People. Photography. History. Entrepreneurship
"I do what I do because it is a coming together of all my interests in life."
~ Iftekhar Ahsan
************
Adda with Iftekhar Ahsan
founder of, and explorer at, Calcutta Walks
Sunday, 3 January 2016. 5 to 7 pm
The Ranan Workspace
(Ground Floor, 8 Sultan Alam Road, Calcutta 700 033, near Rabindra Sarobar Metro)
Born and brought up (and hopelessly in love with) Calcutta, Iftekhar Ahsan’s passion for trespassing is second only to his love for this city. Mired in years of neglect and bad publicity people fail to accept Calcutta for the great city that it is, and Iftekhar started Calcutta Walks to showcase the city in its true spirit. Calcutta Walks has now morphed into a household name thanks to his commitment and dedication to the cause of promoting a sustainable and responsible tourism business. A regular contributor to The Telegraph and other publications Iftekhar has built a reputation for himself as an explorer of the city and one of the best people to walk around town with.
Ranan believes that the performing arts should be a vital and valued part of shared human experience and society. Cities like Calcutta need spaces to connect, exchange, share, inspire and energise. Our monthly addas engage with people invested in activating the city and the extended arts community in a variety of ways, and with the wealth of ideas, processes and approaches that make up the complex socio-cultural fabric of Calcutta. The adda also contributes to making our workspace a hub for diverse creative energies that meet, stay, morph or simply flow through with honest, open conversations and debates between people, experiences and ideas.
Email us on ranan.artsengage@gmail.com or rananidia@gmail.com for more information.
Finding us:
The venue is on the ground floor of a residential apartment building.
There is limited parking space in the neighbourhood so please arrive early.
Arriving by public transport is advisable and easy. The Metro stop is Rabindra Sarobar, bus and tram stops are Charu Market, Rabindra Sarobar and Bhabani Cinema. The venue is a short walk from here.
The entrance to Sultan Alam Road is flanked by a small Thalassemia Clinic and a mosque. Look for a large black gate on your right soon after you enter the lane.
In the unlikely event that you are arriving by local train, the stop is Tollygunj Station on the parallel road to Sultan Alam. We are a five minute walk from there.
If you get lost or confused, please call 8296440089 or 9830468110. We will get you there! However, phones may be on silent mode once we start - another reason to come a little early and settle in.
See you there.
***********************************************************************************
ADDA AT RANAN - July 2015
Vikram Iyengar responds to the Adda at Ranan with architect and actress
Anubha Fatehpuria
How many times have we walked or driven
down a road and been brought up short by a building that seems to have no
business to be there? It has nothing to do with its location, its surroundings,
its neighbours – its incongruous in every way. “Who built that, and why”, we
wonder as we move on.
Or worse, still, how many times have we
walked or driven down streets in our cities where every house looks like the
next, every street looks like the next, and every neighbourhood looks like a
generic urban landscape. Nothing to tell us visually which city we are in, what
makes it unique, what its culture is, who its people are. Faceless four walls
enclosing in, leaving out, without a trace of the personalities individuals who
live or work there. Functional buildings, soul-less buildings, buildings
without surprises, buildings without delight, buildings of brick, mortar and
cement… and precious little else.
Click here for more images |
How can the art of architecture work to
humanise spaces? This is what drives architect Anubha Fatehpuria’s work and
vision. How do you approach a space, listen to it, hear what it has to say, accordingly
conceive of a design and choose appropriate building materials and methods to
deliver something unique for that spot and that client? Something that cannot
be replicated with a different set of variables in a different location.
Something that works with the clients specifications and also reflects and
responds to the locale, the culture, the surroundings.
Architecture is about siting people, says
Anubha. It always has to be approached with the user / client in mind – it is
not an installation or a monument. But often convincing the clients to open
themselves up to new and unusual ideas can be the most difficult part of the
process. There are issues of familiarity, issues of expectation, issues of what
constitutes modern living which do not include looking to the past for ideas,
issues of social status in terms of building materials and cost – glass and
chrome, yes, how glamorous, our AC bill will be through the roof but we can
afford it – mud and bamboo, no, how primitive, backward and poor.
As an architect, Anubha’s prime concern is
to address how the built space – the envelope itself – can perform for you, the
client? How do you place your openings, how do you allow the breeze to travel
through, how do you frame the outside from the inside, how do you open up
spaces to the surrounding elements even in the act of closing spaces in. Everything
else that you put into the space, load it with – amenities, electrical devices,
solar panels, air-conditioners – come later. Like the large ceiling skylight of
a residence in a cramped neighbourhood in Calcutta – opening upwards in the
absence of space around, letting in a different quality of light from above
every season of the year.
Each design idea begins with a concept, a
narrative of sorts that serves as an inspiration, a point of departure –
something that springs from the space itself or the client specifications or a
combination of elements, and something which the client often does not know. Like
the concept of the sickle which has been put down for a residence in Jorhat. An
oddly shaped piece of land with a bamboo tree right in the middle which the
owners were willing to cut down. And a refusal to cut is – therefore the laid
down sickle – and a sickle-shaped arrangement of the house around the bamboo
tree as its centre. With the first rays of the rising sun falling on the front
door, passing through the courtyard with the tree, over the swimming pool and
into the kitchen. Entrance-tree-water-food – four signifiers of sustenance and
welcome forming the axis of the home.
Or the use of sun-dried mud bricks for an
eco-resort in Himachal Pradesh, the layout of which followed the contours of
the hillside. Re-using and adapting a local age-old technique, combining it
with equally local traditions of slate roofs and incorporating boulders in the
landscape into the design to support the slanting roof over the café area.
Or a proposed three-bungalow family
residence, where each home retains its privacy but where the family is able to
come together around a jal kund – flowing with rain water during the monsoon
months, and a stepped area over the rest of the year to celebrate festivals
together. After all, in a country where traditional music, dance, sculpture,
painting makes repeated and metaphoric references to spaces such as the angan,
why should architecture not be inspired to think of spaces with a similar sense
of poetry?
And can one take things away or re-use,
rather than use material and modern building methods just because they exist?
What is the point of choice and availability if one is not able to choose
intelligently, creatively, economically and appropriately? The two-storied home
in Barasat made of mud-bricks is held up by the load bearing walls – it doesn’t
need columns and beams, so why insist on using them? In upcoming café space in
Calcutta, the false walls and ceilings are ripped off to reveal old
architectural work that is almost impossible to recreate today. And the
louvered wooden windows from an older house, re-used as sliding window panels
in the residential building that comes up in the same spot.
There was so much to hear and learn in this
adda, so much to process, so much to connect to and grasp about how people
think, make assumptions, make demands often without reflection and without
looking around and taking in what already exists. In the discussion later, a
sharing about the imposition of specific types of architecture by the British –
what came to be called ‘colonial’ – as a political show of might rather than a
response to what the climate and culture of India demanded. And a question from
a visual artist about artists who are now moving into community based
installation works responding to the needs of a specific area or people - how
do architects view them?
And then – perhaps the mark of any good
conversations – the slow, almost unwilling dispersal of people, breaking into
smaller groups discussing specific points or branching into wholly unrelated
conversations… mingling, dallying, mulling … enjoying the lingering aftertaste
of an evening well spent in engaging with ways of seeing, ways of listening to
and for, ways of imagining spaces that have yet to come into being.
----------------------------
ADDA AT RANAN - June 2015
Sohini Debnath responds to the Adda at Ranan with vocalist, researcher and teacher
Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee
----------------------------
ADDA AT RANAN - MAY 2015
Jayati Chakraborty responds to the Adda at Ranan with actress Daminee Basu
At the Adda at Ranan on 3 May, actress Daminee Basu shared a performance which is still an art-in-progress piece on Motherhood, from a bigger project that she wishes to do in the near future - 'Project: Stereotype'. Jayati Chakraborty responds...
What is a stereo type? When does anything become a stereotype? Is this the story of one woman? Or the story of several women? Etc etc..............
So many questions are bubbling in my mind after seeing the performance on 3 may '15 at the Ranan adda by Daminee Basu (Beni). She has recently been working on 'Project Stereotype' where she has chosen to work on motherhood influenced by the pain that she undergoes by the separation from her child. The mixture of soundscape and her silent acting based on some repetitive actions led me to experience a journey of pain, happiness, exhaustion, contradictions.
Looking forward to experience more of these kinds of performance and addas in Ranan.
So many questions are bubbling in my mind after seeing the performance on 3 may '15 at the Ranan adda by Daminee Basu (Beni). She has recently been working on 'Project Stereotype' where she has chosen to work on motherhood influenced by the pain that she undergoes by the separation from her child. The mixture of soundscape and her silent acting based on some repetitive actions led me to experience a journey of pain, happiness, exhaustion, contradictions.
Looking forward to experience more of these kinds of performance and addas in Ranan.
ADDA AT RANAN - APRIL 2015
Roy writes on two experiences with Gill Robertson and Michael Sherin - the adda at Ranan on 5 April 2015, and a day she spent at the Think Arts workshop.
Rejuvenation!
On 5th
April, 2015 Ranan was delighted to host an Adda with Gill Robertson and Michael
Sherin, both of whom were in Calcutta to conduct the first part of an amazing
four week workshop-rehearsal process that Ruchira Das of Think Arts dreamt up
and organized. (more on this later)
Gill is
this wonderfully energetic, incredibly engaging, red-headed crazy person from
Scotland with a loud infectious laugh, who, incidentally, formed the Catherine
Wheels Theatre Company in 1999. A company that has made a name for itself
creating delicious looking performances such as White and Lifeboat (picture below) for young audiences. We were lucky enough to have Paul Fitzpatrick,
from Catherine Wheels show us glimpses of these when he visited Ranan in 2012. What
I would give to see one of these productions!
Michael
Sherin, is an equally mad, fabulously eloquent actor and mover from Ireland,
with an easy, deep sensitivity towards people hidden behind a mischievous
twinkle in his eye.
So, what
was the adda with them like? Well for starters it was pouring outside, but that
didn’t seem to dampen spirits one bit. There was this wonderful energy and open
spirit of exchange in the room. It was lovely to see so many new faces, in the
Ranan space, some from Mumbai and Delhi, chomping on muri makha and sipping
cups of tea. It was Gill’s great instincts as a facilitator that got everyone
talking. One can safely say every single person in the room contributed
something to the exchange.
So what did
we talk about? Well it seemed like pretty much everything! In true adda style,
the conversation started somewhere and then went of into another equally
fascinating realm.
What is it
like to create work for young children? How the importance of theatre for young
audiences is perceived in Scotland. How these perceptions are relatively recent
and how ideas about this have changed over the last 20 years. What kinds of
shows are right for children? Or is the real question what kinds of shows do
adults feel are right for children? Gill certainly felt that children can
handle anything. She believes they should be able to see anything, instead of
only having plays with morals or lessons termed as children’s plays. I was
overjoyed and jumping, albeit, quietly in my head when I heard that.
So what
kind of theatre should be made for children? Shows that are not patronizing,
shows with high quality performances, shows with a decent amount of thought and
development. Gill mentioned that it was humbling as an actor to do theatre for
children, because children are not polite, if something doesn’t catch them, you
will know it, and if something does, then they are with you till the end. She
mentioned how it has been a huge unlearning and re-learning for her. “All I know
is that you have to explore, you need to know nothing and that is when
interesting things happen.”
The
conversation then went on to how theatre that is not on the stage is so
interesting, the charm of art in found spaces. Next we found ourselves telling
stories of how different people saw the importance of supporting artwork, which
included amusing stories of Viji Iyengar’s drandfather selling off antique
furniture to support theatre. We shared with Gill and Michael stories of Habib
Tanvir and of course Tagore. My take away thought for the day was this
co-relation between art and society. Every culture’s growth in thinking and
development, human growth has had a direct co-relation with the growth in the
arts. Just look at any renaissance in any culture. It is so obvious when
someone says it, yet how easily it is forgotten when we talk about developing a
nation.
We talked
of so may fascinating things, the role of artists in times of struggle, the
role of arts to define an identity of a nation, art and politics, art and
funding, tax benefits for artists in Ireland, (that country had its priorities
right!) art and technology – fun fact - Catherine Wheels has an App based on
their production White for toddlers!
We debated if theatre should be filmed and distributed to mass audiences as
National Theatre and the RSC have taken to doing. If film can capture that
elusive and magical ingredient of live theatre.
From the
broad questions to the individual questions, is there something that stops you
making your art, whether external or internal? What is your process of work?
Gill feels it is about trusting what you have learnt and then forgetting it so
that you can be open to the people in the room. Michael loves to put himself in
difficult situations and find a way to work through it because that means you
have to be open to answers from the different people in the room who are making
stuff with you. He says, “I like the business of theatre because it brings
people together.”
I love that
this evening, went through so many different issues and thoughts, I know I came
away with a little window into other countries, and a new perspective on my own
work.
Sibendu
Das’ words as on his relationship to the arts as a non-performer really stuck
with me “Watching a show or being part of a discussion like this, being part of
the arts vibe touches me. In my everyday life a little bit of art rejuvenates
me… like drinking cold water on a hot day”
With that
thought, I must let you all know that this re-imagined, revitalized version of
the Ranan’s addas and atmosphere has been beautifully thought up and created by
Anindita Santra and Vikram Iyengar.
So on the
first Sunday of every month, you know where to come if you want a little bit of
rejuvenation!
Workshop with Gill Robertson and Michael
Sherin.
Think Arts
is aiming to do something brilliant, address this vacuum that we have in the
city and fill it with opportunities for children to engage with art, theatre
and performance. So, one of the mad plans that Ruchira Das dreamt up was to
convince Gill Robertson to come down and do a workshop with people interested
in doing theatre for young audiences. Not just any workshop a four week
intensive workshop spread over April and September. Of course, the workshop ran
to full capacity, all slots filled with people travelling from Delhi and Mumbai
just to be part of it. I am so glad she organized this in Calcutta, we rarely
get to see workshops of this calibre here and so a lot of Calcatta-walas were
able to participate.
I, much to
my sadness, could not sign up for the workshop, due to various commitments, but
I did desperately want to be part of it, even as an observer just for one day.
And lovely Ruchira, Gill and Michael, all said “Of course, come along”
So when I
got to the workshop, which had already been running for five days
I was
apprehensive whether it would interfere with their process. I knew a team
spirit must have been building up and workshop spaces are sacred, trusting
spaces so I worried about what it would be like to be an extra presence in
their midst, to sit and observe like a fly on the wall. I didn’t want to
disturb them after all.
I needn’t
have been worried. I walked into the lovely Emami Gallery, which had some
really super artwork on display, and then walked into their workspace to be
immediately put at my ease.
The group
energy was so warm and welcoming, much less than being a fly on the wall I was rather
unexpectedly absorbed into the activities by everyone in the room immediately
and spontaneously. The team obviously had this open and generous spirit going
between them, something that Gill and Michael, who were facilitating, both
emanate from their beings.
The level
of play was very deep, but easy, soft, organic and flowed. Everyone was present
and engaged in the room, each one with their own different energies, open and
receptive.
The
sharings after an activity seemed to be something they had been doing
regularly, it took no time for each person to share quite honestly their
personal feelings, hidden fears, secret joys and messy discoveries while doing
that activity. Simple feelings, deep and complex feelings, one could see each
person was on their own journey in this workshop process, and the level of
support and trust for each other and yet awareness of each person’s space and
journey was astounding. It was, as Gill said, a really an honest search for
what the unconscious self wants to create, it was a re-connection to the child
inside.
I feel
enormously privileged to have been allowed to be part of this, and feel quite
an amazing connection with the glorious people in the workshops after spending
just one day with them.
I saw some
amazing things, people exploring paint, recreating the textural feeling of
playing with mud through paint, struggles with literal expression, joyous
revels in the abstract, grown men and women playing with all the innocence of
children, silly happy games, or really focused rolling on the ground, reconnection
to themselves, forging bridges to other people, an invisible but potent
umbilical chord of energy that connected a performer moving around her
painting. All of it really honest, stripped-down-to-the-core work.
The
difference in the same bodies in the workspace and not in the workspace hit me
immediately when the session ended and everyone went to change out of their workshop
attire spattered in paint. The same warmth was there between people, but added
to that was suddenly a context, more of who they were, they were suddenly
people with houses and lives, and all that going on. But it is amazing how in
the workspace, during the workshop they were bodies, each with their own
essence and own personality but with none of the noise that comes with people,
as if they had stepped out of their everyday skins to a place of openness where
magic can happen!
No comments:
Post a Comment