In less than two weeks, the event of the year will kick off at Palace Grounds! The much-awaited centerpiece of the Year of Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities, the Indo-German Urban Mela is around the corner ? June 22 to July 1, 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. every day. Mark your calendars!
Palace Grounds next to the Bangalore Palace will play host to 16 specially-designed pavilions that will come to life with interactive presentations exploring how we can improve life within our cities.
With a wide range of activities, shows, exhibitions and enlightening experiences, there really is something for everyone at the Indo-German Urban Mela.
A sensational palette of cultural performances and projects is on the cards at the Urban Mela and several artists have already arrived in town to get the ball rolling…
Here’s a sneak preview:
MASALA FX at the Urban Mela
MASALA FX, a collaborative work between Samir Akika, Attakkalari and Bangalore dancers, is the opening act at the Urban Mela. Arising out of Healthy Chaos, aka Bangalore, the piece explores ordinary, yet unexpected moments in life, brewing up a steamy Masala effect.
In Bangalore with Samir Akika, and adding spice to MASALA FX are Nora Ronge (choreographer), Gabor Doleviczenyi (artist/graffiti writer) and DJ Martin Basman. Samir, Nora and Gabor are no strangers to Bangalore. Most recently all three were in the City, in February 2012, as part of the Urban Avantgarde/Malleswaram Moves project, which left a unique and indelible mark on the Malleswaram Railway Station, 18th Cross Bus Stand, stadia and compound walls across the area, as also on five made-over BMTC buses. Bang Bang, choreographed by Samir Akika, left Bangaloreans awe-struck with its sometimes irreverent, yet always vibrant and exciting, take on street life in the City. More information at: http://www.germany-and-india.com/en/event/459.
Bamboo Motifs at the Urban Mela
Berlin-based product designer and artist Steffi Silbermann is currently the Goethe-Institut’s Artist-in Residence at 1 Shanti Road. Her goal is to encapsulate the beauty and sustainability of the humble bamboo in aesthetic sculptures that will serve not only as works of art but allow the visitor a hands-on, direct interaction with the natural material - bringing people closer to bamboo in an unpretentious manner. Steffi’s art could also be viewed as a response to the eyesores that currently, with much horsing around, decorate public space in Bangalore.
We Are Here
An interactive performance, a social experiment, serious research, a real and virtual connection between India and Germany. Located in Bangalore. Choreographed by Vera Maeder and Archana Prasad.
“We are here” is a project that explores the relation between virtual presence and physical presence and its influence on collective, community and place within cities in a global world and involves a series of laboratories, the outcomes of which are shared in a site‐specific participatory intervention or exhibition at the Indo-German Urban Mela. Vera Maeder and Archana Prasad, together with selected Indian artists from backgrounds of journalism, dance, multi‐media, visual arts, design and technology research will embark on an exploration of mediated presence and physical presence in the context of Bangalore and the arrival of the Urban Mela in its centre. More information at: http://we-are-here.in/.
Director of hello!earth, Vera’s training is in dance and theatre. Vera works as a performer, director/choreographer and concept maker and has constantly been testing the limits of the theatrical. Most recently she was the driving force in developing The World in Technicolour, a working approach for participatory site specific performances, which became the base for hello!earth’s works.
Archana Prasad, an artist from Bangalore describes her work as a particular conjunction of visual art, technology and urban community-based art, steeped in design and research methodologies. As Co-Founder & Director of Jaaga Archana has a unique artist-activist role. She has a keen interest in documentation and creating public awareness on Bangalore’s socio-cultural heritage.
Please feel free to get back to us for further details, images, etc. And remember, there’s more to come ? the Urban Mela has not even begun! More information at: www.urbanmela.germany-and-india.com.
Sourced From: Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan
