Govandi Arts Festival – Artist Residency Program

The Govandi Arts Festival – Artist Residency Programme has brought together 3 Mumbai-based artists to create contextual, site-specific art in an effort to creatively portray the experiences, aspirations, and lives of communities living in marginalised neighbourhoods. They have been working in Govandi for more than three months, producing animation, crafts, ethnographic maps, and stories in collaboration with the locals.

The Community Design Agency (CDA) in India, Lamplighter Arts CIC in the UK, and Streets Reimagined are leading the Festival (UK). The festival will culminate in a public display from February 15 to February 19 of 2023 that will showcase a variety of activities, including the creations of the resident artists.

Jerry Antony, Nisha Nair Gupta, and Meera Goradia are some of the Artists in Residence whose works will be on display at the event. Jerry, an animator and visual communicator with a master’s in animation film design, will use animation and storytelling to examine the emotional and social interactions inside the community.

Architect, urban researcher, and writer Nisha Nair Gupta. Her residency project creates a personal reading and creates a library of stories for the neighbourhood by mapping the residents and bringing to light their experiences of belonging and becoming.

Govandi Arts Festival

A documentation team is being led by Meera Goradia, who has been involved with the artisanal industries in India since 1989, to learn more about the diversity of handicrafts in Govandi. In order to preserve India’s natural intelligence and identity, she believes it is crucial to foster fresh learning and a sense of respect for traditional customs.

“The artist residency programme will help showcase the richness and diversity of the talent and stories that thrive in Govandi and create a sense of belonging and pride in the community,” said Sandhya Naidu, founder and managing director of Community Design Agency, in response to a question about the programme. The incredibly gifted and perceptive artists Jerry, Nisha, and Meera have worked tirelessly over many months to shed light on the world.

Through inclusive practises, the Govandi Art Festival’s strong arts-based framework focuses on developing and displaying the skills and talents of geographically and culturally marginalised populations. Govandi Arts Festival, sponsored by the British Council, is a part of the “India/UK Together, a Season of Culture.” The season honours and strengthens the friendship, strong cultural ties, and positive bilateral relations between the two nations. It also commemorates India’s 75th birthday. Here is a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/HhTXIZvuJPg

There are two main objectives for the festival. The first step is to give locals, especially young people, access to excellent artistic mentorship and a public forum for joyous expression while without undermining their lived experiences. The second aims to break down ingrained stigma by using art to help others outside the neighbourhood appreciate its human delights and difficulties.

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