Rendezvous with Vidyanagar.- Art camp at JSW, near Hampi
Jin dal Steel Works invited 11 artist from Auroville to their township of Vidyanagar for an 2 week art camp. It was initially to be a ceramic camp but as the final interested artists came forward, we were 6 ceramist, 1 metal sculptor and 4 artist working in mixed media.
It was a very fascinating 2 weeks. This township is located near Hampi, the world heritage site known for its ancient unearthed city made of rocks and boulders. Its unbelievable and yet at the same time immensely grounded to be with these massive rocks arranged in such fragile state of balance. The rocks and stones have over the years acquired a soft look due to erosion by the elements.
Hampi is situated on the Tungabhadra river and has a was the capital of very rich Kingdom of Vijayanagar, established in 1336.
Coming back to the location of our camp, Vidyanagar, Bellamy district of Karnataka. This township is designed by Gerald d'Cunha, One of his most impressive and unusual works. The entire project was built at a cost of Rs 150 crore. This township is spread across 300 acres and the project involved creating housing to settle 10,000 people. With not even a single tree on the site, creating an entire township seemed to be an arduous task. The township also has a movie theatre, school, airstrip, parks, and botanical garden. It also houses a club, temples, shopping centre and restaurants, thus making it a complete city town. This unusual project of creating an entire township from scratch got Gerard, the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design offered by the Ministry of Urban Development in 1998-99.[12]
This township carries the essence of the area and Hampi, that is use of large stones, naturally avaliable granite and materials. Its really impressive and very beautiful.
Being in this very large scale steel plant all the artists including me fell in love with steel and all the possibilities it offered as a material to create art. What emerged is best expressed in the following photos
The inspirationS
And the creations
Prayer bowl and seed
It was a very fascinating 2 weeks. This township is located near Hampi, the world heritage site known for its ancient unearthed city made of rocks and boulders. Its unbelievable and yet at the same time immensely grounded to be with these massive rocks arranged in such fragile state of balance. The rocks and stones have over the years acquired a soft look due to erosion by the elements.
Coming back to the location of our camp, Vidyanagar, Bellamy district of Karnataka. This township is designed by Gerald d'Cunha, One of his most impressive and unusual works. The entire project was built at a cost of Rs 150 crore. This township is spread across 300 acres and the project involved creating housing to settle 10,000 people. With not even a single tree on the site, creating an entire township seemed to be an arduous task. The township also has a movie theatre, school, airstrip, parks, and botanical garden. It also houses a club, temples, shopping centre and restaurants, thus making it a complete city town. This unusual project of creating an entire township from scratch got Gerard, the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design offered by the Ministry of Urban Development in 1998-99.[12]
This township carries the essence of the area and Hampi, that is use of large stones, naturally avaliable granite and materials. Its really impressive and very beautiful.
Being in this very large scale steel plant all the artists including me fell in love with steel and all the possibilities it offered as a material to create art. What emerged is best expressed in the following photos
The inspirationS
And the creations
Movements of life.
This work began after my Aflame peice began to develop deep cracks and I seriously doubted if it would survive.
Movements emerged as a response to this state of doubt and confusion. It was 5 days to the opening. I also felt alive with all the happiness of being in this wonderful place of vijaynagar, support of fellow artist and readiness of JSW team. The smooth with the rough. Twists of life.
After installation I feel like I've come full circle. Content knowing all is well ... always has been.
Prayer bowl and seed
Circle of life. by me and Marie Claire Barssoti
Alignments. marir claire barsotti and me
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