Kochi Art, Culture, Literature, Kochi-Muziris Biennale

[mohammedirshad06]

Muziris to celebrate the legends of Kannaki, thro' a memorial for first time in the state

As a tribute to Kannaki, the chaste heroine of the 5,270-line Sangam era classic, a memorial will be constructed at the village where the great Tamil poet Ilango Adigal brought her to life 16 centuries ago.

Mathilakam near here, believed to be the lost Muziris seaport of Thrikkana-Mathilakam where Adigal composed his epic Silapathikaram, will be home to Kerala's first ever sculpture of Kannaki, to be erected as part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012.

Kannaki, who burns down an entire city in her righteous fury, has been conferred an element of divinity through temples that are believed to be dedicated to her.

But it is the first time in Kerala that she will be represented in a sculpture as the incorruptible epitome of womanhood and women's empowerment, said Riyas Komu, Director of Programmes of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

The Biennale is already celebrating Kannaki's legend and its origins with a two-day Silapathikaram Festival in the village. It got underway this morning with a devotional 'Sopana Sangeetam' concert by young vocalist Njeralath Harigovindan and his team.

Acclaimed performance artistes Kuzhuppully Matathil Komalam Nangiaramma, Cherumanath Rugmini Nangiaramma, Kalamandalam Girija, Dr Jayanthi Nangiar and Usha Nangiar were present at the inauguration of the festival at the St Joseph's High School grounds by Mathilakam Block Panchayat president Pushpa Sreenivasan.

The proceedings of the evening started off with a procession from Ilavanchikulam. The evening's programmes were inaugurated by veteran music composer V Dakshinamoorthi.

Renowned artist Usha Nangiar essayed the role of Mandodari from Ramayana in a performance of Nangiar Koothu – the first time the mythological character has been portrayed in this 1,500-year-old art form.

[mohammedirshad06]

Good to see Kerala celebrating the memorial of Kannaki, separate the traditional Hindu cult of seeing her as Kodungallor Kurmba Bhagavati or Attukkal Amma etc...

Its indeed a tribute to Kerala's imperial past with association with the Great Cheras and their contribution.... Unlike TN, we rarely attribute our state with the richness of Sangam Era.... Most of our cultural History starts from Malayalam Era, probably the start of Kollam Era, when Chera Empire Collapsed and Kulashekara Empire started....

Its good to see Kochi Muziris Biennial is doing lots of promotion for Muziris and Chera Era culture and reviving the spirit back!!!!

Hope the Kannaki's statute, with the Chilumbu her hand makes rightful tribute to our culture and pride....

[The Adventurer]

Taunting, provoking and inspiring
By Parvathy Nambidi - KOCHI 21st November 2012 11:29 AM
Photos

That is what graffiti art is all about. Six youngsters are geared up to splash their creativity all over the city.
In the coming days, there are chances that you may spot audacious scribbling and splashes of colours at the nooks and crannies of the city. You may see them anywhere, from battered buildings to plush malls, to the walls of your resident area. Beware, the works that you are seeing may be taunting, provoking, or inspiring! And that is what graffiti art is all about. A group of young enthusiastic artists are behind this works. For them, art is an expression of their outrage towards whatever they feel is unfair.

‘TagpoT’ is the name of the graffiti project of the six youngsters working in ‘Saltmangotree’, a digital marketing agency who are all set to make the city more colourful.

Manoj Thomas M, the production executive of the firm and the coordinator of the project says, “Tagging is a common usage in graffiti, which means the signature of the artist. Tags may be subtle and cryptic messages and pot is an allegoric expression of the palette from which the colours are splashed. And from these two terms, we coined ‘TagpoT’.”

Other artists of ‘TagpoT’ are Akhil Jacob, Athif Aziz, Prem Krishna Akkattu, Subin Kalarickal and Desmond Fernandez, who approaches graffiti art as their offline activity.

Manoj says, “Graffiti is a strong social media. The real concept of graffiti is still unknown to the people here. Though there are graffiti works already in Kochi, they are more or less paintings which is not hardcore graffiti. In foreign countries, graffiti art is a rebel art, which is done illicitly on public places, without the consent of the owner. The art form is a strong medium of individualistic expression. We would like to trod their path and bring about a flutter in many of the hangout places of the city.”

The ‘TagpoT’ team began their first move in last October in the car parking area near Pai restaurant on MG Road. “Since there is a snooker’s club also nearby to the restaurant, that is a 24-hour hangout place. We opted food and recreation as our theme. The name of the project was ‘PAI’D THE POOL’. Since it was the initial project, we planned for a simple subject. In the future, we would like to bring to light more burning issues.”

Manoj says along with these ideas, they also aspire to bring about a change in the style of posters and banners that hang across the city. “The seasoned painters and flex artists of the city follow a regular pattern. We would like to inspire them and make our banners, flexes and posters more chic and colourful,” says Manoj


http://newindianexpress.com/cities/k...cle1347728.ece

[Malayaali]

Fort Cochin inspires global artistes

When Moosa heard about the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, he thought it would be a flamboyant affair. But after visiting the Biennale venues at Fort Cochin, the local auto-rickshaw driver is perplexed.

Moosa expected grand stages, posh studios, exhibition halls and extravagant settings to change the face of the place where he lives and earns a living. Instead, he notices only minor sprucing up of existing structures.

The auto driver also expected the artistes, many of whom earn millions of rupees for their works, to live in five-star hotels and spend lavishly. To his utter surprise, most of the artistes have opted for ordinary hotels to stay and the common man’s mode of transport to travel.

Ironically, this has ensured Moosa steady job during the Biennale days. He has been engaged full time by an artist couple. Besides, he is also able to earn some extra bucks by running errands for other artistes.

The Biennale organisers are least surprised by the perception of Moosa. They say it was natural for common people to conjure up different images of an event coming up first time in the country.

“Artistes draw inspiration from their surroundings. Fort Cochin, built and nurtured by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the Britons, is a melting pot of cultures. This suits the cosmopolitan concept of the Biennale”, says Riyas Komu.

Komu, who is co-founder of Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBM), which is organising the event, said the heritage structures they selected for hosting the artistes would have lost their old splendour if they had given them a facelift.

“We have only cleared the bush in the compound. The rest has been left to the artistes. They have selected the sites best suited to them and created facilities they require to do their work”, he adds.

The artistes are happy with even disused dilapidated buildings, warehouses, open air and public spaces identified for the Biennale. Graffiti artistes have already occupied all available walls around the main venues to give expression to their art.

Five young artistes have adorned the walls of Aspinwall House, the primary venue of the Biennale, with a sea monster, a dragon and a phoenix. A dragon fish stares the visitors from the sea-facing wall of the nearby Pepper House.

Atul Dodiya, one of India’s leading contemporary artistes, selected a laboratory at Aspinwall House, the business premises of Aspinwall & Company established in 1867 by English trader John H Aspinwall, for showcasing his work.

Incidentally, he has selected medium that he has never ventured into for the Biennale. He is presenting a photo installation called Celebration in the Laboratory. He said he found the space ideal for contemporary art.

“When I saw the laboratory I wanted to retain it just as it is. The space has a certain mood. It is a laboratory where experiments are done, much like that in an art studio. We discover all the time in an art studio. This space lends itself to doing something different,” he added.

His exhibition begins with a photographic reproduction of a poem written by noted Malayalam litterateur K Satchidanandan. The poem, part of a collection entitled ‘The Poet to Poetry’ is totally about the creative process.” Italian artiste, Giuseppe Stampone, has drawn inspiration from rickshaws, billboards, texts and maps to create a changing India in his multi-media bilingual installation. The world map he has created for the work entitled “Uttam Duniya” (The Perfect World) highlights the conflicts and the map of India the Cochin city.

Before getting into the work, he will be speaking to people to know their perceptions of a world they have never visited. This will be demonstrated in his work, explaining ‘how globalised communication creates false impressions’.

Afghan artiste Amanullah Mojadidi has found the Kochi Biennale a perfect setting to track down his family’s history that has an Indian connection. The US-born, Kabul-based artiste will be weaving the history of his ancestors — real and imagined — by combining elements of story-telling and archaeology.

The organisers are confident that the other artistes who will be arriving in the city in the coming days will also find Fort Cochin and its heritage sites inspiring and will leave back their fascinating impressions.

The Biennale — a spectacular exhibition of contemporary international art — is expected to catapult Cochin as a new-age cultural destination. The three-month event will be kicked off by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on December 12.

[mohammedirshad06]

[Malayaali]

Someone lost it when he saw the other graffiti works in Kochi!

[Malayaali]

Kochi International Book Festival 2012

The 16th edition of the Kochi International Book Festival got off to a colourful start at Ernakulathappan ground here on Saturday.

The inaugural function of the 10-day festival began with a performance outlining the evolution of Indian literature by students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kochi.

Valmiki, Kabir, Tagore, Ezhuthachan, and Changampuzha, shared the stage with famous literary characters such as Shakunthala, Unniyarcha, Pathumma and her goat, and Swami and friends, during the performance.

Excise Minister K. Babu was the chief guest of the function. The Minister said the strong literary tradition of the State, a culture of reading and knowledge, and campaigns such as the library movement had contributed greatly to the development of the State.

Mr. Babu said the reading habits of people had changed over the years.

“Conventional reading, where people read all kinds of novels, poems, and short stories has, perhaps, come down. People go for a more specialised reading these days,” he said.

The Minister said Kochi was second to none in its appreciation for literature.

Kochi had produced literary and cultural greats such as G. Sankara Kurup, Changampuzha, Yesudas and Ponjikkara Rafi, he said.

Writer C. Radhakrishnan; PSC chairman K.S. Radhakrishnan; Justice K. Padmanabhan Nair, who is the president of the book festival samithi; C.P. Thara, chairman of the samithi; and E.N. Nandakumar, director of the book festival, were among those who spoke.

Daily bulletins

Mayor Tony Chammany released the first edition of the daily bulletins that will be brought out during the festival. Hibi Eden, MLA, received the first copy.

Books by over 300 publishers will be exhibited at the festival, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. from Sunday. A literary discussion led by writers, critics and intellectuals will be held on Sunday morning. A session on stories in Konkani will be held in the evening.

[sree_ec]

Originally Posted by mohammedirshad06

aa chumaru vrithikedakki

[Malayaali]

Kerala govt to support Kochi biennale

Despite ordering a probe into the use of state funds by organisers of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kerala government today made it clear that it would extend all support to the international painting and cultural extravaganza scheduled to start next week.

"We will give all support other than monetary assistance to the event," Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said in reply to queries during his weekly Cabinet briefing here.

Chandy, however, discounted the possibility of his presence at the inaugural of the biennale at Kochi on December 12 as he would be preoccupied with the sitting of the state assembly on the day.

The government had last week ordered the probe based on the findings of the inspection wing of the Finance Department which had come across irregularities in handling of funds provided for the event by the previous LDF Government.

The Finance Department probe had found that the Culture Department, under the previous LDF government, had provided Rs five crore to the biennale without insisting that the organisers follow the government norms and conditions normally attached to similar grants.

The Kochi-Muziris biennale, touted as one of India's biggest international painting and art exhibition, ran into trouble when a group of artists approached the government alleging that the event had been hijacked and monopolised by a handful of artists to secure their narrow interests.

[psanthosh]

കഥയിലെ കാപ്പിരി കൊച്ചിയുടെ മണ്ണില്* ശില്*പ്പമാകുന്നു

കൊച്ചി: കഥയിലെ കാപ്പിരി ഇനി ശില്*പ്പമായി പിറവിയെടുക്കുന്നു. കൊച്ചി ബിനാലെയില്* പങ്കെടുക്കാനെത്തിയ പോര്*ച്ചുഗീസ് ചിത്രകാരന്* റിഗോ-23ന് പ്രേരണയാകുന്നത് കൊച്ചിയില്* ജീവിച്ച കാപ്പിരിയാണ്. ഇരുണ്ട ഭൂഖണ്ഡത്തില്* നിന്ന് കടലുകള്* താണ്ടി കൊച്ചിയിലെത്തിയ കാപ്പിരി ഫോര്*ട്ടുകൊച്ചിയിലെ ഡച്ച് സെമിത്തേരിയിലാണ് അന്തിയുറങ്ങുന്നത്. പകല്* നഗരത്തിന്റെ ചരിത്രത്തിലേക്ക് കണ്ണോടിക്കാന്* പുറത്തിറങ്ങും.

കൊച്ചി സ്വദേശിയായ ജോര്*ജ് തുണ്ടിപ്പറമ്പില്* (റോയ്) രചിച്ച ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് നോവല്* 'മായ'യുടെ ഇതിവൃത്തമാണ് ഡച്ച് സെമിത്തേരിയും കാപ്പിരിയും.

കൊച്ചിയിലെ നടപ്പാതകള്* പിന്നിട്ടപ്പോള്* ഏതോ ശക്തി തന്നെ നയിച്ചത് നാല് നൂറ്റാണ്ടുകളുടെ ചരിത്രം പറയുന്ന ഡച്ച് സെമിത്തേരിയിലേക്കായിരുന്നു. 'ഇവിടെ ഏകാന്തതയുണ്ട്. കൈ എത്തിച്ചാല്* തിരമാലകളെ തൊടാം. രാത്രി നക്ഷത്രങ്ങള്* മിന്നുമ്പോള്* സമുദ്രത്തിന്റെ സംഗീതം കേള്*ക്കാം.' കാപ്പിരി അങ്ങനെ ഡച്ച് സെമിത്തേരിയില്* സസുഖം വാണരുളി.

കാപ്പിരിയുടെ സ്രഷ്ടാവ് ആരാണ്? പോര്*ച്ചുഗീസുകാരനായ റിഗോ-23 നാട്ടുകാരില്* പലരോടും തിരക്കി. മായ എന്ന നോവലിനെക്കുറിച്ച് റിഗോ കേട്ടിരുന്നു. കഥാകാരന്* ആരെന്ന് ചോദിച്ചപ്പോള്* പലരും കൈമലര്*ത്തി. ഒടുവില്* കണ്ടെത്താന്* കഴിഞ്ഞ കഥാകാരന്* ഫോര്*ട്ടുകൊച്ചി സ്വദേശിയാണെങ്കിലും ജര്*മനിയില്* ജോലി നോക്കുന്നു.

'മായ' വായിക്കാന്* റിഗോയ്ക്ക് കഴിഞ്ഞിട്ടില്ല. എന്നാല്* ഇന്റര്*നെറ്റില്* നിന്ന് മായയിലെ കാപ്പിരിയെക്കുറിച്ച് അറിയാന്* കഴിഞ്ഞു. പക്ഷെ വിസ്മയംപോലെ അത് സംഭവിച്ചു. തേടിയ വള്ളി കാലില്* ചുറ്റി. കഴിഞ്ഞ ദിവസം കഥാകാരന്റെ മുന്നില്* ആകസ്മികമായി റിഗോ എത്തി. ജര്*മനിയില്* നിന്ന് അവധിക്ക് ജോര്*ജ് കൊച്ചിയില്* എത്തിയിരുന്നു.

അപ്രതീക്ഷിതമായിരുന്നു കൂടിക്കാഴ്ചയെന്ന് ജോര്*ജ് 'മാതൃഭൂമി'യോട് പറഞ്ഞു. ഏതാനും മണിക്കൂറുകള്* റിഗോയുമായി ചെലവഴിക്കാന്* ജോര്*ജിന് കഴിഞ്ഞു. മായയുടെ ഇതിവൃത്തവും അതിന് പ്രേരകമായ സാഹചര്യവും കൊച്ചിയുടെ ചരിത്രവും ജോര്*ജ് അനാവരണം ചെയ്തു.

ബിനാലെ വേദിയില്* ഒന്നായ ആസ്​പിന്*വാള്* ഹൗസില്* വലിയൊരു ഇന്*സ്റ്റലേഷന്* റിഗോ ഒരുക്കുന്നു. കൊച്ചിയുടെ ആത്മാവിലേക്കിറങ്ങിയ മായയിലെ കഥാപാത്രം കാപ്പിരിയാണ് റിഗോയുടെ ഇതിവൃത്തം. കഴിയുന്നത്ര വേഗത്തില്* അത് പൂര്*ത്തിയാക്കാനാണ് ശ്രമം. കാപ്പിരിയെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള കൂടുതല്* കഥകള്* ബിനാലെ ട്രസ്റ്റിയായ ബോണി തോമസ് റിഗോയ്ക്ക് കൈമാറി. ചരിത്രവും കഥാകാരന്റെ ഭാവനയും കൂടി കലര്*ന്നതാണ് മായ. പോര്*ച്ചുഗീസുകാര്* അടിമവേലയ്ക്കായി കൊച്ചിയില്* കൊണ്ടുവന്നതാണ് കാപ്പിരിയെ. കാപ്പിരിയുടെ ആത്മാവ് ഇപ്പോഴും കൊച്ചിയില്* അലയുന്നതായി കഥാകാരന്* പറയുന്നു.

അറബിക്കടലിലെ മത്സ്യബന്ധനവുമായി കാപ്പിരിയെ ബന്ധിപ്പിക്കുന്ന കലാരൂപമാണ് റിഗോ ബിനാലെയില്* ഒരുക്കുന്നത്. കലാരൂപം പൂര്*ത്തിയാക്കാന്* ഒരു പഴയ ചീനവല കൂടി വേണം. അതിനുവേണ്ടിയുള്ള തിരച്ചിലിലാണ് റിഗോ.

http://www.mathrubhumi.com/online/ma...2-12-07/kerala

[mohammedirshad06]

Kerala-Muziris Biennale to highlight the spirit of Muziris

Contemporary art is opening a new road to connect to the heritage of the ancient Kochi-Muziris region of Kerala to carry it to the world through a series of reconnecting works in a variety of mediums, on display at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012.

The ancient port city of Muziris - now being excavated - was a key transit point on the Indo-Roman and the Indo-Greek trade route since 1st century BC while its twin city Kochi has been a cultural melting pot for the last six centuries.

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 - India's first official biennale of contemporary art begnning Dec 12 - is being described as a cultural renaissance built around the holistic heritage conservation model of regenration, reuse and sustainability of archaeological relics, its organisers say.

It has drawn 88 artists from 24 countries and nearly 1,500 performers. Little wonder then that Kochi-Muziris is a flurry of actvity.

In a large dimly lit space at the Aspwinwall House in Mattancherry, the ancient spice trading quarters of Fort Kochi, a group of workmen is putting together what seems to be a strange installation. The workmen are assembling thousands of brown clay pottery shards, excavated from the ruins of Muziris in Pattanam, into an abstract miniature of the port city that was destroyed in a flood in the Periyar river in 1341 AD.

The installation by contemporary artist Vivan Sundaram is trying to connect the history of Muziris to contemporary abstraction - a realm that allows the viewer to re-imagine history in his own way with impressions of a reality no more there.

Next to Sundaram's heritage installation hangs a 60-ft long wooden trading boat, a realistic installation by artist Subodh Gupta. The boat, traditional in design, is a replica of the vessels used to ferry spices and goods on the high seas off the Mattancherry coast.

The installations meld into the history of the venue - the old Aspinwall & Company Ltd, a spice firm established 1867 by English trader John H. Aspinwall.

"The kind of material Vivan Sundaram uses in the installation touches upon a kind of hidden history using a high-end technology. It represents new knowledge and adds a cultural depth to the place and the art," says biennale co-curator Riyas Komu.

Gupta, who has been working with boats, calls his installation an extension of his ongoing practice but "one which takes on a new meaning in old Kochi, the boat city".

"I have been reconnecting to history with smaller boats for the last few years in my studio," Gupta says.

Kerala-based artist Valsom Koorma Koller is recycling the state's natural resources - coir, coconut husk, coir wool, rice husk, coconut fronds, pots, clay, textile and metal scrap - in a bunker-display space at the Aspwinwall House. "The act of recycling material signifies that nothing dies and all material has life if we put a little mind and art to it," Valsom says, explaining the nature of his work.

The materials are arranged in figurative and pyramidal forms on bunkers - piled in stories on each other. "What I am concerned about is that when somebody dies, we either burn or bury them. But we rarely donate their organs to live in the next generation... We sell our future to enjoy a joyful life today. I want to perpetuate life," the artist says.

The sea outside the historic Pepper House, another venue of the biennale that has been restored last week, flows into artist K.P. Regi's canvas. The imagery is a direct transposition of Regi's interpretation of the arrival of the Indian Navy aircraft carrier at Cochin harbour in a photo-realistic style. (As it happens, INS Virat is being refurbished at the Cochin Shipyard).

Regi says his work explores "the layers of Kochi's history - from its days of pastoral innocence to the years of Mahatma Gandhi, independence of India, the Left politics and weapons of war on the town's historic waters".

The Dutch-style waterfront Pepper House is a living heritage of change. Once consisting of two spice godowns with clay roofs and a central courtyard, the 16,000 sq ft building has been restored as a modern multi-use space to host art and culture.

Other historic venues have been resurrected from the rubble of neglect as well. The Durbar Hall, built in 1850 by the king of Cochin has been converted into a modern scientifically-planned art museum and gallery while the David Hall, a Dutch-style bungalow built in 1695 by the Dutch East India Company, has been restored to host art and performances.

One classic example of rebirth is Goturuth, a sliver of land that emerged out of the water after Muziris drowned in a deluge. Nearly 40 km from Fort Kochi, the 14th century landmass will support a public installation of Chinna Thambi Annavi, who is believed to have founded the Chavittu Nadakam, a Latin Christian performance art.

Kerala-based artist Anto George is working on the 11-foot statue of the cultural icon at a site where a Church overlooks a Shiva temple.
The biennale is paying its tribute to Ilango Adigal , the creator of Silappadikaram who wrote the epic story of divine princess Kannagi, by installing a Kannagi icon at Mathikalam, located in what was once Muziris.

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Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 - 1st week events

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Dutch artist to errect installations to highlight Chera's 72 grants

The famous copper plate grants issued by many Chera Emperors, that resulted in settlement of Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities into Kerala, will be highlighted, thro' 72 large plates at Aspinwall House Perhaps, it might be best that, this biennale is creating lot of historical interest in token to respect icons of Lost city of Chera's Muziris in Kochi.........

Dutch artist Joseph Semah was on a visit to Kochi in September this year when he came across a story about a Chera king’s 9 century copper plates. The tale soon became the focal theme of his installation art for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

Semah’s work will introduce visitors to the 72 privileges granted to the Jewish and Christian communities here by the last king of the Chera dynasty who ruled from Muziris.

The work will feature a 22-m-long wooden table with 72 copper plates inserted, said a communication from the organisers of the Biennale. Five thousand metres of thread will be woven through the holes. “The accompanying 72 drawings will be a visual guide to the history of the 72 privileges,” said Semah, who is in Kochi with his wife and son.

The 64-year-old artist, settled in Netherlands, has had no formal training in art.

“I never did studied art at school. It is embarrassing to be practising art in classroom walls, then becoming an intern under some artist of repute, and all that rigour...”

Born in Iran, he moved to Israel with his parents when he was two years old. Semah later went on to study engineering and philosophy. At 27, he moved to Europe — London, Berlin and then Paris — on a “self-imposed exile.” Semah has been living in Amsterdam since 1980. There, he founded the Makkom Foundation which has been organising projects based on interdisciplinary research in the arts.

Semah’s installation will be opened at Fort Kochi’s Aspinwall House on December 13. The inaugural show will feature public figures from different religions positioned back to back and reading out from holy texts. “They will comprise believers of the Islamic, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and secular traditions… I’m trying to rope in a member from the only Parsi family left in Kochi,” says Semah.

The back-to-back session will be followed by a dance of 72 children. “There will be no rehearsal for this. It’s up to the kids to do whatever they want. We are in the process of finding the performers.” A record of the live performance will later be integrated into the installation, he says.

Kochi isn’t the first Biennale that Semah is participating in. The artist was delighted to see the peaceful co-existence of different religions in the city. “When issues of religious intolerance are rocking Europe, it is wonderful to see here in Kochi a laboratory of tolerance, where Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians co-exist in perfect harmony,” he says.

Semah feels that the Kochi-Muziris Biennale will “mark a paradigm shift in the history of art. It doesn’t go by the local power structure, it doesn’t feature the same set of faces found in most Biennales of the world, it has curators who are artists themselves,” says the artist.

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Kochi gearing up for Cochin Carnival

As per the traditions of Carnival, the Solidarity Day has been observed with Naval salute at Kochi War Memorial, saluting unknown soldiers who laid their lives for peace. This was followed by a special service and choir presentation was done at St.Francis Church which marks the traditional inaugural festivities happen.

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Kochi's History gets an artistic fascination with Biennale

India’s first biennale will open here on Wednesday offering a rare artistic expression of the fascinating history of Kerala’s port city of Cochin and its ancient predecessor Muziris buried under layers of mud and dilapidated structures as well as India.

About 80 artistes from around the globe have probed the cultural legacy left behind by Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Chinese, Jews, Portuguese and Britons since ancient times and are set to assimilate them in their creative works.

Rigo 23, a Portuguese muralist, painter and political artist, is enamoured by the tales of ‘Kappiri’, the Black African slaves who came along with Portuguese sailors and colonisers to Cochin in the 15th century. His work will show the tragic hero, revered by different communities in several parts of West Cochin, fishing on the Arabian coast.

Dutch artist Joseph Semah is inspired by a story about 72 privileges granted by King Cheraman Perumal to Jewish and Christian communities during his rule of erstwhile Muziris, a thriving port in the Indo-Roman trade in the first century BCE. The ancient city is believed to have vanished in a massive flood in 14th century leading to the emergence of Cochin as a port and trade centre.

Semah’s work will feature a 22-m-long wooden table with 72 copper plates inserted. Five thousand metres of thread will be woven through the holes. The accompanying 72 drawings will be a visual guide to the history of the 72 privileges, said 64-year-old Iran-born Semah, who is now settled in Netherlands. The installation will open at Aspinwall House at Fort Cochin on December 13.

Delhi-based Indian contemporary artist Vivan Sundaram has also drawn inspiration from Muziris. He has gathered the discarded shards of pottery with elements of design from Pattanam, under excavation, for his installation art coming up at Aspinwall House. The pottery pieces laid in a rectangular space offers a glimpse of the life of the buried port city.

Subodh Gupta, whom Guardian newspaper called “India’s Damien Hirst” is fascinated by Kerala’s rice boats. The large country boat, used in the old days to transport rice, will form the core of his work.