Justene Williams is participating in a month long artistic residency at 1 Shanthi Road studio facilitated by Carriage works Sydney, as part of The India- Australia 2012 Year of Friendship. 

Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

This work looks closely at the narrative of storytelling and travelling as a shared common experience. This work in collaboration with a school run by Jagruthi* draws out the imagination of students from standard I II and III  focusing on the imaginary places they dream to go to. In teaching students to see themselves as storytellers, and by fostering a classroom culture in which all stories are valuable connections to the human experience, we, as a community of learners, unite ourselves in an ancient tradition, and in the telling of our stories, thereby pass the gift on to others. Creating  an aural & visual language of our thoughts and personal experiences provides the opportunity to share them with others. Therefore, the telling of our stories becomes powerful in its ability to convey the experience to others, in its ability to connect us to the human experience, while simultaneously having the ability to teach us about ourselves, or dreams and our own inner connections.

About: Tiffany Singh is a New Zealand based Installation artist. Her philosophies and practices encompass influences as varied as Modernism, Eastern and Western spiritual beliefs, Jungian psychology and Ancient cultures.

*Jagruthi, established in 1995, is a voluntary developmental organisation working for prevention and rehabilitation, issues in stemming the spread of STD/STI and HIV among children (both girls and boys)women, men, highly vulnerable populations and marginalised communities in Karnataka. As part of their prevention programme that seeks to protect children from an exploitative circumstances Jagruthi helps run the MEG School along with Seva Sachin for the children of the Doddigunta slum.

Tiffany Singh's residency at 1.Shanthiroad is supported by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

Suresh Jayaram

1Shanthiroad Studio/Gallery

KABIR SATSANG with Shabnam Virmani

#1 Shanthi Road turns 10 years old this year! Ten vibrant years during which time we’ve broken new ground, nurtured talent and triggered a meaningful understanding and appreciation of visual art.

As is well known to its large circle of well-wishers, #1Shanthi has acted as an eclectic and alternative art and social space for dialogue, discussions and creativity. Over these 10 years, it has supported over 150 young and emerging artists who might otherwise have few opportunities for showcasing their work, as well as nurtured talks seasoned artists and scholars,and opened the space for musicians and the Kabir project.

We therefore request you to extend your support through financial contributions that can help sustain an enterprise that has hopefully enriched your experience and understanding of art and life. This financial support is critical if we are to fulfill our mission – that of building a strong and vibrant network of art practitioners and scholars both within India and outside.

More specifically, your contributions will be critical for several activities that push the residency a little closer to achieving its objectives.

We need to raise funds to sustain our ongoing programs for the next three years.

To sustain our selves and upgrade digital and virtual archiving system with a webpage that can support our ongoing projects and be networked locally and globally. Consolidate our working team of part and full-time staff to manage the residency and studio space.

We also wish to publishing a special book on this occasion to commemorate our 10th year. 

Further we envision more critical and creative endeavors with the visual arts. Looking forward to your support

Suresh Jayaram

SHOWCASE @ 1SHANTHIROAD I MONSOON MUSE

Hi !!! This is our second showing..after almost selling out last time....which presents a whole lot of new shapes, textures and forms inspired by the moody blues of the monsoons....please do come, tuck into large soup bowls, lay out platters, take home mugs for hot steamy chai, trays and soup pots...perfect for the grey skies of Bangalore.

Artist Talk by KIANGA FORD

Kianga Ford’s project in Bangalore at 1.Shanthtiroad will be a new set of fictional audio narratives written for and about various locations around the city.

“My stories are made up but typically reflect the people and conditions that I encounter while I am moving through the cities where I'm working. My research process is varied and involves both active listening and aimless wandering as well as historical and sometimes archival research. In Bangalore, I aim to form a group

of young women collaborators who will help me to understand this place and time by extending active listening to their own communities and sharing the narratives that they gather. I am actively soliciting young women between the ages of 12 and 20 (not strict) to participate in this group. But, the project is not by any means limited to young women, so I invite everyone to come by 1.Shanthiroad and have a chat with me, take me for a walk, or show me something you find interesting about Bangalore".

I am also seeking musical collaborators to score the audio walks, so please do drop me a note or drop by if you are interested.” (justanotherkianga@yahoo.com).

My working periods in Bangalore will be: August 15-September-5 and October 7-October-31st. 

This project is supported by the smARTpower- The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY 10456

smARTpower—an initiative of the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, administered by The Bronx Museum of the Arts—will send fifteen American artists abroad to work with local artists and young people around the world to create community-based art projects.