Poster making workshop with Ram Rahman

 

RE_LOOK[45] Photography & Design: Activist tools in history and practice by Ram Rahman

 

'Butterflies, Bandages & Balm' Paintings by Kapila Nahender

From the caterpillar, to the butterfly is a journey, the life of Butterflies is brief and our encounters with them are transient.In this short life span they teach us to invest in the here and now.

Symbolically,The butterfly represents spiritual rebirth, transformation, creativity, endless potential, and an ability to experience the wonder of life.The cycle of the butterfly in and of itself holds spiritual symbolism and insight for us.In our own beliefs of rebirth in India the butterfly is central ,we can look at it as a metamorphosis of the body and personal transformation.

The latest body of work of Kapila Nahender is a homage to her beloved mother ,and she uses the Butterfly as a central motif in her work. The artist's earlier figurative works were intensely graphic with contrasting colours in the figurative narrative style prevalent in Baroda.But much has changed in her work and life; and this flux has made her look at the world and the fragility of life from her lived experience of loss and moving on.

There is celebration of life through brilliant colour, pattern and movement in her painterly canvases.From the physical connection with flowers and butterflies her images move to represent the symbol of infinity.The image of butterflies become incidental and nature based abstraction takes over her preoccupation.How do we come to terms with memory and loss? We need to reflect, nurture memories and weave it together to reclaim loss through creativity.As we witness the cycle of life with hope we need to remember "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls the butterfly"

Fading memoirs and I am the witness

 Director's note

In today’s violence ridden world it is a prime responsibility of a creative artist to engage with issues which have created a catastrophe for the innocent human beings, who are brushed aside as a collateral damage of wars. The wars that are fought for hegemonic sovereignty of the autocratic regimes thrown up in the name of democracy and propelled and propagated as patriotic expositions and seen as collective will of the populace which is manipulated through jingoistic and agenda setting corporate media. This manufactured consent, seen as a popular will, is actually greed driven by the economics of war mongering and arms economy.

About the Group
Theatre for Kashmir is an initiative aspiring to provide a space where voice of Kashmir can resonate and create a free and independent theatre movement with a focus on quality rather than quantity. The group which believes in quality theatre and strives to create a new language of theatrical experience blending Kashmir’s age-old tradition with contemporary themes, thus creating unique tapestry of art, culture, and history while taking inspiration from the vast treasure of Kashmiri as well as the world literature.

Bea Chus Shahid - I am the Witness | 30 mins | Kashmiri

This play lays emphasis on the importance of memory and responsibility of every generation to take it forward. Performed multiple times across Kashmir since 2011 the play has been instrumental in creating a debate around contemporary issues. The performance has travelled to proscenium and found spaces like old factories, under the flyovers, in ex- centres of detention, abundant houses or places of historical value