Watch artistes’ work in progress at ‘Take Flight’

Perch came into being in 2008 when it organised a three-week-long festival called Under the Mangosteen Tree – 100 years of Basheer to commemorate the centenary year of legendary Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.

What’s even more interesting is that the outfit is now hosting an event titled Take Flight, where audiences can come and witness these works-in-progress, that range from movement and pottery to podcasts and multimedia.

The viewing session has been organised even before the works are completed, as that is the way Perch’s philosophy works, said Anushka Meenakshi, one of the founders. “We really wanted to do our bit to create mores spaces for artistes in the city, as well as motivate them to take on more projects. We also aim to be more prolific, and though this was a great way to do it. After we announced the grants, people sent in their proposals to us and we chose seven of them to award,” she said.

The grantees who will showcase their work-in-progress on September 1 and 2 at Goethe Institut Max Mueller Bhavan. Some of the attractions are as unique as they get: The Odds by Thomas Manuel and Ujwal Nair, for instance, is a series of podcasts and a recording booth. The Odds is about how artistes compromise with society, making choices and wrestling with layers and dichotomies – folk or classical, western or Indian, caste, class, language and gender.

Others like Jasmine Village by Ramya Shanmugam is a video installation that is described, as, ‘In the revolving kaleidoscopic visuals of Jasmine Village, an audience may find a piece of its own self mirrored, dizzied by the fragrance of collective desire and the simultaneous, unpredictable gyration of the multiple worlds surrounding it.’

There is also a contemporary dance act Gestures of Belonging by Aditi Bheda, a series of planted ceramic sculptures inspired by step-wells and courtyards titled Plant-well by Charanya Khandhadai and Richhardo Alson, as well as a performance with puppetry inspired by the poem Women Cleaning Lentils by the Armenian poet Zahrad that is called Lentils and Stones by Vijay Ravikumar.

“Even when we are working on plays, audiences are invited to come watch as a work-in-progress. That always helps us improve the performances taking in the reactions and feedback, and we have applied the same system here. However, most of the works have exceeded our expectations. We hope to make the grants an annual practice for deserving artists henceforth,” Anushka said.