1. Nabina Das, Delhi
nabinamail at yahoo.com

Nabina Das is a poet, writer, editor based in New Delhi.
Her novel, 'Footprints in the Bajra' is forthcoming from Cedar Books (Pustak Mahal), India.

Nabina's explorations for the Studio entail working on a series of poems that dialogue with the City and its Inhabitants, resulting in a workshop with other artists/participants. Her project is tentatively titled, 'Jajabor: The Migrant City'. She will work with other artists, writers, studio participants on creating poems, essays, haikus on “City Memorabilia” – songs, videos, advertisements, monuments, street signs, restaurants, slums, bazaars, skylines…


2. Radhika Murthy, Pune
rads.murthy at gmail.com

Radhika Murthy is a filmmaker. She was invited to participate in Osian’s Cinefan Talent Campus in 2008. Her student films have been shown at IBDAA film festival, Dubai and the Twilight Film festival, New Delhi. Her documentary was awarded the Best Student Film at Jeevika film festival, New Delhi. Radhika has been a part of a music band, likes trekking and travelling.

Radhika's project for the City Studio is to explore her own city as a back packer. She plans to work on a travel guide based on her experiences of living in a city and exploring its everyday life and festive occasions, on a shoestring budget, with just a dash of indulgent lavishness. The work would contain writings, poetry, scribbles, notes, sketches, photographs, video- footage, newspaper clippings, travel tickets, show passes, found items, souvenirs, music-a collage of various forms of expression- A constantly changing, evolving installation.


3. Ashavari Mazumdar, Delhi
aashavari at gmail.com

Ashavari has trained in Kathak in Padatik, Calcutta under Pt Vijay Shankar, and in Delhi under Pt Birju Maharaj. She has been experimenting with the dance form for a long while, and has performed internationally in numerous Solo shows.

During her Fellowship, Ashawari will work towards a dance performance. Through her practice she will investigate the city of Delhi as a studio for Kathak. The aim of the experimentation with the idiom of Kathak will be to re-imagine the modes in which Kathak can engage with the contemporary urban context.

4. Samir Parker, Mumbai
samirparker at gmail.com

Samir Parker has a background in interior design. He has worked on several scenography and exhibition designs. He worked on the Urban Age/ Cities project of the London School of Economics and has designed the Mumbai Reader series for the Urban Design Research Institute.

Samir Parker's project titled, 'MUMBHIGH\chakraVIEW' is a graphic narrative that reflects the currents shaping social and urban topographies. His endeavour is to visualize and articulate through image and narrative a future of Mumbai extending over the next century and beyond.  The insane gimmickry of technology in a post-self-referential world; the muddled myths of identity, aspiration and desire in a milieu of hyper-sexualization and conservative counter-revolution. Betwixt the delusional Vision 2020 of the State and an Urban Studies zeal, Samir considers another position: a critical perspective expressed in a fantastical, parodic, illustrated story.


5. Dhrupadi Ghosh, Kolkata
dhrupadiimagine at gmail.com

Dhrupadi Ghosh has a background in fine arts, and is interested in theatre, performance, script writing, costume designing and hair dressing. Her work has been shown in several shows and expositions. She was part of the Sandharbh Artists workshop, and Khoj Interactive Art workshop.. She has been the recipient of the Krishnakriti Fellowship of the French Embassy.

For Dhrupadi, the city of Kolkata is getting bundled over in a cockpit to fly high over high- rises, while the land mafias are trying desperately to keep middleclass sentiments ‘alive’ and adjusting a theater hall amidst huge acres of multiplexes. It’s like an online gallery of building promotion that is ringing up the visual parameter, whilst re- introspecting layers of a multi- functional space.  The newer space not only brings the quest but a challenge to pursue the “not so recognized” corridors of changing landscape along with the subtext of a womans body. Dhrupadi plans to work on the notion of creating memories, and re- archive the urban-scape.


6. Deepankar Gohain, Dibrugarh
gohain.deepankar at gmail.com

Deepankar studied literature, fine arts and art history. He runs an NGO in Assam, curates exhibitions, and plays the guitar. He is working on his first fiction ‘The Lost Trails’.

Deepankar sees the 'City as Studio’ as a context which will help him in formulating ideas on art and society by projecting his focus on Delhi - a city he doesnt know very well. He wants to engage in debates of ‘the image of the city’ and its politics in the context of contemporary art practices. He plans to work towards creating installations in public places, also popularly known as ‘Traffic Art’. He views this as an organic process which will be based on personal and collective experiences through an exploration of every nook and corner of the city, and his interactions with its people.
 

7. Paribartana Mohanty, Delhi
paribartana at yahoo.co.in

Paribartana Mohanty has a background in print- making and art history and works largely in video. His works have been shown in galleries and film festivals.

Paribartana's proposes to continue work on a video travelogue, entitled 'I Have a Camera'. His video installation will emerge from his travels in the Delhi bus service. Through his exploration as a video artist, Paribartana feels he has developed a relationship between 'MAN' (artist), 'MACHINE' (camera) and the 'MOMENT' (time/ space). For him the camera is emblematic of confidence, with the power to capture floating time. He feels the need to assert its power midst randomness, and doubled with the 'mediated reality' it becomes all the more crucial to his practice. And thus, a never- ending travelogue.


8. Gaurav Sharma, Delhi
gs2020 at gmail.com

Gaurav Sharma is an architect and designer, and has worked on various individual and team projects. He was the Group Leader of a multi disciplinary team that participated in the 'Urban Design Competition: New Campus for School of Planning and Architecture'. Gaurav and his team proposed an ambitious scheme and saw the competition as an opportunity for a school of the built environment to demonstrate a new mode of urbanism called Open Source Urbanism. 

Gaurav's project for the City Studio is called 'Jugaad and the City'. He plans to use Delhi as a laboratory and a case study and through this, explore the usually ignored and off-limits parts of the city – urban villages; SLOAP (Space Left Over After Planning); interventions, extensions & accretions in planned DDA housing; peri-urban settlements etc. One of the secret agendas will be to make the case for Delhi to be declared as the jugaad capital of India - a counter to the official propaganda of projecting it as a sterile ‘world-class’ city. 


9. Rohini Devasher, Noida
rodevasher at gmail.com

Rohini Devasher has trained in painting and print making. Her work has been exhibited in several international group and solo shows, including the Hong King Art Fair and Bose Pacia Gallery. She has been associated with Khoj International Artists Association, Delhi for the past few years.

Rohini's art practice for the last few years has been rooted in science, which manifests itself through content, concept, media and technology. Her proposal for the City Studio is a continuation of her exploration in astronomy, and her research will focus on two broad areas: The first is a form of collective investigation with astronomers working towards an understanding of what has been termed ‘behavioural astronomy’. What draws them to the night sky? What sets them apart? What is their relationship to the city? The second is to chronicle the subculture of the eclipse chasers—people whose lives have been transformed by what they see in the sky.


10. Goutam Ghosh, Delhi
mrgoutamghosh at gmail.com

Goutam has studies visual arts and art history. His work has been shown in several group shows, including 'Video Wednesdays' in Gallery Espace, Delhi.

Goutam's proposal for the fellowship is to create an imaginary plot in the late 22nd century, based in Delhi. How will an artist look back at the city’s concrete constructions and development in the 21st century? He plans to enact the role of the artist in 22nd century, one who makes imaginary observations of 21st century . Thus the he keeps shuffling between periods and in this process he observes how the labour force toiled relentlessly, how they migrated, rested, ate and entertained themselves, how they used the toilet and finally how quickly they aged... Goutam's observations, critical awareness and imagination will go towards making a story-board drawing which he would like to extend into an animation film.


To read the CALL for the City as Studio 2010, go here >>