Colombo Art Biennale goes to Slave Island
An Api project: Involving the future generation in creating art: Pix courtesy Colombo Art Biennale and CoCA
Since its inception in 2009, the Colombo Art Biennale has now grown in size and cemented its place in the local contemporary art calendar. This year’s Colombo Art Biennale will be held from December 2 – 20 and brings together 73 artists from 21 countries in 10 venues. This edition of the Art Biennale revolves around the theme ‘Conceiving Space’ and the Biennale’s events are divided into five components – visual art, architects, community engagement, education and outreach.
This week, the Sunday Times takes a look at the architectural components – a new addition to this year’s Biennale –as well as its outreach and community engagement programmes.
Architecture
The Colombo Art Biennale’s (CAB) inaugural Architects’ programme will run from December 3 – 11 in and around Slave Island with an emphasis on community engagement and education. The programme will see a heady mix of events taking on the Biennale’s theme and will culminate with food and fellowship in Slave Island, bringing all participants together with the local community. The programme features names such as the Turner prize-winning Studio Assemble,Madelon Vriesendorp, Cecil Balmond, Ciriacidis Lehnerer Architekten (a Zurich based architecture practice), Channa Daswatte, Juhani Pallasmaa and many more.
The programme explores the synthesis of art and architecture and a large component takes place in Slave Island, with close collaboration with the residents and partnerships between students, artists and architects. For Director of the Architects Programme, Gihan Karunaratne, a personal interest in the use of space in urban neighbourhoods such as Slave Island, prior research on the subject and existing ties with the community proved to be an initial springboard. The Architecture programme unpacks the theme of ‘Conceiving Space’ through artist and architect collaborations and an exploration of the neighbourhood the work is located in. It keeps the focus within Slave Island and the teams have been working with the residents of the neighbourhood over the months in preparation for the Biennale next week.
Speaking to the Sunday Times via Skype, Karunaratne explained that the desire to showcase the architecture and vibrant urbanism of Slave Island influenced the programme. Unlike a gallery where one browses and leaves, the locations slotted in for the Biennale allows for an immersive experience and creative use of space beyond its utility. Karunaratne added that he hoped that the people who come for the Biennale would leave with an understanding of how the space within the neighbourhood is utilised by its residents and a sense of history of the locality.
The framing of art and architecture in the programme will see the real time construction of several art and architecture installations in the neighbourhood during the course of the Biennale. Visitors can expect to see projects by Studio Turner, Madelon Vriesendorp, Prof. Will Alsop, Prof. Dr. Alex Lehnerer and Cecil Balmond. A 1:50 scale model of a community centre designed by Prof. Juhani Pallasmaa and Prof. Alberto Foyo will be on display, while creative workshops involving the Slave Island community will also be underway. Meanwhile, an educational collaboration will see local students and international students from UK and New Zealand assisting artists in the production of their work. A symposium will also be held on December 10, discussing topics such as taking architectural education to the community, the megapolis and feminism and space.
Chinthaka Thenuwara
Given the theme of the Biennale and the vicinity in which the architectural aspects take place, it is also hoped that CAB will untangle aspects of urban change of the neighbourhood through an artistic approach. The Biennale’s theme is an all-encompassing one and it would be interesting to see stories of Colombo’s changing spaces and the implications of these changes through the work of artists and architects.
Outreach
Halfway during our conversation Poornima Thenuwara brings out a toy that wouldn’t look out of place in a Michael Bay movie. The figurine is assembled out of other broken toys andhas been given new life by an evidently imaginative mind and has a sleek, finished look which belies its patch worked origins. The figurine is one of the many results of a project titled ‘Api – I am because we are’, a solution focused art project initiated by CoCa (Collective of Contemporary Artists) in 2014.
The project which is currently ongoing at the Vajira Sri Children’s Development Centre began as a skills exchange programme through art-based activities as well as outdoor initiatives such as organic farming. Api focuses on personal growth through mutual support and is adapted to suit the needs of the students. Poornima and Chinthaka Thenuwara, co-founders and directors of CoCa, explain that the project developed organically and is focused on sustainable and solution focused skills exchange between the children and the facilitators. Over the past two years, local and international artists from Australia, UK and France have conducted art, drama and music activities to enhance the children’s sense of smell, sight, hearing, taste and touch.
CoCA has long been interested in questioning notions of art and what constitutes a work of art and their exhibits at the Biennale take on the same questions, focusing on the process of creating art. The Sri Lanka based art organisation explores socially-engaged, research-based art as well as art in public spaces and encourages those from non-art backgrounds to engage with art.
During CAB 2016, Artists Poornima Jayasinghe and Chinthaka Thenuwara will exhibit the experience they gained from the project and will also engage with visitors through interactive art work. Plans are on the cards to develop a mobile interactive play-garden which can travel to various locations and to educate and connect communities through art.
‘Cube out of the box’ is another project initiated by CoCa – a multifunctional mobile space which morphs into a gallery, studio, community centre and workshop space. A mobile white cube which can be flat-packed and transported with ease, ‘Cube out of the box’ will take the first step of its journey at CAB 2016. The project invites people from diverse backgrounds – artists and those who aren’t from an art background and various communities– to connect with the space and make art.
Poornima explains that the artists of CoCA are interested in the artistic process as opposed to the final product and seek to bridge the detachment between art and the audience. Projects such as ‘Cube out of the box’ become a platform to create dialogue and encourage interaction between varied audiences and a space, and encourages the making of art as a part of day-to-day life.
Gihan Karunaratne
Community Engagement
“When CAB ends, it does not stop,” mulls Lalith Manage, who leads the Mullegama Children’s Art Project and CAB Mentoring projects. “What I mean is that there are lot of activities that flow after the CAB event officially ends. Constantly, there is a great enthusiasm amongst young artists about participating in CAB […] Everyone knows that this is the biggest international art event in Sri Lanka and it generates a rich discourse of Sri Lankan art.”
The Art Biennale’s community engagement projects this year take on the question of what constitutes art for artists and art communities and intersects the education components of the Biennale. “Tell me Something” is a collaboration between Australian artist Jayne Dyer and a local non-profit, Unity Mission Trust. The collaboration will result in a multi-media installation featuring the aspirations and insights of Sri Lankan youth leaders from diverse backgrounds
TheTheertha Performance Platform (TPP) Workshops and Participatory Performances will see 18 local performance artists teaming up with performance artists from India and Serbia to explore concepts of space and public participation through performance art. A three-day programme led by Dr. Godwin Constantine and Bandu Manamperi will encompass morning workshops on performance art techniques and culminate in participatory public performances, held in and around Slave Island during the evenings. Held at the Slave Island Community Centre, the workshops will be open to interested community members along with the participation of students from the University of Jaffna, University of Batticaloa, Sri Palee Campus, University of Kelaniya, and University of Peradeniya
Lalith Manage gave the Sunday Times a glimpse into the Mullegama Project which is an extension of a workshop done for CAB in 2014. This year’s project builds on its previous edition, and brings in a mix of old and new participants, including participants from Slave Island. Students of Mullegama Art Center, Ratnawali Balika – Colombo 8, and students of Sri Palee Campus of the University of Colombo will participate in the project which is run by Pala Pothupitiya, Pradeep Thalwatte and co-ordinated by Lalith Manage in collaboration with local artists. In this project, participants will explore Slave Island and document it accordingly, responding to their wandering through art.
Manage explains that this exercise will give an opportunity for the students of Slave Island, Mullegama and Sri Palee to connect with each other, introspect on space and explore unconventional methods of making art.
“CAB is the local expression of a global idea of a Biennale. Upcoming artists in Sri Lanka especially look forward to participating in this event. It brings in a lot of international artists and curators to Sri Lanka. This generates a rich exchange of ideas which is very important for the young in this country,” he concluded.
Poornima Thenuwara
Lalith Manage