This project brought together two local youth groups, Agaaz and Aakansha, artist collective CAMP and anthropologist, Nikhil Anand over several Sundays in the Mumbai suburb of east Jogeshwari in 2008. In this unique collaboration for its time, they shot, exchanged footage with each other and collectively read and wrote over the video material. This process resulted in a collection of 12 shorts that carried with them a multi-modal commentary on the dimensionalities of water – intimate, astute, and poetic analysis on the infrastructures of water – questioning both water pressure and the related pressures of life. The project stands as an example of combined filmic and pedagogic practices where everyday life is brought into focus in relation to larger environmental and political concerns. It is exemplary of how collective processes of editing produce dialogues that can make visible crucial life-giving and invisibilised urban infrastructures, bringing rights-based discussions front and centre, with the possibility to inspire collective action.
Khirkeeyan, 2006
Right to development: Contradictions in plainsight, Special Cover collector's item from 2006, belonged to my Nanaji
Ek Dozen Paani (revisited)
Ek Dozen Paani (films)
Khirkeeyaan is an exploration of an close circuit TV system as a local area network communication, micro-media generation and feedback device.
It employs security apparatus, otherwise used for surveillance and 'secret' use. Television sets and cheap surveillance equipment, coupled with an RF modulator, mics, audio mixer and metres of coax cable were laid out to form collaborative conversation systems for the 'use' of the community-at-large. TV's and electricity, consent and participation were sourced on-site(s) often drawing from a multitude of sources.
Questions for Deepa Dhanraj
Labour Unions
* What was the relation between labour unions/organising and filmmaking at that time? (Ex. Funding?)
* What would you say the agency of labour unions was then compared to today?
* Did you continue to work with domestic workers unions?
* How were you entering spaces that were not being addressed by the mainstream Left? (Thinking specifically of the film Sudesha)
Narrowcasting
* What is the practice of narrowcasting? How did it come about? Is it something you have continued to do with your other films?
* Considering the dispersed or algorithmic film viewing patterns today, would narrowcasting have a political potential?
Process
* Relation between filmmaking and research?
* In Nicole Wolf’s text she mentions:
“…developing a film language based on the collective” – could you expand on this in relation to the formal language of the film and ethics of your practice
* Potential of political fiction today?
Context
* Were you in touch with other feminist film collectives of that time?
* What were your influences?
As a board member of Unge Kunstneres Samfund / Young Artist Society I am part of the Climate Action Group.
Walking on water, (from left) Chandrayan the first satelite on the south pole of the moon; Santhosh Reddy land owner by Bellandur lake and water tanker driver and supplier; Screenshot from the film 'To the Borewell Taal' showing operational image of borewell pipe
Questions for Zuleikha Chaudhury
- I am interested in the process, the research, the construction of the narrative. The decisions behind Landscape as Evidence, specifically Rights of Nature.
- Since it came out of the Game residency at Khoj, the relation to games, game-like devices, gamification, Live Action Role Playing?
- Collaboration with lawyers: How that relation affected both the lawyers and you, the artist.
- Did it reveal certain limitation of law? - Collaboration with the other artists:
- What discussion did it raise about the responsibility of artists to society and the channels through which they can have impact?
- What kind of art can work as evidence in a court of law in India? - What were your artistic, theatrical references and inspiration?
Photo of filmmaker Randeep Maddoke presenting his witness statement at the staged hearing, Five Hands monument, Chandigarh, March 2023
(left) library at Punjab University, designed by Le Corbusier; (right) Nek Chand's rock garden made of the remnants of the city as it was being built in the 1950's.
Artist unions can systemically engage with and act against the climate crisis. The question is, how? Spurred on by such concerns brought forward by our members, UKS is encouraged to host a series of 3 online workshops that will be the first, humble, but urgent collective steps under the NBK-umbrella, supported by the NBK fagpolitisk fund.
With input from two guests, we will discuss and map out possible actions while being mindful of our various capacities. On the last day, we will formulate at least 3 concrete ways in which artist unions can address these challenges. After the workshops, UKS will lead the drafting of a summary report with actionable points that all participants are encouraged to contribute to. NBK could then consider bringing up the report in further discussions with more extensive networks like Kunstnernettverket.
The three workshops will build on each other, so collective, active participation in all is ideal. However, even if you are unable to attend all, we would value your attendance in the individual workshops and your contributions to the common summary document.
Learning the structure of organising, the language and limitation of unions as civil society organs, learning the common ground between artist organisations and other trade unions
The power to be affected, Michael Hardt at the Cyanotypes workshop on urgent skills needs for a Green Transition
Time for transitioning to other crops. Transitioning to organic requires years of fallow time. Quality of organic process controlled by the EU
Those who are trying to grow less water intensive crops face the problem of not having a market or govt. procurement
Black Panther in Solidarity with Boycott Lettuce, a movement in the US from 1970-78 lead by the United Farm Workers union against the poor working conditions in the lettuce farms, Photographed from a book on Black Panther posters and pamphlets