Tag: Serendipity Arts Festival 2024

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The fourth day of Serendipity Arts Festival 2024 offered audiences an evocative blend of music, workshops, theatre, and dance, showcasing the richness of India’s heritage and contemporary narratives.

The day began with Eternal Echoes: Resonance of Heart with Heritage, a special project curated by Helen Acharya. Held at Azad Maidan, this exhibition celebrated the indigenous and folk musical traditions of India. Through strings, drums, and horns, the project highlighted the intrinsic connection between communities, nature, and the celebration of life.

At The Food Lab, Eating Seaweed, a workshop curated by Edible Issues and led by Gabriella D’Cruz, Chaitanya Chowgule of The Good Ocean, and Chef Priyanka Sardessai, introduced participants to the culinary potential of native Goan seaweed. This unique collaboration explored ways to integrate hyper-local ingredients into global culinary traditions, sparking discussions around sustainable food practices.

The Music in the Art Park series held daily, continued to captivate audiences with its eclectic performances. On Day 4, Mrtn The Mrtn & The Martians took centre-stage, presenting an energetic fusion of live and electronic music, showcasing Goa’s burgeoning creative musical identity.

In the realm of theatre, BE-LOVED: Theatre, Music, Queerness and Ishq!, curated by Quasar Thakore Padamsee and Sankar Venkateswaran, offered an enthralling 90-minute performance at The Old GMC Complex. Featuring vibrant storytelling, poetry, music, and movement, the play explored the dynamic and evolving conversations surrounding queer love in India.

“The last few days have been quite exhilarating. The wonderful thing about Serendipity Arts Festival is that art is everywhere. So from watching Littoral States of Being on the Caranzalem beach to a retrospective of Bhupen Khakhar’s work. To the exhilaration that was the Mudiyettu performance. It’s been quite heady. I am especially looking forward to making clay works in the dark, experiencing the sensory performance of Shahi Tukra, and seeing Relief Camp from Kalakshetra in Manipur. But most of all, I just was to wander and be surprised by things. That’s the best thing about Serendipity Arts Festival for me,” said Quasar Thakore Padamsee, on his experience at the festival so far.

The day concluded with Songs of the Millstone, a poignant dance production conceptualized by Geeta Chandran at Kala Academy’s Dinanath Mangeshkar Kala Mandir. This performance spotlighted women’s traditional work songs from across India, weaving narratives of labour, friendship, and divine connection. With a diverse range of music and dance forms, from the Portuguese Fado of Goa to Ovi songs from Maharashtra, the production celebrated the rich, textured lives of women across geographical and linguistic boundaries.

Day 4 at Serendipity Arts Festival 2024 was a testament to the power of art in preserving heritage, challenging perceptions, and fostering meaningful dialogue, leaving audiences with profound reflections on culture and identity.

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The third day of Serendipity Arts Festival 2024 unfolded with a vibrant tapestry of projects celebrating sustainability, cultural ingenuity, and genre-defying music performances. Among the highlights was Discovering India’s Hidden Melodies with Madhur Padwal, a special project supported by IPRS. This hour-long music piece by Folks-Wagon captured the sounds of India’s West Coast, from Gujarat to Kerala, blending native music and instruments with a compelling narrative. Held at Azad Maidan, this performance featured Madhur Padwal and promised an enchanting auditory experience.

Poems on the Move, curated by Salil Chaturvedi and Thukral & Tagra as part of the ‘Multiplay’ series, transformed the mundane urban experience of a cab ride into a journey of poetic discovery. Live poetry readings and immersive recitations within moving shuttles brought poetry into everyday life, creating fleeting yet profound moments of connection. Featuring poets like Anamika Joshi, Deepali Sutar, and Rochelle D’Silva, the project ran across Panjim, blending verse with the rhythms of the city.

 “Art is about connection. In this project, we want people to engage with their surroundings in a way that encourages introspection,” says Thukral. As participants are taken through Panaji’s scenic landscapes, the journey becomes an act of both physical and creative movement, with the road serving as a metaphor for personal exploration and self-expression.

Another standout project was Abundance in Scarcity by Sandeep Sangaru, supported by Royal Enfield and commissioned by Serendipity Arts Foundation. This immersive showcase at Samba Square explored Ladakh’s sustainable ingenuity through stories, installations, and performances by artisans like Tsering Angchuk and Skalzang Tundup. The project celebrated resourcefulness born from scarcity, sparking conversations around cultural preservation and environmental stewardship.

At The Food Lab in the Old GMC Complex, Redefining Goan Food for the Next Generation, curated by Smitha Menon, examined the evolution of Goan cuisine through a panel discussion featuring seaweed farmers, restaurateurs, and bar experts. The session delved into the question of custodianship in Goan culinary traditions and the innovative ways local food culture is being redefined for the future.

Dance enthusiasts gathered for the Super Stranger Workshop, a two-day intensive led by Yuuki Aoki and the Newcomer “H” Sokerissa! dance group. The workshop, held at the Directorate of Accounts and culminating in a performance at Panjim Market, offered participants a unique opportunity to learn and perform contemporary dance techniques while connecting with international choreographic styles.

Adding a musical touch, the band Bombay Lights, curated by Bickram Ghosh, brought a lively fusion of folk, contemporary, and Bollywood rhythms to The Art Park. The day concluded with a mesmerizing performance by Blackstratblues on the Main Stage at the Arena at Nagalli Hills. Curated by Zubin Balaporia and supported by Campa, the blues-rock project, led by guitarist Warren Mendonsa, captivated audiences with its blend of blues, psychedelia, and electronic influences.

The day concluded with a high-energy set by Blackstratblues on the Main Stage at the Arena at Nagalli Hills, powered by Campa. Curated by Zubin Balaporia and supported by Campa, the instrumental blues-rock project led by guitarist Warren Mendonsa captivated the audience with its melodic blend of blues, psychedelia, and electronic influences.

Day 3 encapsulated the festival’s mission to blend diverse art forms with pressing social, cultural, and environmental narratives, leaving attendees inspired and energized.