Jayachandran Palazhy, Artistic Director, Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts
What is the role of arts festivals in a community? What role is your festival currently playing in the community and how do you see its significance growing?
Depending on the nature of the communities it serves, the specificities of the contexts of a particular festival, its domain parameters and its chosen focus, the role of the arts festival can vary. However, broadly speaking it would be desirable for an art festival to invest in ideas and people, provide a platform for showcasing innovative and fresh works of art even if the ideas put forward seem to go against the existing norms and challenge the status quo. In other words, it should set new standards for research, creation and presentation of works of art as well as offer the audience multiple ways of experiencing the works and engaging with the artists.
It should also provide the artists a platform to view each others' works, exchange ideas and encourage them to imagine new endeavors. It should also open up possibilities to connect the artists and their works with existing as well as new audiences locally, nationally and even internationally. In a nutshell, a festival is a time bound confluence of multiple strands of people (artists, audiences, promoters, delegates, admin and tech staff, educationists, critics, media personnel, volunteers etc), organizations, thoughts, ideas and works of arts. It creates a sort of magical realm where people are able to imagine and sometimes experience something out of ordinary.
A good festival should also attempt, in my view, to present emerging artists along with the established names. Building on the strengths of what it has achieved so far a festival should be able to imagine the future possibilities and take calculated risks to open up new avenues for the arts and artists. A good festival should help to create new works and nurture new visions as much as it presents existing works of arts. This investment in the arts and artists is vital so that the arts festival does not merely become an agency similar to a fair where products and services are sold.
It should also strive towards an inclusive approach in terms of meeting the needs of various sections of the community it serves as much as possible. An arts festival should also aim to sensitise, develop and sustain an audience in terms of their sensibilities, commitment to the arts and willingness to try new things. Of course there are several practical limitations that come in the way of achieving what we dream of as a set of ideal objectives and matching those with what is possible within the parameters of the ground realities.
Over the years with its efforts Attakkalari India Biennial has managed to make contemporary movement arts as an important force in the national arts scene in India. A decade ago when we started many people did not know about contemporary movement arts (dance), let alone different trends or leading players or significant works. That has changed considerably today.
Attakkalari India Biennial over the years introduced audiences of Bangalore to a myriad of performances in a variety of contexts – on stage, off stage (site specific & promenade), screen based, virtual etc. Technical presentation of performances has really improved over the years, thanks to the input of TransMedia Technologies. The administrative team of Attakkalari India Biennial has managed to professionalise the running of the festival and set new standards for arts management in the country where as the existing practices were far from it.
Attakkalari India Biennial 2011 attracted more than 30 International festival directors to Bangalore. Over the years several national and international collaborations, co-productions and exchange programmes have come out of Attakkalari India Biennial and various projects associated with it.
In what historical context does your festival operate?
Dance and music festivals were an integral part of people's lives in India for centuries. In fact dance enjoyed a pivotal role in our social, religious and artistic calendar till a couple of centuries ago. During the colonial time it suffered some setbacks. But after Independence there were efforts to rediscover and reinvigorate the arts. In terms of dance it primarily focused on classical dance and that too with a relatively narrow focus of what they called as rediscovery and protection of fast disappearing forms. But the lopsided strategies by self appointed custodians in fact helped to take away the reins of artistic practices from several families and communities who were the real practitioners and disenfranchised and marginalised them in the process. Many dance artists were forced to move to the cities and operate in a system controlled by the upper class interests, thus creating an artificial disconnect between the art form and the communities that sustained and nurtured it. Over the years this process helped to wipe out several important artistic streams and standardised them into so called 'classical dances of India', an artificial socio-political construct.
Without the real investment of ideas and mechanisms to ensure quality and innovation this approach resulted in many forms losing its essential vitality, authenticity and relevance in the life and imagination of people. Even the folk forms and community festivals which offered a creative and secular space for artistic expressions slowly gave way to this phenomenon. It is in this context we need to think of vitalising and empowering creative and contemporary spaces for secular art practices in India today.
The contemporary expressions ideally should benefit from the inherited knowledge and physical wisdom from our rich traditions and be confident enough to access, explore and benefit from knowledge created elsewhere in the world. We need to encourage and nurture idioms that stem from contemporary Indian experiences, our traditional knowledge systems, artistic expressions and are yet open to information and influences from other parts of our globalised world. This calls for sustained investment in terms of ideas, human, material and financial resources and a political will and commitment to consult and engage with the arts community in imagining, envisioning and strategising to build a vibrant contemporary arts scene in the country. Contemporary physical expressions that stem from life experiences, memories and imagination are so vital in offering an individual the possibility to situate oneself in a meaningful way in society today and make sense of one's own experiences. The opportunities for an empathetic encounter with such performances and achieving an out of ordinary experience is crucial in enriching an individual's life and making meaning and sense out of seemingly disparate experiences of everyday life.
Why do you think there is now a sudden spurt of activity in art festival-making in India? How important are such events in a developing/transforming/globalising society?
Traditionally arts events in India were part of social or religious calendar. However, in the process of rapid urbanisation and increasing mobility of people the social fabric is undergoing tremendous changes. It is almost impossible to retain the spirit and structure of the arts events associated with social and religious activities as it was few decades ago. In the fast developing urban landscapes in India there are hardly any provision for art houses and community art centres to produce or present such works on a regular basis. Year-long curated performances or arts events are hard to find let alone investing in and nurturing an artist or a genre of works. In this, situation arts festivals offer the possibility of designing a time-bound set of activities with defined focus and priorities.
When there is no national or regional vision or frame work for sustained arts activities as part of provisions for civic amenities in our urban centres, it is invariably easier for individuals, governmental or non-governmental organisations, corporate houses, media etc to visualise a time-bound festival rather than ongoing commitment. Even though festivals do not substitute the long-term need of such provisions it is a welcome development that it catches public imagination and media attention even if it is for a relatively short span of time. If it is well conceived and well executed, festivals can also play a role in sensitising and developing audiences and giving the much needed platform and profile for an artist in a national or international context as the case may be. Festivals also provide a platform for artistic exchanges and could result in collaborations and co-productions. They also help the local community to connect with artists and art forms from other cultures, thus broadening the cultural horizon of the individual and the community.
Do you think arts festivals are more accessible to their audiences, than other fixed arts organisations? Why?
It is not necessarily so. It all depends on how each activity is conceived and executed. As there is an intensity of activities in a short span of time it might look that a festival will attract more eyeballs and bring more people to a city or a locality during the event. However, there are examples of prestigious venues in the world doing the same by programming a season with reputed artists and cutting edge art works. There are not many venues in India yet with a committed audience base they can count on who will come to show after show throughout the year. In such circumstances festivals offer an alternative. Also festivals often are able to have a geographical spread across the city, thus attracting audiences from those locations who otherwise might not have gone for a show. It also allows you to have multiple events on any given day to meet the needs of different sections of the society.
What according to you are the key components that make up an arts festival?
I would prefer to talk about a contemporary movement arts festival that too in an Indian context. It would be great to imagine one day we will have a national cultural policy outlining the vision for the arts, particularly performing arts. If such a policy has provisions for the infrastructure for the performing arts such as ongoing mechanism for consultation with the artists to constantly review the policies for course correction, fine tuning and better delivery; research and development to access inherited knowledge from our traditions; access information from other cultures and create new knowledge; laboratories for experimentation and exploration; training to acquire and update skill sets; production facilities to match the best in the world; dissemination opportunities through purpose built venues and curated festivals; informed critical analysis; non-biased and impartial assessment and evaluation; quality control based on the parameters set by the artists themselves to avoid fixed notions of excellence; adequate and assured funding at least for few years so that one can plan ahead etc., then it would be easier to outline the components of a contemporary dance festival in India.
Today Attakkalari India Biennial as well as other festivals are working in a volatile environment where at any given point there are too many variables and it is almost impossible to have a well thought out programme that is curated well in advance so that the impact can be optimised. Therefore, in the current scenario in India most festivals are working in a constrained situation. Therefore, some of the following points might be difficult to adhere to in all circumstances.
• Invest in ideas, artists and artworks, not just buy existing works as products
• Develop other activities such as discussions, seminars, exhibitions, workshops and residencies around performance whereever possible.
• Provide something for everybody without diluting the integrity of the festival
• Established artists and emerging fresh voices
• Take risks without alienating the audience en-masse
• Make the festival relevant for the community while challenging jaded notions and convenient status-quo.
• Increase stakeholders
• Broaden partnership with organisations and individuals
• Sensitise and develop audiences to take them along with programming priorities
• Specific expert teams dedicated to different aspects of the festival such as artistic, administrative, technical, venue management, ticketing, media and public relations, accommodation and travel, accounts, insurance and legal expertise, health & safety, artists' welfare, education and outreach.
• Ensure financial security and healthy cash flow situation
• Appropriate venues and public visibility for each event
• Ownership by the arts community and society at large
• Dissemination of information nationally and internationally
• User friendly programme schedules, maps and directions for festival venues
• Helpline for any emergencies
• Inspiring staff and committed volunteers
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Arts Management pratices at the Attakkalari India Biennale
Trupti Prasad, Festival Manager, Attakkalari Biennale
Organisational Structure:
Do you think Indian festivals are using European models of festival-making? If not, how are they different?
Attakkalari India Biennial has an identity that is its own but yes it does have global standards. Our mission statement a few years ago did say we would aim to give Bangalore the same stature as cities like Montpelier or Avignon.
In general, what is the period in which the team of festival works? During the entire year, or only in a period before and after the time in which the festival takes place?
It takes at least a year to 18 months to put together a festival of this scale. So it has now become almost a continuous process.
How has the role of the festival/artistic director evolved in the last few years in your opinion?
It is very important to have a festival director to give vision, structure and quality to a festival. Putting together a festival is much more that getting works to perform randomly.
How important is the location, legacy and place - understanding the context of the place and generating a passion for participating in the festival among local community?
Very important - we have always maintained Bangalore is ideally situated for a contemporary dance festival like Attakkalari India Biennial
Attakkalari is situated in Bangalore and has over the years built an audience for contemporary dance. On a macro level the nature of its geopolitical and cultural location makes Bangalore a strategic centre to initiate a North-South dialogue on innovation and performance arts with an international perspective
Programming:
Did you conduct any formal / informal feasibility studies before launch to check if your festival has appeal?
No, it wasn't about feasibility - it was about passion for contemporary dance and the need to make it grow in India and Indian dance scene grow in the world.
What are the key challenges in programming your festival and how do you overcome them?
The lack of good venues I would say is one of our biggest challenges today. We really need world class auditoriums.
Finance is hard to garner, but there are always a few visionaries in the government and outside it as well as a whole range of cultural agencies who come together every two years to make this festival successful.
Do you need to differentiate between and define works along the lines of ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’ – does that become a challenge, do you have to seek a balance between representing the two?
Attakkalari's stated mission is: Traditional Physical Wisdom, Innovation and Technology. All the work shown at the festival is contemporary movement arts based on this and selected by curators who know what they are looking for.
How do you balance local community needs with the interests of external visitors and media viewers/readers?
We do this by having the right mix of Indian and International work as part of the programme.
Audiences:
Are you focused on any particular kinds of audiences that you are trying to attract?
No.The more varied it is the better. Penetrating into areas hitherto unfamiliar with contemporay movement arts and bringing people from there to watch the shows is one of our main targets.
Do you find a disconnect between engaging the audience vis-a-vis respecting the work and the artist. Do you think there is a trend in arts festivals towards more interactive performances?
Audience appreciation is subjective and evolves with exposure. Interaction of course is wonderful but need not always be the only way to engage an audience. At the end of the day people are discerning enough to appreciate quality.
What other factors do you consider when measuring the success of your festival: meeting the festival vision, ticket sale/audience numbers or how successful a festival is in launching new artists?
Apart from what you mention media coverage plays a big role. Artist and delegate feedback, networks that develop, funding availabilty, more international interest to participate, partnerships, collaborations...these are all important.
Can you detail some of your outreach initiatives?
Through Attakkalari’s Education Outreach Programme, now in its 8th year, trained facilitators from Attakkalari’s repertory take the Movement Arts to schools across the socio-economic divide. Attakkalari has worked with government schools, schools for underprivileged children, a juvenile remand home as well as private and international schools.
Attakkalari also offers community classes every evening. Over the years the community dance classes have attracted increasing numbers of young people and are now held every evening at the Attakkalari studios including weekends. The classes are held at a time convenient for working professionals interested in dance. The classes expose a growing number of young people to constructive ways of self-expression through movement besides helping them develop valuable inter-personal and intra-personal skills.
During the festival, visiting choreographers from India and abroad, offer classes. These master classes are open to the public and hugely popular. This festival we even had someone fly in from Sri Lanka to attend two sessions offered by an American choreographer and one by a dancer from UK!
Marketing and PR:
How much of a role does social media and online marketing play?
They play a huge role. We used it extensively in the last festival and even more this time round. Media management is an essential part of organising a festival, requiring professionals to do it.
Have there been any other major shifts in arts marketing – besides the use of online media?
Wouldn't really know about arts marketing but yes, technology has brought about a huge shift in the way we disseminate information. A lot of tools are available today.
Funding model:
What sources of funding are available to you? Are there any funding bodies in India that you approach?
Yes, there are funding bodies and agencies available to us in India but the funding is not adequate for a festival hosted on this scale. Other partners are needed.
How important has tourism been for your festival?
The Karnataka State Tourism Development Board was one of our partners in 2011 and we hope this partnership continues. Artists from all over the world and different parts of India are here for almost three weeks before, during and after the festival. They are bound to take in the sights, sounds and flavours of Karnataka as well as India.
Organisational Structure:
Do you think Indian festivals are using European models of festival-making? If not, how are they different?
Attakkalari India Biennial has an identity that is its own but yes it does have global standards. Our mission statement a few years ago did say we would aim to give Bangalore the same stature as cities like Montpelier or Avignon.
In general, what is the period in which the team of festival works? During the entire year, or only in a period before and after the time in which the festival takes place?
It takes at least a year to 18 months to put together a festival of this scale. So it has now become almost a continuous process.
How has the role of the festival/artistic director evolved in the last few years in your opinion?
It is very important to have a festival director to give vision, structure and quality to a festival. Putting together a festival is much more that getting works to perform randomly.
How important is the location, legacy and place - understanding the context of the place and generating a passion for participating in the festival among local community?
Very important - we have always maintained Bangalore is ideally situated for a contemporary dance festival like Attakkalari India Biennial
Attakkalari is situated in Bangalore and has over the years built an audience for contemporary dance. On a macro level the nature of its geopolitical and cultural location makes Bangalore a strategic centre to initiate a North-South dialogue on innovation and performance arts with an international perspective
Programming:
Did you conduct any formal / informal feasibility studies before launch to check if your festival has appeal?
No, it wasn't about feasibility - it was about passion for contemporary dance and the need to make it grow in India and Indian dance scene grow in the world.
What are the key challenges in programming your festival and how do you overcome them?
The lack of good venues I would say is one of our biggest challenges today. We really need world class auditoriums.
Finance is hard to garner, but there are always a few visionaries in the government and outside it as well as a whole range of cultural agencies who come together every two years to make this festival successful.
Do you need to differentiate between and define works along the lines of ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’ – does that become a challenge, do you have to seek a balance between representing the two?
Attakkalari's stated mission is: Traditional Physical Wisdom, Innovation and Technology. All the work shown at the festival is contemporary movement arts based on this and selected by curators who know what they are looking for.
How do you balance local community needs with the interests of external visitors and media viewers/readers?
We do this by having the right mix of Indian and International work as part of the programme.
Audiences:
Are you focused on any particular kinds of audiences that you are trying to attract?
No.The more varied it is the better. Penetrating into areas hitherto unfamiliar with contemporay movement arts and bringing people from there to watch the shows is one of our main targets.
Do you find a disconnect between engaging the audience vis-a-vis respecting the work and the artist. Do you think there is a trend in arts festivals towards more interactive performances?
Audience appreciation is subjective and evolves with exposure. Interaction of course is wonderful but need not always be the only way to engage an audience. At the end of the day people are discerning enough to appreciate quality.
What other factors do you consider when measuring the success of your festival: meeting the festival vision, ticket sale/audience numbers or how successful a festival is in launching new artists?
Apart from what you mention media coverage plays a big role. Artist and delegate feedback, networks that develop, funding availabilty, more international interest to participate, partnerships, collaborations...these are all important.
Can you detail some of your outreach initiatives?
Through Attakkalari’s Education Outreach Programme, now in its 8th year, trained facilitators from Attakkalari’s repertory take the Movement Arts to schools across the socio-economic divide. Attakkalari has worked with government schools, schools for underprivileged children, a juvenile remand home as well as private and international schools.
Attakkalari also offers community classes every evening. Over the years the community dance classes have attracted increasing numbers of young people and are now held every evening at the Attakkalari studios including weekends. The classes are held at a time convenient for working professionals interested in dance. The classes expose a growing number of young people to constructive ways of self-expression through movement besides helping them develop valuable inter-personal and intra-personal skills.
During the festival, visiting choreographers from India and abroad, offer classes. These master classes are open to the public and hugely popular. This festival we even had someone fly in from Sri Lanka to attend two sessions offered by an American choreographer and one by a dancer from UK!
Marketing and PR:
How much of a role does social media and online marketing play?
They play a huge role. We used it extensively in the last festival and even more this time round. Media management is an essential part of organising a festival, requiring professionals to do it.
Have there been any other major shifts in arts marketing – besides the use of online media?
Wouldn't really know about arts marketing but yes, technology has brought about a huge shift in the way we disseminate information. A lot of tools are available today.
Funding model:
What sources of funding are available to you? Are there any funding bodies in India that you approach?
Yes, there are funding bodies and agencies available to us in India but the funding is not adequate for a festival hosted on this scale. Other partners are needed.
How important has tourism been for your festival?
The Karnataka State Tourism Development Board was one of our partners in 2011 and we hope this partnership continues. Artists from all over the world and different parts of India are here for almost three weeks before, during and after the festival. They are bound to take in the sights, sounds and flavours of Karnataka as well as India.
Understanding the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
Pallavi Sahney Sharma - Chief Executive Kala Ghoda Association and Committee Member, Kala Ghoda Art Festival
What is the role of arts festivals in a community? What role is your festival currently playing in the community and how do you see its significance growing?
The Kala Ghoda Festival was started to get people aware about the Kala Ghoda precinct – the festival acted as a fundraiser for the restoration of the area and to generate public interest in the area. Over the years it has evolved into a festival that aims to make people more sensitive to the arts, get more and more people interested and involved every year. With Mumbai being the financial centre of the country, I believe that a whole generation of her people has missed out on the arts. Delhi, I think has much more exposure to the arts and culture – the festival hopes to bring the same exposure to Mumbai.
The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, which was also one of the first of its kind in the country, has inspired many others to start such initiatives. The success of Kala Ghoda has created a demand for festivals – and we don’t see this as competition but a positive step towards reaching out to the people.
In what historical context does your festival operate? Religious festivals have long been used to build cohesive communities in india - what about arts festivals? Were there historical equivalents of arts festivals in the region?
I am aware of the Khajurao Festival and the Konarak Festival, but both were government initiatives, not private. The Kala Ghoda Festival aims at getting people to come and see a varied performances. It also tries to have a focus each year on certain key issues for the city, be it conservation or issues such as protecting our environment or spreading the message of communal harmony.
Why do you think there is now a sudden spurt of activity in art festival-making in India? How important are such events in a developing/transforming/globalising society?
Culture has over decades played a very important role in shaping various civilizations.India is now emerging as a very strong global market – and culture is playing an important role, which is why the festivals like the Jaipur Literature Festival and the Indian Art Summit are doing so well.
Where do arts festivals fit within the larger cultural framework of India - how are they different from other arts organisations and what unique opportunities do they offer?
India has a very rich and diverse culture but still a lot of people aren’t exposed to it. Festivals such as Kala Ghoda give people the opportunity to witness varied art forms, both within India as well as internationally. The festival programmes and caters to all tastes and ages something for everybody – a mix of everything at one time. The same could be achieved by any other organization. After the success of KGAF, various institutions in the area have opened their doors to the festival and serve as added venue spaces to hold programmes and also attract people to visit these institutions even when the festival is not there.
Do you think arts festivals are more accessible to their audiences, than other fixed arts organisations? Why?
As the festival has grown the popularity has increased with has lead to an increase in the number. Most people don’t come to the festival for a particular act or artist, they come for the festive atmosphere, to just hang out. The festival is free, and happens annually – so people look forward to it. It becomes part of their cultural calendar. I agree that festivals tend to be more accessible than other arts organizations as there is a mass appeal to it--- the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is free, well advertised and presents good quality artists. People often come to just hang out at the Kala Ghoda. However we have found that certain acts such as a symphony concert or the Paul Taylor dance still attracts a different crowd versus the crowd who would come to listen to a popular Bollywood singer. Our tie-up with the Times of India newspaper has helped us reach out much more widely.
What according to you are the key components that make up an arts festival?
It is extremely important to have an aim and an audience—define who you want reach and then program accordingly. I personally don’t like bollywood, but have to program that in because it is a crow-puller and people enjoy it, and more importantly it is a part of our culture and is now know even internationally.
Organisational Structure:
Do you think Indian festivals are using European models of festival-making? If not, how are they different?
We haven’t conducted research on other models of festival-making. The KGAF has evolved through trial and error. However, as we are growing we are reaching out and getting foreign artists to perform at our festival. As our budgets don’t always permit us to get foreign artists we get consulates and other cultural institutions to collaborate with us. This has helped us become popular world over. But the most important difference between our festival and others is that ours is absolutely free for the spectators. A lot of international festivals have tickets for their performances. Also we select and program the artists that perform, whereas at some of the international festival artists apply and pay and book venues to perform.
In general, what is the period in which the team of festival works? During the entire year, or only in a period before and after the time in which the festival takes place? And what is the size of your team?
The work on the festival starts in July-August and continues till March but the pace picks up towards end October and continues till February. We have section heads for the various verticals who do the programming A lot of time goes in getting permissions as there are at least 25-30 permissions that an orgainisation is required to take when one is holding an event. One hopes that a simplier process can be there to get these permissions as a lot of valuable time is wasted in this. Apart from the various section heads (10-12) we have a festival committee of four members that take all the important decisions. We also have an additional festival team of 8- 10 people who help the section heads and also help in putting the festival together. We also have an event management team of about 30 -40 people who help us on ground with the festival. Security agency to manage the security, technical staff, housekeeping etc are all employed for the festival. The local authorities such as the police, traffic police , BMC etc also help us with the logistics of the festival of such a large scale.
How important is the location, legacy and place - understanding the context of the place and generating a passion for participating in the festival among local community?
The location is very important and I feel the success of KGAF is that it is located in the art district of Mumbai. I am not sure if the festival would have been as popular if it was located elsewhere. The KGAF began as a means to facilitate restoration projects in the locality and now we continue doing so by channelizing funds towards further beautification of the area by installing traffic islands and public furniture and cleaning up the area.
Programming:
Did you conduct any formal / informal feasibility studies before launch to check if your festival has appeal?
The festival started to draw people’s attention to the beautiful and historic art precinct that Mumbai had- the Kala Ghoda district. At the start, the festival focused on visual arts and all the galleries in the area were involved. The festival as we see it today as grown much beyond that and of course presents all the arts. We keep reviewing the festival each year to add in new elements so that the festival is not repetitive to the audience.
What are the key challenges in programming your festival – for instance, in commissioning new work, the pros and cons of using themes, financial and political barriers--and how do you overcome them?
Budget constraints – we can’t get the artists we want. There are also political challenges we face and we have to be sensitive towards them. Once we had an art installation of a cow, but had to take it down (the cow is a sacred animal in Hindu mythology). The KGAF is a festival for the masses and we have to run it without offending anyone.
Do you need to differentiate between and define works along the lines of ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’ – does that become a challenge, do you have to seek a balance between representing the two?
We present both contemporary and traditional arts. Very modernistic art however, doesn’t work with our audience. Artists need to adapt to our audience. Earlier solo performances were held at smaller venues such as the NGMA but now we request even the senior artists to perform in more public spaces as we feel that this will make them reach out to a much larger audience. Many renowned dancers such as Mallika Sarabai, Sonal Mansingh and Malvika Sarukai have all performed at our more public venues such as the Horniman Circle Garden and Rampart Row.
Is there a commitment to showcasing younger and emerging artists – and how do you how to develop and protect younger and emerging artists whilst putting them on a stage alongside international, world-class work.
We intersperse emerging artists with the established ones – we may end the day with an established artist but the emerging ones present during the day. We also encourage emerging acts just before an established one. The tie-up with the Times of India means that they also publish about the emerging artists giving them important coverage. The KGAF also recommends these artists to other organizations and festivals getting them greater exposure.
How do you balance local community needs with the interests of external visitors and media viewers/readers?
We do get a lot of international tourists through tour companies their factor us into their itinerary. However, we do not promote the KGAF internationally which is something we need to do.
Audiences:
Are you focused on any particular kinds of audiences that you are trying to attract?
We are increasingly focused on children – it is important to start young to get them interested in the arts. Schools or parents don’t provide enough opportunities for exposure to the arts so it is important for the festival to take on this mandate.
We are also not a South Mumbai (elitist) event, but a people’s festival. We get more crowds than we can accommodate. The city’s legislation bans loud speakers on Rampart Row, yet people throng there during the festival because there is such a dearth of things for people to do in the city.
Do you have any audience measurement / feedback systems in place? Can you briefly discuss them?
Feedback often comes on the ground, right on the street. There has been some criticism of the street stalls being repitative at times so we have taken a decision not to repeat the same stalls for more than two festivals. During a Sonu Nigam concert at the Asiatic which is equipped to house about 5000 people, we had crowds of over 30.000- we realized we needed to have a way to cut-off crowds as we don’t want to compromise on people’s safety.
Feedback also comes via the online channels of email and Facebook.
Do you find a disconnect between engaging the audience vis-a-vis respecting the work and the artist. Do you think there is a trend in arts festivals towards more interactive performances?
Most of our audiences have never been exposed to anything outside the usual. On our crowd puller nights we try to expose people to something they would not otherwise go to see. For example, before a popular Sonu Nigam concert, we had Fazal Qureshi perform, so people who came to take early seats for Sonu Nigam got to see another style of Indian music and were very receptive towards it.
What other factors do you consider when measuring the success of your festival: meeting the festival vision, ticket sale/audience numbers or how successful a festival is in launching new artists?
Feedback and audience numbers.
Marketing and PR:
We don’t do any PR – the media covers the event without bias against our partner the TOI.
Funding model:
What sources of funding are available to you? Are there any funding bodies in india that you approach?
Corporate sponsorship is the main source of funding, but money for culture still remains negligible. The Cultural Ministry does give some grants but we have never approached them so far and are managing independently. I feel still we as a nation are not sensitive towards our culture and don’t do enough to support , promote and popularize it.
Who are your partners/collaborators – do you engage in new models of governance and partner¬ship between the arts, sciences, politics, business and other sectors?
Our principal partner for the festival is the TOI. We also tie up with the Maharashtra Tourism development Corporation and last year with the zonal cultural centres. We are hoping to get government support to help us develop an easier process of getting permissions to conduct such a festival.
How important has tourism been for your festival?
We have tied up with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and last year with the zonal cultural centres, yet tourism is something that needs a much greater focus.
What is the role of arts festivals in a community? What role is your festival currently playing in the community and how do you see its significance growing?
The Kala Ghoda Festival was started to get people aware about the Kala Ghoda precinct – the festival acted as a fundraiser for the restoration of the area and to generate public interest in the area. Over the years it has evolved into a festival that aims to make people more sensitive to the arts, get more and more people interested and involved every year. With Mumbai being the financial centre of the country, I believe that a whole generation of her people has missed out on the arts. Delhi, I think has much more exposure to the arts and culture – the festival hopes to bring the same exposure to Mumbai.
The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, which was also one of the first of its kind in the country, has inspired many others to start such initiatives. The success of Kala Ghoda has created a demand for festivals – and we don’t see this as competition but a positive step towards reaching out to the people.
In what historical context does your festival operate? Religious festivals have long been used to build cohesive communities in india - what about arts festivals? Were there historical equivalents of arts festivals in the region?
I am aware of the Khajurao Festival and the Konarak Festival, but both were government initiatives, not private. The Kala Ghoda Festival aims at getting people to come and see a varied performances. It also tries to have a focus each year on certain key issues for the city, be it conservation or issues such as protecting our environment or spreading the message of communal harmony.
Why do you think there is now a sudden spurt of activity in art festival-making in India? How important are such events in a developing/transforming/globalising society?
Culture has over decades played a very important role in shaping various civilizations.India is now emerging as a very strong global market – and culture is playing an important role, which is why the festivals like the Jaipur Literature Festival and the Indian Art Summit are doing so well.
Where do arts festivals fit within the larger cultural framework of India - how are they different from other arts organisations and what unique opportunities do they offer?
India has a very rich and diverse culture but still a lot of people aren’t exposed to it. Festivals such as Kala Ghoda give people the opportunity to witness varied art forms, both within India as well as internationally. The festival programmes and caters to all tastes and ages something for everybody – a mix of everything at one time. The same could be achieved by any other organization. After the success of KGAF, various institutions in the area have opened their doors to the festival and serve as added venue spaces to hold programmes and also attract people to visit these institutions even when the festival is not there.
Do you think arts festivals are more accessible to their audiences, than other fixed arts organisations? Why?
As the festival has grown the popularity has increased with has lead to an increase in the number. Most people don’t come to the festival for a particular act or artist, they come for the festive atmosphere, to just hang out. The festival is free, and happens annually – so people look forward to it. It becomes part of their cultural calendar. I agree that festivals tend to be more accessible than other arts organizations as there is a mass appeal to it--- the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is free, well advertised and presents good quality artists. People often come to just hang out at the Kala Ghoda. However we have found that certain acts such as a symphony concert or the Paul Taylor dance still attracts a different crowd versus the crowd who would come to listen to a popular Bollywood singer. Our tie-up with the Times of India newspaper has helped us reach out much more widely.
What according to you are the key components that make up an arts festival?
It is extremely important to have an aim and an audience—define who you want reach and then program accordingly. I personally don’t like bollywood, but have to program that in because it is a crow-puller and people enjoy it, and more importantly it is a part of our culture and is now know even internationally.
Organisational Structure:
Do you think Indian festivals are using European models of festival-making? If not, how are they different?
We haven’t conducted research on other models of festival-making. The KGAF has evolved through trial and error. However, as we are growing we are reaching out and getting foreign artists to perform at our festival. As our budgets don’t always permit us to get foreign artists we get consulates and other cultural institutions to collaborate with us. This has helped us become popular world over. But the most important difference between our festival and others is that ours is absolutely free for the spectators. A lot of international festivals have tickets for their performances. Also we select and program the artists that perform, whereas at some of the international festival artists apply and pay and book venues to perform.
In general, what is the period in which the team of festival works? During the entire year, or only in a period before and after the time in which the festival takes place? And what is the size of your team?
The work on the festival starts in July-August and continues till March but the pace picks up towards end October and continues till February. We have section heads for the various verticals who do the programming A lot of time goes in getting permissions as there are at least 25-30 permissions that an orgainisation is required to take when one is holding an event. One hopes that a simplier process can be there to get these permissions as a lot of valuable time is wasted in this. Apart from the various section heads (10-12) we have a festival committee of four members that take all the important decisions. We also have an additional festival team of 8- 10 people who help the section heads and also help in putting the festival together. We also have an event management team of about 30 -40 people who help us on ground with the festival. Security agency to manage the security, technical staff, housekeeping etc are all employed for the festival. The local authorities such as the police, traffic police , BMC etc also help us with the logistics of the festival of such a large scale.
How important is the location, legacy and place - understanding the context of the place and generating a passion for participating in the festival among local community?
The location is very important and I feel the success of KGAF is that it is located in the art district of Mumbai. I am not sure if the festival would have been as popular if it was located elsewhere. The KGAF began as a means to facilitate restoration projects in the locality and now we continue doing so by channelizing funds towards further beautification of the area by installing traffic islands and public furniture and cleaning up the area.
Programming:
Did you conduct any formal / informal feasibility studies before launch to check if your festival has appeal?
The festival started to draw people’s attention to the beautiful and historic art precinct that Mumbai had- the Kala Ghoda district. At the start, the festival focused on visual arts and all the galleries in the area were involved. The festival as we see it today as grown much beyond that and of course presents all the arts. We keep reviewing the festival each year to add in new elements so that the festival is not repetitive to the audience.
What are the key challenges in programming your festival – for instance, in commissioning new work, the pros and cons of using themes, financial and political barriers--and how do you overcome them?
Budget constraints – we can’t get the artists we want. There are also political challenges we face and we have to be sensitive towards them. Once we had an art installation of a cow, but had to take it down (the cow is a sacred animal in Hindu mythology). The KGAF is a festival for the masses and we have to run it without offending anyone.
Do you need to differentiate between and define works along the lines of ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’ – does that become a challenge, do you have to seek a balance between representing the two?
We present both contemporary and traditional arts. Very modernistic art however, doesn’t work with our audience. Artists need to adapt to our audience. Earlier solo performances were held at smaller venues such as the NGMA but now we request even the senior artists to perform in more public spaces as we feel that this will make them reach out to a much larger audience. Many renowned dancers such as Mallika Sarabai, Sonal Mansingh and Malvika Sarukai have all performed at our more public venues such as the Horniman Circle Garden and Rampart Row.
Is there a commitment to showcasing younger and emerging artists – and how do you how to develop and protect younger and emerging artists whilst putting them on a stage alongside international, world-class work.
We intersperse emerging artists with the established ones – we may end the day with an established artist but the emerging ones present during the day. We also encourage emerging acts just before an established one. The tie-up with the Times of India means that they also publish about the emerging artists giving them important coverage. The KGAF also recommends these artists to other organizations and festivals getting them greater exposure.
How do you balance local community needs with the interests of external visitors and media viewers/readers?
We do get a lot of international tourists through tour companies their factor us into their itinerary. However, we do not promote the KGAF internationally which is something we need to do.
Audiences:
Are you focused on any particular kinds of audiences that you are trying to attract?
We are increasingly focused on children – it is important to start young to get them interested in the arts. Schools or parents don’t provide enough opportunities for exposure to the arts so it is important for the festival to take on this mandate.
We are also not a South Mumbai (elitist) event, but a people’s festival. We get more crowds than we can accommodate. The city’s legislation bans loud speakers on Rampart Row, yet people throng there during the festival because there is such a dearth of things for people to do in the city.
Do you have any audience measurement / feedback systems in place? Can you briefly discuss them?
Feedback often comes on the ground, right on the street. There has been some criticism of the street stalls being repitative at times so we have taken a decision not to repeat the same stalls for more than two festivals. During a Sonu Nigam concert at the Asiatic which is equipped to house about 5000 people, we had crowds of over 30.000- we realized we needed to have a way to cut-off crowds as we don’t want to compromise on people’s safety.
Feedback also comes via the online channels of email and Facebook.
Do you find a disconnect between engaging the audience vis-a-vis respecting the work and the artist. Do you think there is a trend in arts festivals towards more interactive performances?
Most of our audiences have never been exposed to anything outside the usual. On our crowd puller nights we try to expose people to something they would not otherwise go to see. For example, before a popular Sonu Nigam concert, we had Fazal Qureshi perform, so people who came to take early seats for Sonu Nigam got to see another style of Indian music and were very receptive towards it.
What other factors do you consider when measuring the success of your festival: meeting the festival vision, ticket sale/audience numbers or how successful a festival is in launching new artists?
Feedback and audience numbers.
Marketing and PR:
We don’t do any PR – the media covers the event without bias against our partner the TOI.
Funding model:
What sources of funding are available to you? Are there any funding bodies in india that you approach?
Corporate sponsorship is the main source of funding, but money for culture still remains negligible. The Cultural Ministry does give some grants but we have never approached them so far and are managing independently. I feel still we as a nation are not sensitive towards our culture and don’t do enough to support , promote and popularize it.
Who are your partners/collaborators – do you engage in new models of governance and partner¬ship between the arts, sciences, politics, business and other sectors?
Our principal partner for the festival is the TOI. We also tie up with the Maharashtra Tourism development Corporation and last year with the zonal cultural centres. We are hoping to get government support to help us develop an easier process of getting permissions to conduct such a festival.
How important has tourism been for your festival?
We have tied up with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and last year with the zonal cultural centres, yet tourism is something that needs a much greater focus.
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