Paper short abstract:

In October 2011 something unique happened in Calcutta! The cutting edge European Art found its place in Durga Puja – the biggest annual religious carnival of Bengal. For this panel, I intend to present my experience of filming the process of this artwork – from the conceptualization to the implementation.

Paper long abstract:

In October 2011 something unique happened in Calcutta! The cutting edge European Art found its place in Durga Puja - the biggest annual religious carnival of Bengal. To celebrate 75 years of Germany-India Friendship, the Goethe Institut initiated a project called 'Art in Public Space'. Tempted by the traditional practice of 'art in public space', Gregor Schneider, famous German artist, agreed to create a 'sight specific art work' for the occasion. He opted to work in collaboration with local artisans. The Goethe Institut requested me to make a film on this initiative.

For this panel, I intend to present my experience of filming the process of this artwork - from the conceptualization to the implementation. I aim to examine Schneider's artistic approach and my own filmic practice. In particular, I am interested in interrogating Schneider's intended 'collaboration' and the process of making a film on his project by asking: who looks at whom?

By narrating many incidents, I will question the validity of transposing western artistic expressions to south Asia - most of which, I argue, took place without considering local specificities. I will argue that a huge Calcuttan crowd was drawn by the 'puja theme' thanks to a 'curiosity element' - that is, people's willingness to embrace newer artistic creations in relation to other cultures. While doing this, I will also question my own film practice, as a local filmmaker, and investigate the 'missing factors' which, in my opinion, can make art-collaboration a successful endeavor. My analysis will be supported by clips from my film.