Geographically speaking, the saxophone, a single-reed woodwind instrument invented by Adolphe Sax in 19th-century Belgium, and the parai, a traditional Tamil percussion instrument, are worlds apart. But the two have a spectral but superstitious relationship.
Adolf, as a child, had several potentially fatal accidents, including a gunpowder explosion, falling from the third floor, and accidentally drinking acidic water. His mother reportedly said, “He is a child who has suffered misfortune; He won’t survive,” and his neighbors called him “the little sax, the ghost.” But the ghost grew up to invent an instrument used in musical styles.
Despite its rich history dating back to the Sangam age, over the years, the parai was ominously associated with death as it was played at funerals by Dalits. Practitioners of Parai are now trying to break this casteist notion.
German saxophonist Julius Gabriel was unaware of this connection between the two instruments when he performed with foreign artists at the Museum of the Indian Musical Experience in Bengaluru earlier this week. For him, it was not death that brought together these instruments that originated on different continents; It was something else, as universal as death itself: art.
Julius is one of the 11 artists from Germany who are in Bengaluru as a part of the Goethe Institute’s Bangalore residency programme. For approximately two months, artists have the opportunity to advance their projects and interact with local artists and experts. It’s been 10 years since this residential arts program started.
“While working on a few projects prior to the Bangalore residency, we noticed that artists from Germany maintain close contact with each other and artists from India. That was the inspiration for us to start the Bungalow Residency,” says Maureen Gonsalves, cultural coordinator at the Goethe Institute in Bengaluru.
To enable the artists’ project, the Goethe Institute allocates each of them to an arts or cultural organization that will host them. The Indian Music Experience, for example, is hosted by Julius.
“Although the artists don’t live or work together, there is a synergy between the artists, the hosts, the city and the Goethe Institute,” says Maureen, “we find that very interesting. That’s why we created that program.” Continued what we used 10 years ago.
different culture
One of the main reasons artists sign up for the program is to create art in an environment different from their own. Bangalore looks, smells and feels different from Berlin. “These sensory inputs have a huge impact on the kind of art you are creating,” says Jayachandran Palazzi, artistic director of Attakalari Center for Movement Arts.
Sound Artist Katherine Lambert | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Catherine Lambert, a sound artist from Saarbrücken, agrees. His work deals with the noise of everyday objects such as construction materials. Along with her Bengaluru host, the Indian Sonic Research Organisation, she explores the sound of a different cultural context. “I believe that cultural exchange or getting to know cultures through soundscapes is a very different or intimate approach,” she says.
For example, she sees a stark difference between the silent cities of Germany and the relentless traffic of Bengaluru. “The acceptance of noise in a different cultural context is completely different,” she adds. ,[In Bengaluru], I get a strong contradiction. On the one hand, noise is accepted and even demanded — for example, in traffic or in certain religious contexts such as Diwali. On the other hand, the cultural work of other groups such as musicians or artists is often considered disturbing, for example at club events or concerts.
The work of Catherine’s compatriot and draftsman, Mathias Beckmann, is also about exploring Bengaluru’s cultural diversity. “The rapidly growing megacity dominated by excessive traffic, an internationally important IT location, combines urban modernity with tradition,” he says. “You can see the coexistence of different ways of life with places of worship of different religions, markets, street vendors, exotic looking colours, clothes, jewellery.”
Instead of moving from place to place, Mathias is attempting to present through watercolors a “kaleidoscopic view” of Shanti Nagar, the location of his host: 1Shantiroad, an art institute.
symbiotic relationship
Suresh Jayaram, founder of 1Shantiroad, says the Bangalore residency program benefits German artists as well as local people. “For example, as a trustee of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad College of Fine Arts, I involve resident artists to be part of the college curriculum,” he says. “This time, we invited Matthias to conduct a masterclass with the students, who get the chance to pick their brains or collaborate with him. In this way, we extend German expertise to the local community.”
The Goethe Institute also felt the need for Indian artists to go to Germany. Since 2017, it has sent around 39 emerging artists from India to Germany as a part of the Bungalow Residency-Extended Programme.
“An important outcome of these residency exchange programs is that future collaborations emerge. It is more than just visiting, completing a project and leaving. Too often, we see artists forming long-term associations,” Bengaluru says Michael Henst, director of the Goethe Institute.
Nikhil Nagraj, for example, met fellow Leipzig-based sound artist Felix Defel through the Bungalow Residency program. He worked with them to learn more about 3D sound. Later, they worked together in Germany when Nikhil went there as a part of the Bangaloreresidency-Extended Program. Their long-term collaboration resulted in an art project, ‘If We Vanish’, which explores “the sound of silence in nature”.
“It is beyond his work, beyond art. Artists who come here make friends who also share their other interests,” Maureen says. She believes the city has a role to play in nurturing these collaborations. “The people here are receptive to experimental ideas and innovation. Bangalore is probably one of the friendliest and most welcoming places in South India.
Mathias provides a testimonial. “The Indian mentality is very different from the German mentality. When I sit at some place for some time people come up to me and ask ‘what are you doing here?’, ‘where are you from?’, How long have you been living here?’ ‘How do you like Indian food?’ It sounds good.