Seven More Days Till Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 Winds Down

KOCHI:
In exactly one week, curtains will come down on the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), bringing the 108-day celebration of contemporary art – the biggest of its kind in South Asia – to a close.
Over its 100-day run, KMB 2016, which got underway on 12/12/16, has been the best attended yet. The footfalls figure to rise appreciably over the event’s ‘Closing Week’, from March 22-29, with an exciting line-up that features repeat performances by KMB 2016 artists, music and dance shows, innovative workshops, film screenings and lively discussions.
In accordance with public demand, participating artists Anamika Haksar, Padmini Chettur and Zuleikha Chaudhari will present encores of their performances. Over the Biennale’s ‘Opening Week’, the performances saw an average of 300 visitors in attendance daily.
After an open-to-public rehearsal on Wednesday, Haksar will stage a second round of her 20-minute theatre production Composition on Water from March 23-26 with two daily shows at 11.30 am and 3.30 pm in Aspinwall House, while Chettur will conduct two three-hour performances of Varnam at her space in David Hall from March 27-28 at 5 pm following a public rehearsal at 10 am on Sunday, March 26.
Returning for a third series of performances is Chaudhari’s stage drama Auditioning the Plaintiff, Rehearsing the Witness: The Bhawal Court Case. Starting on Friday, March 24, and continuing till Monday, the production will be on offer in two two-hour installments daily – at 10.30 am and 3.30 pm – at her space in Aspinwall House.
From March 25-26, musician and KM 2016 participating artist Hanna Tuulikki will conduct a workshop titled ‘Traditional Ballad and Experimental Vocal Ensemble’, during which she will share her knowledge of the ballads from the Scottish, English, and Irish traditions and introduce participants to aspects of her vocal practice, sharing her approach to wordless song, extended vocal expression and experimental improvisation.
Scottish artists Neil Mulholland and Jake Watts will conduct day-long artistic workshops from March 22-23 under their innovative ‘unlearning’ platform ‘Shift/Work’.
A concert by fusion rock band Thaikkudam Bridge following the closing ceremony at Durbar Hall on March 29 will round up a week of musical concerts that features a range of styles – beginning with ghazal singer Smriti Minocha crooning ‘Love Lines’ today evening.
The rest of the week will see performances at the Pavilion in Cabral Yard by sarangi exponent Vasanti Shrikhande (March 22), Mir Mukhtiar Ali’s renditions from the Rajasthani Sufiana tradition on March 23 evening, Nadaswaram Kacheri by Nemmara Brothers (March 25), with the headline event being a concert on March 26 by celebrated Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna.
Another highlight will be a three-hour Kathakali performance Nalacharitham (Day 4: Reunion) led by Padma Shri Kalamandalam Gopi on March 24 with the Sanjeev Bhargava-curated S
andhi: A Confluence of Dance, Music and Literature featuring Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Hindustani and Carnatic vocals winding down the performances at the Pavilion on March 27.
The hugely popular ‘Artists’ Cinema’ programme organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation on the sidelines of the Biennale will end with a cinema package titled ‘Documentaries on Writers, Thinkers, Auteurs’ curated by renowned film scholar Dr C.S. Venkiteswaran. Another KBF programme, the ‘Let’s Talk’ series will see noted cultural historian Prof. Dilip Menon deliver a lecture titled ‘At the End of Time: Thinking the World from Kochi’ on March 25.