One city, 8 days, a deluge of creativity

Monica Arora

A multi-disciplinary, cultural, artistic and aesthetic extravaganza set in the exotic locales of Panjim in Goa, the second edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival holds the promise of being bigger, better and even more breathtaking than its first, inaugural edition in 2016.

The festival’s USP was to focus on the arts in the Indian sub-continent and to create an interactive forum for artists across disciplines, genres and styles to be able to interact and share a common patronage. An amalgam of art, sculpture, theatre, photography, dance, food and music, this year’s Serendipity also dwells upon art education, patronage of art and artists, cultural exchanges, interdisciplinary interactions and propensity of the arts to permeate the mindsets of the masses. It brings together a stellar line-up of performers, artists, curators and experts who excel in their respective areas and bring to the fore a potpourri, a colourful kaleidoscope of the best of the best from the creative arts.

Theatre is being curated by Lillete Dubey and Anuradha Kapur, who offer not just renowned performances from Indian theatre but also immersive and contemporary forms, engaging audiences and creating an unusual viewing experience. Visual arts curators Ranjit Hoskote and Riyas Komu bring young artists from the sub-continent, besides highlighting Goan art and culture as well as popular art, street art and other modern art forms. 

Combining the expertise of photography curators Dinesh Khanna and Prashant Panjiar, 2017’s photography discipline also includes special projects with guest curators, collaborations with people and organisations as well as dwelling upon film and projections as an extension of this discipline. Super chefs Manu Chandra and Odette Mascarenhas are curators for the culinary section and will promote concepts of local eating and how mealtimes can be treated as interesting and charming experiences. A blend of classic and modern-day dance forms with a special emphasis on emerging artists and several eminent artists, the art of dances has been curated by Sanjeev Bhargava and Tanusree Shankar. Shubha Mudgal and Ranjit Barot curate music across myriad styles, disciplines and nationalities and how they react in consonance with each other.

With a propensity towards architecture and art and craft from the state of Goa, craft curators Manjari Nirula and Annapurna Garimella also present particular art motifs along with specialised artisanal workshops and other innovative interactional programmes woven into the narrative.

Running parallel to these seven art forms will be SAF Special Projects that have been handpicked by the Serendipity Arts Trust and these are essentially individual projects crafted and curated by qualified personalities and institutions, which offer an additional layer or dimension to the versatility of this multi-dimensional festival.

Venues range from historical Portuguese sites such as the Adil Shah Palace or outdoor locations such as the Children’s Park, the various programmes will be running simultaneously across indoor and outdoor settings chosen especially to offer viewers easy access by foot or by a special shuttle service. Other spots include PWD House, Captain of the Port Jetty, Bento Miguel, Old GMC/ESG, The Kala Academy and others.

If last year’s edition saw presence of a million aficionados across 10 venues and 50 projects, this year, 70 projects have been put together by the effort of 5,23,000 man hours and are set to attract far larger audiences and exchanges across art lovers. This year’s theme, Chance Upon, is as poetic as the name of the festival and promises to be as picture perfect as a fairytale setting amidst the perfect backdrop of sand, surf and sea in magnificent Goa.