10
ART & CULTURE
Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010
Spriha’s
Corner
By Spriha Srivastava
“Designer” Elephants to parade London Animals have a very special place in Hindu mythology and yet we find that many are on the brink of extinction. Fore example, tigers are extremely sacred for Hindus but sadly there are only 1411 left in India and the government and non profits are doing everything to create awareness among people now. Similar is the case for Elephants, who have been a part of not only Hindu mythology but also the royal kingdoms across the Indian sub continent. Elephant Parade 2010 is such an initiative that aims to raise awareness among the International community regarding the alarming figures by which the elephant population ha shrunk. I spoke to NIlesh Mistry, a very talented artist who is one of the two hundred artists to have taken part in what will be known as London’s biggest outdoor art event. Tell us in brief about yourself? I was born in Mumbai and came to London at the age of eight, with my family. As a child I loved to draw all the time. I recall one of my earliest masterpieces was drawn directly on the newly painted walls of our flat in Mumbai - as you can imagine, this was not met with universal approval! However, I received a lot of inspiration from my great-uncle who was a commercial artist in Mumbai and I learnt from him that it was possible to paint, not only as a hobby but also for a job. Even after we came to this country I continued to get a lot of encouragement from my parents to pursue an artistic career and so I went on to study Illustration, first at the Harrow School of Art and then a Post-graduate at Central St Martin’s. My painting is undoubtedly influenced by my Indian background as I love to use rich colours and ornate patterns. I found that this style lent itself well to children’s books and to date I have illustrated around thirty titles, the majority of which are on my favourite subjects of mythology and folk tales. What attracted you to
this creative work? I turned to the elephant in Hindu mythology as inspiration for my design, which is entitled “Heavenly Jewel”. The first part refers to the fact that Indra, king of the gods, travels across the Heavens on an elephant and represented here by the clouds floating around the statue. The “Jewel” part comes from the myth of when the Gods and Demons, in their search for the Elixir of Immortality
churned up the oceans and uncovered the treasures hidden at the bottom - one of the “jewels” being an elephant! Finally, the flying apsaras on either side personify the elephant’s graceful movements. In this design I wanted to encapsulate all my feelings about the elephant its regal bearing, its serene grace and the fact that it is a precious symbol of India that we cannot afford to lose. This statue was done using acrylic paints and took around four weeks to complete. On seeing this design I was commissioned by one of the charity sponsors - BlackRock to paint two elephants for them. Tell us more about the Elephant Parade 2010 in London? Elephant Parade is a ‘parade’ of life-size model baby elephants which are being displayed in major cities around the world as part of an innovative fundraising and public awareness campaign designed to highlight the endangered Asian elephant. Created to support leading charity Elephant Family, each elephant is a unique piece of art painted by renowned artists and designers. The London Elephant Parade will run from May to June 2010 and will be London’s biggest public art exhibi-
tion. With an estimated audience of 25 million, the campaign is aiming to raise over £2 million for the endangered Asian elephant, will benefit more than 15 UK conservation charities, and more than ten projects in Asia. The event will see over 250 brightly painted elephants located over central London throughout May and June 2010. Each model elephant will be decorated by a different artist, designer or celebrity, and will brighten and beautify the city, enhancing every park, street corner and building they grace. These elephants, destined to become highly collectible works of art, will grace key London landmarks turning the capital into an urban jungle. All of the elephants will then be herded together in one of London’s great green spaces for a magnificent exhibition, open to the public. After going on display to the public they will be auctioned by Sothebys at a glittering event which will be attended by the who’s who of London society, including the Duchess of York, Princess Michael of Kent and Joanna Lumley, and this event is set to be the party of the season. What is the aim of this e x h i b i t i o n ? Within only 100 years the elephant population has shrunk by over 90%, dropping from 250,000 to an estimated 25,000, placing this valuable species dangerously close to extinction. If current trends continue the Asian elephant will cease to exist in the wild by 2050. Elephant Parade’s mission is to become the world’s largest financial support organisation for elephants. Elephant Family has been campaigning for the conservation of the Asian elephant since 2002, and is the only UK charity dedicated solely and exclusively to saving the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild. With this new project it aims not only to raise public awareness and gather signatures for a government petition, but also to raise vital funds for conservation projects in Asia.
Let us know what you think. Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com
Sanjeev Bhaskar to star in the Rose Theatre’s production of Dumb Show British actor, writer and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar will play Barry in the Rose Theatre’s next home-grown production, Dumb Show, which opens on 1 April. Joe Penhall’s black comedy tells the story of Barry, aka ‘Mr Saturday Night’ a TV comedian and presenter, who has never quite been able to grasp the celebrity lifestyle he so desperately craves. So when two corporate bankers lure him with the promise of serious money and the perks of fame, he greedily takes the bait. But celebrity comes at a price and Barry becomes the victim of a major tabloid sting. More relevant today than ever before, Dumb Show explores society’s obsession with celebrity, the manipulation and rewriting of truth and the exploitation of misery for entertainment.
Sanjeev Bhaskar, best known for his work in Goodness Gracious Me and the host of The Kumars at No. 42 (BBC) has recently been on stage at the Palace Theatre, London in Spamalot (2008). Sanjeev will be joined by Dexter Fletcher, star of Hotel Babylon (BBC), Band of Brothers (HBO) and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Dexter will play tabloid journalist, Greg alongside Emma Cunniffe, who will play
Liz. Emma has recently been on stage in Amongst Friends (Hampstead Theatre) and The Entertainer (The Old Vic). Emma also starred in the television series The Lakes (BBC). Stephen Unwin is Artistic Director of the Rose. His recent productions include The Winslow Boy, Miss Julie and Treasure Island. Stephen founded English Touring Theatre, during which time he directed almost thirty productions of new and classical work for the company both on tour and in the West End. Winner of the Evening Standard, Olivier and Critics Circle awards for Best Play, Joe Penhall is the writer of Blue/Orange which ran at the National Theatre and subsequently in the West End. He has also written the screenplay for the new major film release, The Road.
Modern twist to Mother India
By Priyal Sanghvi A DJ who has worked on a Japanese Manga film, hates house music and aims to compose for films, a renowned turntablist and electronic composer DJ Tigerstyle speaks to Asian Voice about his latest project, Mother India 21st Century Remix (MI21) -a dynamic audio-visual project on one of Bollywood’s greatest films Mother India. Released in 1957, the film has been recut and remixed exclusively for this performance. Tigerstyle (real name Alvin) is accompanied by cellist Matt Constantine, drummer David Shaw and visual editor Josh Ford. AV: How do you feel playing at the Birmingham Town Hall? Its a really nice venue to play in. I am quite proud that we are playing in such a setting. Matt, David, Josh and I are actually in a band together for a few years. But Mother India project is first of sorts. AV: How did the project come about? It was actually our Indy
Hunjan’s idea. She came to me after an event and explained the concept. We watched the movie Mother India, the first Bollywood movie I’ve properly seen and I enjoyed it. We had to watch it a few times to compose the music. AV: Did the original music influence you? No. We did think about using it but decided not to, as it would not feel fresh. We wanted to make it modern. AV: Will such projects promote Bollywood? Yes of course! A lot of people are opening to Bollywood. Many people told us after they had seen our piece that they want to see the original movie. AV: Are you interested in creating music for films? That’s what I’m aiming for. I’d like to compose music for both Asian and Hollywood movies. I have done some scores for short films and recently a Japanese Manga flick. But no film projects in the pipeline for now. I hope this project does get in the industry. AV: Have you tried contacting the film-makers? We have tried to make
contact with the family and Eros international. But its proven difficult to track them. We hope to show our work to them. AV: Tell us about your background. I was born in Sussex. Since childhood, I love listening to music specially tracks that are original and interesting. I spend a lot of time thinking about it. Started playing for clubs and parties and now I use the turntables to remix music. I got into production five years ago with a friend. My most memorable performance is definitely the one at Sydney Opera House. I love music! AV: Is there any music you don’t like? House! I just do not like it. Period. AV: Do you plan to showcase M121 in India? Of course, we don’t know when but we want to take it to audiences there. That’s where the project should really go. The MI21 project plays on the Mother India weekend on April 11 at 7.30pm at Birmingham Town Hall. For more d e t a i l s , http://www.thsh.co.uk/