Annualreport 2 0
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20 . CONTENTS 1. Introduction a. Who We Are b. The Journey So Far 2. Snapshot 2019-20 3. Recurring Programmes a. Overview b. Programme Details 4. Widening Circles: Pickle Factory Season 2 a. Overview b. Facts and Figures c. International Residency summary d. Critical Response e. Repurposing Spaces f. Partners g. Individual Donors 5. Five Million Incidents 6. Pickle Factory Special: cieLaroque in India a. Overview b. Facts and Figures c. Partners 7. Audience Engagement 8. Into the Future a. Focus Areas b. The Covid Factor c. New Partnerships and Programmes d. Continuing Partnerships and Programmes e. Pickle Factory Specials 9. The Team COVER IMAGE: TOP About Ram by Anurupa Roy and Katkatha Puppet Trust (Delhi) at Kolkata Centre for Creativity Photograph by Golam Ashraf BOTTOM Practice of Relations workshop by Alberto Cissello of cieLaroque (Salzburg) at Rabindra Sarobar Image credit - CUSP INTRODUCTION Who We Are Pickle Factory Dance Foundation is a hub for the practice, discourse and presentation of dance and movement work in Calcutta, housed in spaces repurposed for the arts. We are a space to think, meet, know, talk, imagine – dance. We respond to the lack of spaces and infrastructure in India to develop and nurture dance and movement work and artists. We work with, for and through artists, audiences and support systems to imagine our many possible futures. Our big dream is a permanent venue in a repurposed space in Calcutta that transforms our experience of both physical movement and physical space. This venue will be local, national and international in outlook, participation and reach, and part of a network of such vital and vibrant arts spaces. We hope you will join us on this adventure. The Journey So Far We launched with Pickle Factory Season 1 in February-March 2018 – five weeks of performances, workshops, an exhibition, dance in public spaces and more. Over the year we presented various programmes with artists from India, the USA, The Philippines, Lithuania, Switzerland, China and Wales. 2019-20 has seen us grow as a company and community, streamline our programmes, and expand our partners and audiences. This year saw a seven-week Season 2, new projects with partners, and several international collaborations. It was an incredibly special experience for us Since 2018, Pickle Factory has been offering to be able to bring our work to India. And a delectable dance fair to the dilettante of the more specifically to feel like we were part of city. Only from August 2018 to October 2019, building something with you all in Kolkata there have been 30 programmes; artistes have with the Pickle Factory season. What you participated from the USA, the Philippines, are all doing is brave and inspiring, and Lithuania, Switzerland, China, Wales and most of all takes a lot of passion and tireless Australia, apart from India; there have been effort. So thank you for all of this, and for 11 partners and 8 venues have been explored in allowing us to be part of it too. Kolkata, Delhi and Bolpur (Shantiniketan). David Carberry, circus artist Utpal K. Banerjee, dance critic | Calcutta, India From a review in Narthaki, December 2019 Brisbane, Australia SNAPSHOT 2019-20 PROGRAMMES WITH PARTNERS ELSEWHERE IN INDIA TOTAL NUMBER OF PROGRAMMES ACROSS 6 PROJECTS COMMUNITY BUILDING ENGAGEMENTS LOCAL, NATIONAL AND PERFORMANCES INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS: CALCUTTA, MUMBAI, BANGALORE, ARTIST TALKS IMPHAL, AIZAWL, SHANTINIKETAN, AND INTERACTIONS AUSTRALIA, SWITZERLAND, CANADA, GERMANY, SCOTLAND, AUSTRIA WORKSHOPS 76 ARTISTS AND GUESTS FROM INDIA AND ABROAD INCLUDING LEAD ARTISTS, CO-ARTISTS, TECHNICIANS, SPEAKERS, FACILITATORS AND MORE 7 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS WHERE PICKLE FACTORY HAS BEEN REPRESENTED - IN AUSTRALIA, SCOTLAND, URUGUAY, FINLAND, USA, CANADA What I find truly interesting and exciting is Pickle Factory’s wide areas of exploration, be Audience engagement it performance from Indian classical dance to WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS - 600 + puppetry or contemporary performance along LIVE PERFORMANCE AUDIENCES - 2000 + with other aspects of art dealing with art SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT - 50000 + management, workshops on the exploration of body-mind connection, movement, choreography etc. Their wide range of collaborations enlighten the city audience with many new art experiences across borders. * All information and numbers are for Calcutta, unless otherwise Monami Nandy, odishi dancer | Calcutta, India specified CONTENTS RECURRING PROGRAMMES Our recurring programmes foster the habit of regular engagement with dance and movement. The programmes are designed to variously cover our three key approaches: to curate, to catalyse, and to cultivate the field in different ways with different partners to reach different audiences. Pickle Factory Preludes – a space to demonstrate, discuss, and discover Dance with expert practitioners. In partnership with Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata at their premises. • The Philosophy & Technique of American Modern Dance | with Ranjita Karlekar | 3 & 4 June 2019 | 5 - 7 pm • Flamenco without Borders (Flamenco sin fronteras) | with Annalouise Paul | 23 & 24 September 2019 | 6 - 8 pm • Politics, Practice, Performance, Participation: the dance work of Helene Weinzierl | with Luan de Lima | 11 & 12 February 2020 5.30 - 7.30 pm Connect @ KCC – a platform for emerging dancers and choreographers in performance. In partnership with Kolkata Centre for Creativity at their premises. • Uttaran, an odishi recital by Monami Nandy | 17 August 2019 | 6 pm • Mass, a contemporary dance piece by Satakshi Nandy | 30 November 2019 | 6 pm Scratch! – an opportunity for practitioners to share works-in-progress with a small audience. In partnership with Janus Centre for Visual and Performing Arts at their premises. • Trimukhi Platform, Pintu Das, Madhyama Haldar, Arunima Sengupta Basu | 5 November 2019 | 6.45pm (part of Pickle Factory Season 2) Garage Night – a community led (and fed) dance jam. In partnership with community individuals and venues. • Inaugural Garage Night curated and coordinated by Sangram Mukhopadhyay and Aopala Banerjee | 12 February 2020 | DNA Danceworks Bodyworks Studio CONTENTS Pickle Factory Garage Night at DNA Danceworks Bodyworks Photograph by Sohini Banerjee The Pickle Factory has its finger firmly on the pulse of Dance in India! Their ideas and programs are exciting, clever and inventive, it’s always a pleasure to work with this entire professional team. Annalouise Paul, contemporary flamenco performer and choreographer | Sydney, Australia CONTENTS WIDENING CIRCLES: PICKLE FACTORY SEASON 2 Overview A RANGE OF ARTISTS AND GUESTS A RANGE OF VENUES AND SPACES A RANGE OF AUDIENCES AND COMMUNITIES Widening Circles: Pickle Factory Season 2 – a seven-week celebration of diversity in dance and movement – featured artists and guests from India, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Germany and Scotland, spanning backgrounds of classical and contemporary dance, physical theatre, multimedia performance, puppet-theatre, circus-theatre, performance criticism, and more. The Season had an international focus on Australia with a circus company from Brisbane, delegates from Cairns and Melbourne, and resident artists from the state of Victoria. The circus company also toured to Mumbai and Aizwal for performances and workshops. Delhi was our national focus, with five very different artists presenting a variety of work from our capital city. Apart from the festival, we also ran workshops on audience facilitation and had a focus week on repurposing spaces for the arts. The season was excellent in bringing alternative dance forms and expressions to the audiences of Kolkata. I think the audiences enjoyed the opportunity to experience some different styles and have their thinking provoked. For the Consulate, our priority was to showcase modern Australia and also highlight the Consulate’s new presence in Kolkata. We want people to think of us as much more than a cricketing nation with abundant natural resources and great beaches. Having performers like David and Alice, and experts like Efterpi, Niharika and Pippa helps us achieve that. It was also great that David and Alice could visit the north-east of India where we have less exposure. Andrew Ford, Consul General, Australian Consulate-General, Kolkata CONTENTS CONTENTS SEASON 2 facts and figures 42 days (1 November to 12 December 2019) National Focus Delhi, International Focus Australia Festival with 8 featured artist teams in 12 full performances across 6 venues – an auditorium, a burnt out cinema, two roof-top spaces, a television studio, a blackbox theatre 18 workshops spanning dance and movement practice, arts management, design, audience facilitation and more Focus week on repurposing spaces for the performing arts in Calcutta, with conversations travelling to 5 locations – a music venue, Kolkata Port, Pickle Factory workspace, a bookstore, a blackbox theatre in a converted apartment Month-long International Artist Residency with a choreographer and filmmaker duo from Australia CONTENTS Underground by David Carberry (Brisbane) at Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute Photograph by Golam Ashraf Variety was the catchword in PFS2. From classical dance to contemporary to experimental works that even included circus theatre. The choice of venues was an interesting factor. When on the one hand there was proscenium theatre, on the other there was this cavernous interior of the old dilapidated movie theatre with an electrifying atmosphere. Added to these the various