by Murthovic and Thiruda

Guest curated by Kinnari Saraiya

From 11 Jul 6:30pm, until 13 Oct 2024

Indo-futurism: Journeying through Archival pasts and AI-rendered Futures

Fragments of a Panorama is a kaleidoscope of worlds oscillating between a speculative future and an alternative past, created by visual artist Thiruda (Avinash Kumar) and musician Murthovic (Sri Rama Murthy), and guest curated by Kinnari Saraiya.

Since 2016, Murthovic and Thiruda have taken on the role of archivists for their ongoing project, Elsewhere in India, remixing and fragmenting millennia of South Asian cultural traditions, sonic and visual heritage, and classical dances of India. This initiative explores cultural heritage, digital technology, and speculative futures through film, interactive experiences, video games, and sculpture, with Fragments of a Panorama, presented by arebyte gallery, as a commissioned chapter within this broader exploration.

The topology of Fragments of a Panorama is built on layers of destruction, construction, and reparation, connecting us to generations past and future. Through the malleability of space-time in virtual AI-rendered worlds, the exhibition introduces immersive experiences across various states and technological landscapes, transporting us to Elsewhere in India.

The exhibition features a panoramic video projection titled A Road in India (2079), set in a future where global cultures are near extinction. The film layers archival footage of colonial India with AI-generated images. Telematic Transmissions, is a film that transcends the boundaries of physical space and time, as it draws from the dance archives of Jayalakshmi Eshwar, a dancer captured in decades-old films. Through computer vision and AI renditions, her movements become a source of regenerative dances that cross time, space, materiality, and virtuality. Post-cyberpunk, indo-futuristic sculptural instrument titled VEENA: model no.12, is a new commission inspired by its ancient namesake that is modified to replicate the spinal column. Antara, an interactive game, is a scavenger hunt set on an island within Fortnite, scattered with 3D scanned objects from museums in India and England. Lastly, Meena XR is an extended reality experience where audiences embody Meenakshi, a cyborg archivist piecing together lost fragments of endangered dance, music, art, and architecture.

Part of arebyte 2024/25 programme The Body, The Mind, The Soul

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Elsewhere in India is a body of work that explores cultural heritage, digital technology, and speculative futures through film, interactive experiences, video games, and sculpture, created by artists Murthovic and Thiruda. Murthovic, the sound architect, blends traditional South Asian sounds with futuristic elements, creating immersive auditory landscapes that evoke nostalgia and anticipation. Thiruda, the creative director, integrates 3D video games, motion-captured dance, and AI-generated art, creating a cohesive, engaging experience. Their collaboration results in a rich, multi-layered narrative delving into India's past, present, and imagined futures, making Elsewhere in India a groundbreaking exploration of cultural preservation and innovation in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

OPENING HOURS

Free entry Tue - Sun 1 - 6 pm

EVENTS PROGRAMME

Opening Party
Thu 11 Jul 2024, 6:30 - 9pm
arebyte Gallery

Artist & Curator Tour with Live AV Performance
Sat 13 Jul 2024, 4:30 - 7pm
arebyte Gallery
Artists Murthovic and Thiruda are joined by guest curator Kinnari Saraiya to tour Fragments of a Panorama. The tour is followed by a 45-minute live DJ performance by Murthovic with supporting visuals by Thiruda.

Curated Tour
Sat 27 Jul 2024, 1:30 - 2:30pm
arebyte Gallery
Guest curator Kinnari Saraiya tours Fragments of a Panorama.

Panel Discussion
Date TBC
arebyte Gallery
Bringing together artists and technologists to explore the themes and methodologies behind 'Fragments of a Panorama', the discussion explores the role of AI in preserving and reimagining cultural heritage.

Curated Tour
Sat 28 Sep 2024, 1:30 - 2:30pm
arebyte Gallery
Guest curator Kinnari Saraiya tours Fragments of a Panorama.

Design by Camilla Does.

BIO

Avinash Kumar (aka Thiruda), the creative director of Antariksha Studio, builds video games for Indian heritage. As Thiruda, he explores Indian futures through AI in his internationally touring live performance project 'Elsewhere in India.' He has curated several Indian design and art festivals, residencies, and productions that have shaped interdisciplinary design communities in India.

Sri Rama Murthy (aka Murthovic) has been a sound practitioner and electronic music composer for over two decades. Murthovic is known for his work with Antariksha Studio for the acclaimed dance opera Antariksha Sanchar and other IPs. He is also the founder of the studio Nadabramha based in Hyderabad, India.

Kinnari Saraiya is a London-based Indian artist, curator, researcher, writer and folk dancer. Her curatorial practice aligns with the trans-altern, post-humanist thinking of the Global South, creating intersectional structures and ecologies of interdependence. She currently works as Curator at Somerset House and has held curatorial roles at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, and curated works at Frieze Art Fair and Bowes Museum.

CREDITS

Curated by Kinnari Saraiya.

Archival footage loaned from BFI National Archive’s India on Film collection. The full collection can be viewed on BFI Player and YouTube.

Bioscope loaned from Kinnari Saraiya.

Classical dance collaboration with Jayalakshmi Eshwar

Music Production by Nadabramha studio with Gopika Jairam

Music Partnerships by Kenneth Lobo and Shreya Nagarajan Singh

XR developed in collaboration with Jayalakshmi Eshwar, Ami Mehta, Alap Parikh, Praphul Ambika

Veena Instrument developed with Praphul Ambika

Digital Art by Praphul Ambika, Sarbeswar Kalita, Chris Solarski, Varun Ramanna, Ishaan Rajput, Bhavani Kumar, Saurabh Kumar, Ayaz Basrai

Projections Engineered by Optoma

Music samples recorded with Gopika Jairam, Soumalya Sareshwari, Sayee Rakshith, Dilruba Saroja, Sunil Kumar, J. Jayanth, Sai Krishna, Meghana Krishnan, David, Marimuthu, Sekar, Guru & Team, Manikandan, Siva Kumar, Balan, Sneha Mahesh, Gana Dharani, Rama K, Ravi V. Subramaniam, Anahita, Anirudh Athreya, Sreenath K, Deepu Menon, Vaishnav S Menon, Sreesanth K, Harikrishnan V, Kiran Marar, Amrit Sarkar, Nilabhjo Niyogi, Svarnavo, Manik Das Baul, Haritha Raj, Anjani Srinivasan, J. A. Jayanth

Institutional Partnerships with Crossover Labs (Immersive producers), Green Rain Studio (Technical Partnership), Epic Mega Grants (Game Engine), New Inc New Museum (XR Catalyst), British Council (India/UK Together Grant), Dakshinachitra Museum (Digitised Artefacts from Collection)

Special thanks to 4A Gallery and Platform Asia