The Saree Festival

The Saree Festival, Mumbai: Celebrating India’s Classical Drape “New Idioms”: celebrating the dynamic contemporary vortex of India’s classical drape / continuum, and radical change in the Saree universe.

Conceived, curated, presented: Red Earth. In collaboration with: Ministry of New

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FILMS AND POEMS x SAREE

3rd Oct // 7pm-9:30pm 

The Sari Series by Border&Fall (films) & Tana-Bana: readings by Anjali Purohit, Sharon Irani, Bhushan Korgaonkar, & Smita Sahay.  

Film Screenings: The Sari Series  Border&Fall approached three filmmakers for this project to explore the sari through multiple perspectives. Bon Duke brings his distinct editorial and movement based visuals; Q, a provocative vision and lens on Indian culture; and Pooja Kaul her intimate and sensitive storytelling. Shown successively in a 30 minute series. 

Sundar Sari by Pooja Kaul : A woman finds a bundle of saris which evokes memories of young love, blurred and elusive but ever present. 

Sari Men by Q: A poignant film about the men behind the fabric. While women wear it, men are a large part of the process of making and selling the sari. From weavers to shop assistants, this is a film about the gentle flow of the sari through gaps in gender. Shot across Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata and Banaras, ‘Sari Men’ pays homage to the dedication and precision of the craft.

 

Untitled by Bon Duke: The saris of singular women come alive in this modern dance interpretation piece. Once worn by traditional dancer Chandralekha, artist Beatrice Wood, Madame Chorosch – founder of India’s first indigenous design label, contemporary dancer Ruth St. Denis and Sarla Thakral – India’s first female pilot, historical textiles stand tall with the saris of equally special present day women.

 

TANA-BANA  Tana Bana envisages readings around the warps and wefts that make up a fabric - the fabric of a textile, or then of relationships, communities, the city, and indeed all of society itself…Multi-hued textile inspired awakenings in spoken word and poetry… 

Featuring readings by  Anjali Purohit  Bhushan Korgaonkar  Sharon Irani Smita Sahay

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SAREE SOCIAL

4th Oct // 7pm-9:30pm

Mix and match, celebrate the Drape! Featuring an intervention by “Men in Sarees”, artist Sandeep Paradkar and stylist Vinita Makhija   We invite you to join us for a social celebrating India’s classical drape in contemporary Mumbai! Meet the festival designers, artists and partners, and mix and match with them! 

The evening also features a performance highlighting the gender neutrality Saree by artist Sandeep Paradkar, in collaboration with curator Anahite Contractor. This will be followed by an intervention by “Men in Sarees” featuring a group of crazy young Mumbai boys who love Sarees, and have reclaimed the classical drape with great spunk. Also say cheers to stylist Vinita Makhija, who presents snippets from “A Sari Story” her project that documents personal narratives of Saree wearers.  

Dress code: Saree / Dhoti