Quint Arts Program - The Kickoff - Quint @ theFridge

As Curator of the Quint Arts Program, I'm ecstatic to report that our first showcase got off to a great start, taking all the steps we can towards running our own little creative mad house. 

How does the Quint Arts Program work? 

Every month we at Quint will pick artists from different mediums to collaborate with each other on a project. the resources for this project will be arranged for by quint and the creative consequences of these collaborations will culminate in a showcase/exhibit at the reputed Fridge Dubai, our wonderful partners in this endeavour. Everything from start to finish of this collaboration will be documented online and in the print version of the magazine. 

"We" is better than "Me"

geared towards providing resources and avenues for visual and performing artists & the creative proletariat on a whole, this program is designed to encourage the cross-pollination between various forms of art to create something authentic and unique. Working on the simple principle of "two minds are better than one" one of our goals is to, in our own little way, revolutionize the way the arts are funded in the UAE. To that End:

The Annual Quint Artist Development Grant 

This is the tangible amalgam of the various showcase events and auctions held through through the program. The money that is collected at the door at every one of our showcase events, goes directly towards fattening up this grant. All artists from the region are eligible for this grant and procedures for application, deadlines & review will be updated very soon. In July of 2012, Quint will announce the final roster of artists whose creative proposals will be realized by enriching these projects with all the resources it demands, be it money, raw material, manpower, press or a place to work. 

Most importantly, the program & grant is to encourage artists to create fearlessly and the beholders of their work to think deeply. Great art is never silent and can’t be ignored...we’re just giving it a head-start. 

For more information, for the time being feel free to drop me a line on subwaymusician@gmail.com. 

For those who aren't big on reading, here's a glimpse of the night that was & the nights that will be. The First Edition was a collaboration between the wildly talented Hamdan Abri, the effortless multi-instrumentalist Reiner Erlings and myself. The music from the night was recorded and will be put online as a podcast very soon. The night also saw some amazing original art by Denise Kynd, Victoria Viray & Nargis Dhirani. 

A special thanks to the wonderful team at the Frigde Dubai, Matrix who handled all our sound and to all who came and showed their support. 

Movement - An Inside Look : Trailer

A little teaser of the Making of 'Movement' Video Series.


This series will document the behind the scenes, rehearsals and pre-production stages of the concert.
Plenty of footage to follow. 

Movement on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Movement-A-Creative-Collaboration/179088195465012?ref=ts

Old-School Gold. Men in suits & hats. Live recordings and 5 part harmonies. Fire up the DeLorean!

Lambert from Peter on Vimeo.

Behind the Scenes - The Fridge Concert Series -23rd May

rehearsal at Reiners' 

test runs at the fridge

Prepping for a performance at The Fridge on the 23rd May, Monday at 7:30 P.M. I am 

extremely grateful to be working with some amazing collaborators and creative minds.

The Collaboratory: 

Reiner Erlings - Piano, Live Programming

Gorgin Asadi - Keys 

Kaveh Kashani - Bass, Acoustic Guitar

Mehdi Gr - Electric Guitar 

Noush Like Sploosh - Vocals, Production & Lighting Design 

Faye Roberts  - Vocals 

Denise Kynd - Costume Design

Defined by the voice as an instrument, this multi-disciplinary performance will be a showcase of my music which also happens to be the music of Movement, performed with a menagerie of musicians featuring soaring orchestral sweeps, avant-garde electronic percussion whilst also illustrating a modern take on cathedral singing, with one of the songs, named 'Desperate Times,' where along with my lovely guest vocalists Noush & Faye, I will be performing an a capella piece. 

The visual world of the show will feature a projection-based set installation designed and constructed in collaboration with trans-media artist Noush Like Sploosh, which will root the sounds & the sights in the meeting place of the real & the surreal. 

Set List: 

• 17 Moles
• Eager Arms Featuring E.Y.E 
• Cocoon 
• Desperate Times ft Noush & Faye 
• Champion of Broken Hearts
• Morning Raag
• Anbe
• Midnight Cry ft E.Y.E

for more info: http://www.facebook.com/event.phpeid=211450352223107&ref=ts

Movement Residency - The Doo Whop Prop Shop

Two chicks with Power Tools 

For the last week and for the next ten days, the head of production design of Movement, Noush and myself are stationed at the jam jar doing a residency where we'll be hand-crafting and building sonic props that will be a creative component of the show. I will be documenting our progress in this "ginormous multiverse of Analog Mechnics" and to that end...here goes. 

setting up shop.

my humble sketch table

Sketches of some of the instruments: 
The Shoe Instrument Series 
(percussive sonic props)
This series is designed mainly for the 24 piece choir whose role, besides choral support is also using these sonic props to add those key sound design elements. When every shoe, with different attachements is played at the same time, the sound evoked would be of a whole hybrid drum kit. The series includes:
a)two-tone sole: producing treble and bass.
b) atom-size cymbals: producing the intricate sounds of the cymbal by creating an attachment that will rest on the body of the shoe.
c)the rake: to create the sound of a jazz snare, this attachment protrudes from the head of the shoe to create a brush drum sound.




The PVC Pipe Semi-Tone Vibraphone

 

(Tonal Sonic Prop) 

A sketch of the instrument that is going to be built with PVC pipes to create a vibraphone that will incorporate semi-tones

Noush & I geeking out over concepts

girl's night out

Pecha Kucha & New Projects

Pecha Kucha - 19th Jan, 2011
First time presenting at Pecha Kucha and what a hoot it was! Presenters spoke about everything from initiatives in art, to the current state of the music business, the iconic monobloc chair, the art of sketching, the unique dubai benches project and very creative photography projects.


The Presenters:
Omar Jaramillo Traverso, an architect, an artist and part of the Urban Sketchers network - www.omar-jaramillo.de andwww.flickr.com/photos/omarpaint
Arnaud Humbert - Photographer - www.arnaudhumbert.com
Joshua F. Williams - Music producer, recording engineer and mixer - myspace.com/joshuawilliams , http://twitter.com/#!/record_pro
Mark Pilkington, a professor at the American University of Sharjah and a photographer - mpilkington @ aus.edu
Laura Egerton from Art Dubai/ Abraaj Capital Art Prize - www.artdubai.ae
Melina Mitri - PR & Marketing Exec. from funky upscale boutique S*uce - http://sauceloves.com/benches/, http://www.shopatsauce.com/
Hattie Bowering -  http://twitter.com/#!/hattiebowering
Jill Hoyle - Tashkeel - www.tashkeel.org
Gayathri Krishnan and Reiner Erlings (Producer/Songwriter and the Co-Musical Director of Movement) - http://twitter.com/#!
/thenightreiner
http://twitter.com/#!/GayathriMuses
(visit http://www.theculturist.com/home/pecha-kucha-dubai-on-19th-jan-2011.html for a detailed insight into all the presentations)


The day of...

A Few Glimpses of the Presentation Slides: Created by Reiner Erlings and Gayathri Krishnan
Video of the presentation is posted on the sidebar on the right.

The Dubai Benches Project: 

The best books read, the sweetest letters written, the smallest kisses planted, the biggest laughs laughed, have all happened on benches in various corners of the world. Whether we use it as a place to relax as you watch your kids play with bubbles, profess your love, sketch a stranger, drink some hot chocolate while you wait for the bus or just sit down to tie your shoe laces, the bench always cuts you some slack and gives you a moment. 


Why all the romanticizing of the bench? Well, popular shopping haunt S*uce are launching their latest community initiative, The Dubai Benches Project. It aims to increase the number of benches in Dubai so that people here can celebrate the stories told, the lives lived and the moments shared on benches.


How quaint and charming is that?! When I heard about this project from Melina and got some more info on it through her quirky presentation at Pecha Kucha last night, I immediately signed up to contribute to the cause. Different ways of contributing: Send in - 

1.       Photos  of your favourite bench (in Dubai or anywhere else in the world) and why you
         like it.
2.       Photos of a candid moment caught on a bench
3.       Photos of a space or area in Dubai where there should be a bench but isn’t.. (by the sea,     
         in a mall, in a park, by the road etc.)
4.       Any story or anecdote about something that happened on a bench
5.       Anything wonderful or inspirational like a sketch of a bench, a quote, a poem  … etc


The Contribution: 
As basic as a bench,  I'm working on a video that'll have me playing a song on my favourite bench in Dubai. 


Upcoming posts: 
Working on a duet with Tim Hassall in his home studio, Building props for a photo shoot on a shoe-string budget and Building a new and improved press kit. 

What's The Haps?!

As the new year rolled in, the list-making, plan-hatching and internal pep-talking commenced in full-swing and I'm happy to report that the year is off to a great start. I will update you on upcoming shows, tours, post videos and podcasts shortly and keep you up to date with all the musical shenanigans. To that end, here's a little a nugget of what I'm working on currently.


Pecha Kucha on the 19th of Jan, 2011 - Third Line Gallery, Al Quoz, Dubai.

For the uninitiated, Pecha Kucha (usually pronounced in three syllables as "pe-chak-cha") is a cult event following a very simple presentation format where you showcase a certain (mostly creative) project you're working on, within the framework of 20 images, each only lasting 20 seconds. The images forward automatically and you talk during the slide show, giving the audience a quick yet insightful glimpse into whatever it is you've chosen to speak on. 
For this edition of Pecha Kucha, I've teamed up with Reiner Erlings (Producer/Songwriter & Co-Musical Director of 'Movement') to do a live demonstration of the creative process of writing music for a 60-piece orchestra. We're taking one of my songs, 'Sinking Superhero,' deconstructing it by breaking it down to its bare bones - the main guitar riff, the melody and the chorus - which I will be playing live and then demoing how we built a body for this song to exist within, piece by piece. This particular song when rearranged, keeping in mind an orchestra, lent itself very graciously to an interplay between live orchestration, electronic percussion and sound design. This presentation will bring to light all those elements, and touch upon the cross-pollination of contemporary and classical music which is the nucleus of 'Movement.' 


Pecha Kucha is basically creativity central, so if you're looking to scope out the creative scene here and all the cool freaks then definitely make your way to the Third Line Gallery on the 19th of Jan. For more info just click http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/dubai/
And yes, important detail - it's FREE. 


Vblog Series - Meeting the Creatives. 
One of the main objectives of Behind The Pop Filter, besides being a place to keep records of different projects I'm working on, is to bring to the forefront the people who actively give to the creative scene here. Yes, all 7 of them. (joke.)
Anyway, to that end I've been busy doing video interviews with musicians, artists, journalists, gallerinas all speaking about being creative and the opportunities that have come their way by just living in this little hamlet of ours. 
First of that video series goes up on Saturday the 14th of Jan.  
Stay Tuned. 

Movement - A Collaboration with the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra

Under the bustle of the corporate world, a palpable creative energy is burgeoning owing to the contemporary music and art scene in the UAE. This region has been a gracious host to some of the finest musical voices from around the world, with thousands flocking to cheer and cherish their favourite artists in the flesh. But all the “big-time” mayhem muffles the unique voice of the local artists and their expression. 'Movement,' a concept and show I put together piece by piece, intends to give the stage, front and centre, to those creators - musical and artistic - who form the backbone of the creative movements in the UAE. 

In a place like Dubai, the opportunities and venues for a singer/songwriter to showcase original work on a large scale aren't easy to come by, but that being said, there is no place like our little city to venture out, be innovative and create one's own opportunities. 'Movement' is one such self-concocted opportunity which, at the heart of it, is a musical menagerie but in the bigger picture, it is a grand showcase for my music accompanied by the the prestigious UAE Philharmonic Orchestra led by world-renowned conductor Philipp Maier. But what started out as an idea that marries contemporary and classical music, has now grown into being one of those rare collaborations between over 100 musicians and artists of the region, whose collective talent and efforts will not only represent the arts scene here but will also truly mark the emergence of the region's creative force from the wings to give the UAE audience, for the first time, a performance that is authentic and true to its culture and mirrors its diversity.  

Music and Sound 

The show is 90 minutes long split in two halves (with one of those old-school bell-induced intermissions so people can step outside, exchange notes about the concert over a cigarette.) Featuring all original music that I've written and composed, but all songs have been rearranged to fit this magnified format and to do the same, I've been working with renowned regional Producer / Songwriter Reiner Erlings in co-composing all the arrangements for the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra along with defining the overall phonic experience of the show. 

With an immense and lush texture of an orchestra along with a menagerie of musicians who form the core band, the instrumentation ranges from guitarists, harpists, live electronic percussion to an unconventional choir founded in the UAE, specially for this concert, comprising 8 unique voices who will also play the part of DIY percussionists, creating live rhythmic tones using everything from spoons, hard-bound books, wires, brooms, cans to wind-up toys and music boxes. 

Sennheiser is the official audio sponsor and have been amazingly supportive from the very first meeting, when I took my concept to them hoping to have them on board. They will be bringing down and showcasing, for the first time in the region, the brilliant, top-of-the-line 

digital microphones by Neumann. Delta Sound will be handling all the live sound on the night and team up with Sennheiser to record the concert live. 

Art Direction and Visuals

Scheduled to be held at the Palladium in Dubai, and Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, the experience will be further augmented by the grand set design by Emirates Woman of the Year Award Nominee, Art Director and a general force to be reckoned with - Diya Ajit, who will lead a team of UAE-based mixed-media artists and film makers to create the visual landscape of the show using techniques of projections and shadow theatre, the combination of the two, along with grand set design and construction to add conceptual and theatrical value to the show. 

'Movement' is a creative journey that traverses a myriad of influences 

 and performance arts, creating an experience that is absorbing and full of life. 

Still in the process of finalizing funding (talk about alliteration), the final dates and time of the shows are yet to be set in place. For any questions about the concert, especially if 

you are someone or knows someone who would like to contribute to funding, event management, please contact me on gayathri.movement@gmail.com. 

Coming soon: Videos on the making of 'Movement' / Creation of the orchestral score / Rehearsals/ Set and Visual design. 

Culture Vultures

Dubai, my hometown has often been referred to as the "city without soul;" and being from India, a place so full of soul there isn't room for any more, Dubai could seem less culturally effervescent, and often times like a big transit airport, populated with people waiting for the call of departure, with lots of baggage, uncomfortable shoes and tired perspectives. Ex'patriot' haven, the city sure sees its fair share of the ever-complaining, ever-dissatisfied dubai-bashers. But for someone who grew up here, from the age of 7, this whole bitch fest "I live in a high-rise on Sheikh Zayed Road, wear designer clothes, drive a fast car and travel all the time, but Dubai doesn't do much for me and who I am" routine is just getting a bit old. In no way, shape or form, am I romanticizing the city, but over the last few years, upon my return from Pune (India - where I went to college,) something has shifted in this affair with Dubai. It went from being the vessel that holds my adolescent memories to a terminus a quo, which then became, and is still, the start of conscious living, where in, I was no longer just as an extension of a family or a friend circle, but had managed to grow into a self-sufficient structure attuned to ambition, a certain character, inner monologues and some anecdotes where I, and not a sibling, parent or friend, was the hero of the story. 

And this is basically the bottom line of the city for me - somewhere within the act of seeking external luxuries and fulfillment, and sometimes finding them, and sometimes feeling the absence of a "culture," you get to access internal truths - you get thinking about things you're interested in, things you don't care for, the things you'll buy, the things you won't buy into and the people you'll invest in; for me, the lack of the simple pleasure of having "something new and interesting to do" has always led to one thing - creativity. Idle "nothing to do" time was a playmate that never disappointed in this city of mine. Don't see any of my favourite artists and bands playing - start songwriting and start performing myself; miss photographing the streets of India - start photographing the people of my life; missing going to watch plays on a weekly basis - start writing my own play by plays in magazines and newspapers. Being and being all I can has become very simple in this city. Such were and are the possibilities I have chanced upon in Dubai. And much like many of us, she grows or at least tries to, everyday - somewhere within a new bridge between the highway and the old way, a new art gallery, a maiden music festival, vertical records and simulated snow - a city full of seekers are free to be.