Mysore Art Centre has organised screening of ‘The Open Frame,’ a documentary on Mysore-born artist S.G. Vasudev, by Chetan Shah on Apr. 17 at 6 pm at Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha on JLB Road in city. The screening will be followed by an interaction with the artist.

Just like a writer using words to describe his thoughts or a photo-grapher using his frames to express himself, an artist uses his canvas to pour his thoughts, tell the world what he wants to through sketches and colours and most importantly, be himself. An entire life is dedicated looking for new subjects for better creation and inspiration. But when the artist himself becomes a subject for a creation to inspire others, will it not be a tribute to his genius?

“The Open Frame,” a docu-mentary by Chetan Shah is one such tribute to noted artist S.G. Vasudev. Born in 1941 in My-sore, Vasudev graduated from Government College of Arts, Chennai. He works in various mediums like draw-ings, paintings, copper reli-efs and tapestries. His works have been exhibited in India and abroad including at New York, Chicago, London and Munich.

Vasudev has worked as an art director in award-winning Kannada films Samskara and Vamsha Vriksha and has also done cover designs for many important publications. His awards include those instituted by the National Lalithkala Akademi.

Vasudev set up a private trust Arnawaz Vasudev Charities in 1989 in memory of his wife Arna-waz, who died after battling with cancer in 1988. The Trust aims to promote art education and art activities and also provide fina-ncial assistance to young artists.

Star of Mysore had a brief online chat with Vasudev, who now resides in Bangalore, prior to his arrival in city. Excerpts…

Star of Mysore (SOM): What made you choose art as a profession?

S.G.Vasudev (SGV): I don’t think I would have fitted into anything else!

SOM: Your contribution to Cholamandalam Artists’ Village, Chennai.
SGV: Cholamandal Artists’ Village was started in 1965 by a group of artists. The idea is to make living by extending art to craft as it was difficult to make living on art alone. It is a co-operative of artists and has provided spaces for artists to work and also exhibit in the galleries provided; otherwise artists have to build their own houses/studios. I am one of the founder members of the place and even now I go and work there quite often.

SOM: How was it working for films?

SGV: I worked as art director in Samskara and Vamsha Vriksha along with literary giants Girish Karnad and B.V. Karanth. It was a very good experience to work in a different medium. But I preferred to continue my painting and not commercialise.

SOM: Your definition of art.

SGV: Art is what I do. It has no other definition for me.

SOM: What makes your work different and stand out from others… your styles?

SGV: One has to learn grammar, language and skill. If one has got all these things one can evolve a style or a technique of their own. More importantly, you have to work on individuality.

SOM: How will you describe the evolution of your work?

SGV: I have gone through a number of series in my work — Fantasy, Maithuna, Tree of Life, Tree of Life and Death, Human-scapes, He and She, Earth-scapes, Theatre of Life and Rhapsody. This is what I have done in the last 50 years or so. This is my evolution.

SOM: Inspiration for your paintings will be…

SGV: Many sources — poetry, music, theatre, folk stories, Indian miniature paintings, murals and works of a few artists.

SOM: What are the current projects you are working on?

SGV: My show titled ‘Recoll-ections Reconnections’ is going around the country. It was shown in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chen-nai and Bangalore since December 2010. After this summer, it will go to Baroda, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Hyderabad.

SOM: Are Indian artists getting due recognition they deserve?

SGV: Artists are being given much more respect today. Peo-ple have realised their contribution in bringing contemporary Indian art to the mainstream.

SOM: Your advice to young artists who have selected painting as a profession.

SGV: Hard work and sincerity is the mantra. Do not get into the rat race as it is happening with galleries. Wait patiently to get the recognition you deserve.

SOM: Lastly, your view on Mysore as a platform for budding artists.

SGV: I am Mysorean by birth. My mother was an amateur artist and she had won gold medal in Mysore Dasara Exhibition when she was in her teens. My grand-father worked for Chamundeshwari Temple for over 40 years. For me Mysore is nostalgia. I love this place. It is also producing very good artists from Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) and some of them have become well-known nationally and internationally which is a good development.

— M.S. Apuurva

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Feature Articles / Monday, April 16th, 2012

Caption: A silhouette of the ants’ bridge against the setting sun.

Ants are the most dominant of creatures in the terrestrial ecosystem constituting about 25% of the total animal weight of the tropics. These tiny creatures have been on earth much before the arrival of human race. Ants ori-ginated 145 million years ago and were witness to the extinction of dinosaurs.

Because of their great adaptability, these creatures with about 12,000 known species worldwide, have occupied every possible habitat found on land. Their success in so many environments has been attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats and to solve complex problems, tap resources and defend themselves. Their complex and variable social structures have made the ants ideal model organisms.

Foraging ants travel distances up to 200 meters from their nest, and scent trails allow them to find their way back even in the dark. In hot and arid regions day-foraging ants face death by desiccation, so they explore the shortest route back to the nest to reduce that risk.

Weaver ants (Oecophylla species) make nests on trees by attaching leaves together. On my balcony, I found a nest on one of my potted bonsai trees. The ants from the nest were found moving up along an iron pillar touching that tree. I pushed the pot a little so as to leave a one-inch gap from the pillar. I just wanted to know how these creatures would solve the problem — whether they take a two-meter long route to reach the pillar, or they would use their inherent talent to bridge the gap. These tiny creatures are awesome indeed. Readers can see from these photos, how they solved the issue.

A few ants clutched onto each other to make a bridge between the plant and the pillar, while other workers used it for their smooth traffic. At times, the bridge was so simple made by only two ants, but more often many ants bundled together to make the bridge stronger. The ants took turns, but the bridge remained all through day and night. I could also make a silhouette of the ants-bridge as its position was in correct angle with the setting sun. I captured these shots in last January. The bridge and the nest remained intact for over two months till the ants themselves abandoned the nest probably because those leaves got dried and the nest was likely to fall. True, these creatures are a unique example of unbinding co-operation and a high degree of unselfishness.

—Dr. A. Mohamed Babu, Scientist, CSR&TI, Mysore [Mob: 9448938253]

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com /  Feature Articles / April 13th, 2012

The noise of people at work in a hardware store and a construction site, the whirring of a bus engine, the clanking of doors and the “hollow” sound of a toilet on a moving train have all come together in a track composed by Bengaluru-based DJ and producer Vinayak^A. This experimental music pro has also worked on a remix of the track Allah Jane, for Kamal Hassan’s film Unnai Pol Orruvan.

“I made the club remix for the track. When I was in Chennai studying sound engineering, I met Shruti Haasan through a friend and we jammed together a few times. We then got working on this club remix for the film,” he says.

Vinayak^A’s parents live in Jamshedpur and he was born in Patna. “While playing at a gig, I go by the name Vinayak^A. But, initially my other option was Lambhodar, which is a synonym for Lord Ganesha. I left my house when I finished class six as I didn’t do well,” he says which also prompted his experimental nature. While not producing music, in his free time Vinayak^A is always listening to new music.

“I realised that if I want people to dance, I need to make my music. I like to work with organic sounds and keep my music as organic as possible. The sound of birds chirping is boring. I like loud, undiscovered and different sounds. For example, the silencer of an auto,” says Vinayak^A.
And what about the symbol (circumflex) in his name? It is there because, “It indicates everything going upwards and ahead,” he says.

When you hear a track composed by him, it is hard to identify the object he has recorded. It subtly blends into the music. He says, “Every sound is a musical weapon. I convert the smallest of sounds to the biggest. I like to make the impossible possible.”

Currently, Vinayak^A is working on his first album that is ready for release. “It is titled Lonesome Train. Seventy five per cent of the sounds on the tracks are recorded organically. It took me some time and many train rides, but it eventually paid off,” he says. The only thing he keeps with him while recording is his Sony Cybershot camera. “I have learnt the value of things. I owe my success to my parents and my maternal uncle. They have always been there to support me in my ventures,” he says.

Vinayak^A also attributes his success to social networking websites like facebook and soundcloud. “These are platforms where people heard my tracks and recognised my potential,” he says. He has received tremendous support and recognition from many international artistes like Hernan Cattaneo, Robert Babicz, Jody Wisternoff, Luciano, Cid Inc and Armin Van Burren to name a few.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Bengaluru / by Khushali P Madhwan / April 11th, 2012