From the Written Word to Culinary Workshops and Talks, Serendipity Arts Festival 2023 is a Celebration of Creative Diversity
The 6th physical edition of Serendipity Arts Festival, scheduled between the 15th to 23rd of December 2023 in Panjim, Goa will once again bring together a diverse array of creative energies. Anchored with the mandate of making art accessible to everyone, the programming of the nine-day inter-disciplinary festival rests on the pillars of creating an environment of engagement, participation and amplifying local interaction, with a key focus on supporting artists and creative expressions from the South Asian region.
This edition features over 150 events, incredible works of more than 300 artists, nine curators and around 15 special curators. In addition, there are around 15 commissioned works, exploring diverse practices and artistic creations through a different lens.
Take a sneak peek into the world of culinary arts, exciting workshops, talks and textual narratives that promise to make this edition unforgettable.
Culinary Arts and Workshops
1. A Longing For Home | Phone Booth
It is a captivating installation designed to honour and preserve cherished family recipes uniquely and interactively. This innovative setup invites individuals into the phone booth and embarks on a nostalgic culinary journey.
- Project by: Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team
- Dates: 15 – 23 December 2023
- Time: 11 AM – 8 PM
- Venue: The Grove, Old GMC Complex
2. Goa’s Coconut Vinegar: A Comparative Tasting Of A Forgotten Culinary Gem
This workshop introduces a first-of-its-kind vinegar tasting to the public, showcasing the vinegar heritage of Goa. Hansel Vaz’s exploration has unearthed a captivating selection of vinegars once integral to Goan cuisine but now largely overlooked. In this session, ancient techniques will be revived to present five of these forgotten varieties, allowing participants to indulge in their distinctive tastes, aromas, and overall culinary experiences.
- Curated by: Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team
- Facilitated by: Hansel Vaz
- Date: 17 December 2023
- Time: 2 PM – 3 PM
- Venue: The Food Lab, Old GMC Complex
3. Feni Deconstructed: A Sensory Experience
Explore the intricate world of Feni, a finely nuanced spirit born from cashew or coconut palm, dispelling its misconceived “smelly” reputation. Savour its velvety texture, harmonious sweetness, subtle spiciness, and delicate bitterness, all while immersing yourself in a symphony of tropical aromas. Uncover the enduring traditions that have shaped Feni distillation for over three centuries, an art that hinges solely on a single primary ingredient, untouched by time. Delve into the fascinating Feni journey, from ripe cashew apples to the age-old Bhatti distillation, in a workshop filled with profound insights and engaging conversations.
- Curated by: Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team
- Facilitated by: Hansel Vaz
- Date: 18 December 2023
- Time: 2 PM – 3 PM
- Venue: The Food Lab, Old GMC Complex
4. Paint With Food
It is an immersive and innovative activity designed to foster creativity, curiosity, and a playful approach to both art and food. This engaging activity offers participants, especially children, the opportunity to use a spectrum of artistic supplies, ranging from watercolours, fabric paints, food pigments, collage materials, and dry waste, to create artworks depicting food in unusual ways. In the process, we hope to encourage attendees to think deeply about food – especially otherwise neglected indigenous fruits and vegetables – in unique, out-of-the-box ways they previously might not have explored.
- Facilitated by: Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team
- Date: 15 – 23 December 2023
- Time: 11 AM – 12:30 PM
- Venue: The Grove, Old GMC Complex
Textual Narratives
1. Text/Matters
A Serendipity Arts Foundation Initiative, supported by the JCB Literature Foundation and in partnership with The Marg Foundation and Art India Magazine, Text/Matters is a project that seeks to highlight our engagement with that tradition. This aspect is showcased through the archives of two pivotal publications—Marg, a pioneering magazine now in its 75th year, and Art India which has been probing developments in modern and contemporary art for the past 27 years in fresh idioms and contexts.
- Date: 15 – 23 December 2023
- Time: 11 AM – 8 PM
- Venue: The Courtyard, Old GMC Complex
- Date: 20 December 2023
- Time: 2 PM – 3 PM
- Venue: The Food Lab, Old GMC Complex
2. Zine-Making Workshop
These workshops will engage participants in a hands-on experience of creating a zine from scratch that they can take home. In a free-flowing format, this workshop seeks to yield zines that include recipes, indulgence, dislike, nostalgia, etc. to explore creative mediums of expression between people and their relationships with food.
- Facilitated by: Zinedabaad Collective
- Dates: 15 – 23 December 2023
- Time: 12 PM – 1:30 PM
- Venues: The Food Lab, Old GMC Complex
3. The Poetry Playground
The Alipore Post Poetry Playground is designed to make poetry and creativity accessible through guided prompts, allowing participants to engage with poetry and explore writing through a lens of curiosity and play.
- Curated by: Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team
- Facilitated by Rohini Kejriwal
- Date: 19 December 2023
- Time: 4 PM – 5:30 PM
- Venue: The Grove, Old GMC Complex
Talks
1. Start The Presses: Practising Print Culture Through The Magazine
SAF and The Marg Foundation bring Shukla Sawant, Guest Editor (Readings on Modernism: From 75 Years of Marg), Naman Ahuja (General Editor, The Marg Foundation), Sarita Sundar (Independent Scholar/Writer) and Akila Seshasayee (Chief Designer, Toile Indienne) together for a conversation about print culture in Independent India.
Supported by The Marg Foundation, as part of the Text/Matters project
- Speakers: Naman P. Ahuja, Sarita Sundar, Akila Seshasayee
- Moderated by Shukla Sawant
- Date: 17 December 2023
- Time: 12 PM – 1 PM
- Venue: ESG Auditorium
2. Wording And Imaging The World: A Discussion On Writing And Illustrating For Children
The discussion will follow the projection of five animations based on five exceptional books written and illustrated by K. G. Subramanyan and A. Ramachandran and produced by FIAE. Besides looking into the impulses behind these books, the discussion will focus on why artists and writers should create for children and the different possibilities they open up for the creators and their audience.
- Speakers: Damodar Mauzo and R. Siva Kumar
- Moderated by Vidya Shivadas
- Date: 18 December 2023
- Time: 12 PM – 1 PM
- Venue: ESG Auditorium
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SAF 2023: Are You Ready for South Asia’s biggest interdisciplinary art festival?
