CHENNAI: His swift, careful hands danced across the canvas with a stick of light, and a flick of wrists brought a cascade of sand to paint a picture. One moment, the light on the radium sheet looked like a face, the next second there stood Bapuji with his stick. Vivek Patil, the light and sand artist, made a picture of the Earth to suddenly turn into a baby in a womb, in a matter of a few strokes.
This India’s Got Talent Season 5 contestant and the face-off challenge winner in reality show Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega performed two shows — sand art and light art which was followed by a thunderous applause by the people crammed at the Student Activity Centre, IIT Campus during the Shastraa fest.
“Yes, applauses and encouragement from my audience motivates me a lot but if my success story can inspire at least one among the 1,000 to give their own artistic talent a whirl, I would consider that an achievement,” says Vivek as City Express catches up with him in the green room after the show and the crazy selfie session with the students.
Walking us through the unearthing of his passion, the 24-year-old who gave up on his miserable engineering books, says, “I used to watch a lot of sand art videos and was very intrigued. I began experimenting with Rangoli colours and then through YouTube tutorials I learnt, practiced, and soon tried my hand in light art and thought, I can do this! Then, I took the big decision of trying my talent and luck in India’s Got Talent.”
Vivek is India’s only light art painter. He owes to a fortunate accident during his theatre days in college. A small piece of radium sheet that was used for set marking caught the prints of his hand in the darkness. Out of sheer curiosity, he began to use a beam of light to write his name and sketch. “I thought, ‘Why not make it bigger?’ But then, money was a problem. The big sheet that I needed to use cost around `30,000 lasting only for four shows. My pockets were already half-empty. This is when my friends came to my rescue,” he smiles.
Then what about his parents? Chuckling, he narrated another tale. “My family almost gave up on me after I failed second year in college. They shouted at me when I came back home late (it was necessary because I needed darkness to practice light art) and I used to spend a lot of money too. I didn’t tell mom when I auditioned for IGT, instead I made her sit in front of the TV and watched her expressions as she stared at me on screen. She was speechless! Only tears ran across her cheeks the entire time. Ever since, they haven’t taunted me once — whether I return home by 5 in the morning or take trips to different cities for shows” he grins, happy.
Vivek has been to Chennai five times now, for several college and corporate shows. Every performance he claims is never the same. “With each show, I learn more through technical errors or through a broader perspective of how it could have been done and I work on it immediately. So, if a person had to watch my show again, he wouldn’t say that he watched the same art last time. I am my own critic and I challenge myself after every show, only to get better,” he says adding that he is yet to reach his best.
As the conversation veered towards other stories and technicalities, Vivek mentioned his latest ventures on expanding his light art work. “I am trying to search for new variety. Every practice session gives me a perspective of how it can be done in different ways but I’m thinking of something bigger. The pictures I draw, I want them to move, more like a 3d effect,” he says and the reporter recalls the spinning wheel that spun itself on the screen and the fireworks that rose from a painted candle at the show. Sure enough, it was amazing.
Look out for his shows in town and catch his work at www.viveklightart.com
HIS THREE FORTES
Light painting: The only one in the country. He is currently looking to expand ideas
Sand Art: He draws inspiration from other sand artists. He says, it is a lot of fun and hours pass by effortlessly
Speed Painting: He has painted portraits (upside down) in minutes and once turned 360 degrees, the faces of SRK, Michael Jackson and Charlie Chaplin among others are seen