An experimentation that banks on the crowd

An entirely artist run platform, Experimenta India encourages 'uncompromising, fresh, compelling and critically urgent' experimentation with moving images in India. Founded by filmmaker Shai Heredia in 2003, this collective has made it their mission to counter the reign of banal masala movies churned out by Bollywood every year in the country.

A bubbling alternative community that gives open room to discuss and examine the traces and history of Indian artists’ film and video, both historical and contemporary, they also engage in a lot of projects that bring together Indian and international film artists with similar creative and socio-political concerns. 

In its 8th edition, Experimenta 2013 will showcase approximately 50 films and live experimental sound performances over five days in Bangalore.

Over this duration, the festival will be attended by filmmakers, curators, artists, musicians, academics, scientists, art & film students and cinephiles from India and abroad.

The group is now looking to fund themselves through individuals from anywhere in the world, through crowd-funding.

10 per cent of the funds that are raised will go towards NalandaWay Foundation, a non-profit organisation that encourages self-expression and stimulates the imagination of children from some of the poorest districts in India through theatre, visual arts, music, dance and film.

The donations can be made via www.orangestreet.in.

Besides curating Experimenta, the critically acclaimed bi-annual festival, the collective also showcases Indian experimental film and video at international film festivals and art venues like the Tate Modern (London), the Berlinale Film festival (Berlin), Images festival (Toronto), EXiS festival (Seoul) among others.

While bringing Indian moving image art into international prominence, they have also hosted International artists residencies in Mumbai and Bangalore, curated regular screenings and conducted film art workshops across India.

Their last edition happened in 2011, where they hosted a retrospective of the cinema of Adolfas Mekas, a central figure in the western avant-garde independent film movement, presented by his wife and collaborator Pola Chapelle Mekas.

The artist in focus programmes showcased the 16mm films of avant-garde feminist filmmaker Joyce Wieland from Canada, and the fantastical works of Toronto-based German-Indian artist Oliver Husain.

To funk things up a little bit, Indian Sonic Research Organisation (ISRO) from Bangalore, along with artists ANYMA & Marc Duseiller from Switzerland, conducted an open workshop on DIY Musical Instruments & Hacking Electronics, and also performed live with electronic music toys, creating visuals with the Videobass, a bass guitar that plays images instead of sounds.

The festival will take place between November 27 to Decemeber 1, 2013.