BENGALURU : For most, Bengaluru’s Commercial Street could be likened to the Room of Requirement in the Harry Potter series: A magical marketplace where one can find almost anything they’re looking for. Typically, a visit to this famous city locality doesn’t last more than a few hours, if not for a quick in-and-out at your go-to shops. But this exhibit –titled Interlude 2019 – by the Masters students of Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology looks at this multi-street network through different lenses.
Walk through the different rooms and exhibit pieces and you might find yourself surprised at the myriad things at play in Commercial Street. For example, a 10-minute documentary captures a typical day in the area, a timelapse that begins from the mosque’s azaan at 5:30 am and ends with the shops shutting down. For those who are fans of the written word, there’s also a mini publication that looks at the stories of the various inhabitants of the street, one that unearths stories of livelihoods, legacies and services.
Got a QR scanner on your phone? You could use it to hear the street sounds of Ibrahim Street, Veerapalli Street or the area surrounding the nala at Shivaji Nagar. Or you could meet old inhabitants of the area through an illustrated series of artworks or browse through knick knacks they keep at home. From 360 degree VR images to installations (one that recreates the famous fairy light ceiling of the shopping area), the list of ways to look at Commercial Street is endless.
But why focus on just this particular area? “Because it’s an interesting area to study. One where gentrification of branded stalls and a marketplace where generations has gone exists side by side,” says Vishwesh Viswanathan, a practitioner at the institute.
Viswanathan, along with Pooja Sastry, Janak Mistry, Mary Jacob, Lavanya Sahi and Ritu Sonalika, were a part of the many other practitioners who assisted the 150 students, or “aspiring practitioners” as they like to call them, with this exhibition. The project began four weeks ago and involved extensive research that allowed the students to truly immerse themselves with the space.
For Roopkatha Ray Krishnan, a student who worked on an aural piece of stories from different people at the street, the most interesting part of the project was learning how to build a rapport with her subjects. “It takes time to get stories out of people. But over time, we managed. Now, a papaya vendor we interviewed doesn’t just recognise us but also insists on giving us free fruit,” says the contemporary art practices student. The exhibition is on at the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, till Dec 21.