BackLounge Preview | Art at Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Delhi-NCR
We take a look at the interactive installations of artists Shilo Shiv Suleman and Ayushman Mitra that will be on display at the multi-genre music festival this weekend
Premium
Immersive production design is as much a part of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender experience as the impressive and comprehensive line-up of indie musicians and international headliner acts each year.
Over the past five years, visitors to this annual festival have been treated to elaborate art installations, live graffiti and meticulous stage backdrops, often created on site by independent artists, artist collectives and graphic designers like Sameer Kulavoor’s Bombay Duck Designs, Vaibhavi Kowshik and graffiti group Aerosol Assassins. As the fifth edition of the multi-genre music festival concludes this weekend at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida, near the Capital, we take a look at the interactive installations of artists Shilo Shiv Suleman and Ayushman Mitra.
In August, Suleman co-created an interactive installation, Pulse And Bloom, that was part of the massive week-long public arts festival, Burning Man, in Nevada, US. The installation has been part of the first three legs of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Kolkata, Pune and Bengaluru, and will be showcased at the festival grounds in Noida this weekend.
Kolkata-based Mitra made his debut during the festival’s Kolkata leg this month, with psychedelic installations featuring brightly painted interlocked faces, kissing or leaning in for a kiss, in patterns and colour-blocking inspired by Picasso’s cubism.
At the Buddh International Circuit, festival-goers can lounge on Mitra’s Love Beds, which feature hand-painted murals on the headboards, or pose against two of his other installations—Lolly Dolly, made up of 8ft lollypop-like structures, and House Tripping, a 15ft, cottage-like structure with heart-shaped windows and doors.
Mitra, who conceptualized the art installations three months ago, considers it a happy coincidence that his work for the festival resonates with the “Kiss Of Love" protest against moral policing, which began in Kerala earlier this month. “While all my work is about being happy and free, the installations for the music festival just happen to highlight the freedom to love without moral policing," he says. “None of this was a planned move, my work isn’t a part of the Kiss Of Love protest, but it certainly has roots in the same principles."
The Bacardi NH7 Weekender will be held on 29-30 November, 3pm, at the Buddh International Circuit, Yamuna Expressway, Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida. Tickets, ₹ 1,750 (under 21) and ₹ 3,750 (general) for both days and ₹ 2,250 for one day. For details, see www.nh7.in/weekender/delhi and to buy tickets online, visit www.insider.in
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
