Debjani Bhardwaj: My Journal: Musings (Critical Practice Programme)

I was offered a participation in the Critical Practice Programme by a Dubai Gallery I have had a close association with- Tashkeel. With continual support from Tashkeel, each participant is provided with studio access, mentorship, critiques and support for artwork production, culminating in an exhibition.Each programme is carefully constructed and built around the individual candidates’ practices and/or area of research. Tashkeel works with the artist or curator to identify a key collaborator/mentor to build, challenge and work with them through the programme. This collaborator can be an artist, curator, critic or arts professional with whom the artist feels both comfortable working but also whose own area of research and/or practice ties in with the proposed programme and intended areas of focus.The aim of the programme is to provide the artist with sustained and empowering support to develop their work in an environment that encourages progressive experimentation, cross-discipline exchange and cross-cultural dialogue. The curation of the courses remain responsive to the social, cultural and political contexts inherent in Dubai and the wider Middle East.

I spent some time reflecting upon my existing work and the motivations of making work. My work is playful,imaginative, figurative ,contains an element of dark humour, has a narrative ,children's stories for adults, might be inspired by text/literature/ myths and legends or events around me, full of surprises, delicate, layered, detailed or intricate dreamlike/ nightmarish, hybrids, disguises/masks/veiled figures ,something is hidden in the works that the viewer has to discover, unscramble, does not make complete sense, ambiguous, surreal,abastract, handmade, labour intensive , deals with change/transformation , a degree of audience engagement is desired.My mediums are primarily drawings.Drawings propel my work into drawing with a knife (papercut) or those drawings can turn 3 dimensional and take sculptural forms.

3 months into the Critical Practice Programme.

I am slowly getting more clarity as to what I wish to achieve.I am exploring animation, movement and shadows to tell stories.I like the support and extended by mentors so I am not completely at sea and at the same time I love the challenge of pushing my limits.

There have been hiccups. The start has been slow. I was having doubts about whether a long distance Critical Practice Programme was even feasible since I am the first participant who does not reside in Dubai.There are problems with online calls like Skype or Google Hangouts. However, I have recently successfully completed my MA online over a period of 3 years so of course it is possible but requires patience , drive and perseverance.First there was a problem of identifying and convincing mentors.We identified Hassan Meer a reputed contemporary artist in Oman, Gallery Director(Stal Gallery) and curator. And Les Bicknell, a professor of art in various Universities in UK and inspiring artist who created the concept of "bookness".We were relieved when Les came on board in end November .There was a period of uncertainty as to whether he would be able to collaborate in this programme due to his previous work commitments, but he did.

Mentor Hassan Meer had assigned an interesting task. To gather cheap, battery operated/mechanical moving toys, paint them white with gesso and transform them. Gathering toys took a long while as did layering them with several coats of gesso to remove traces of colour. I had several ideas about transforming the toys to use colour pencils or pen and ink drawings on them or to attach everyday discarded objects on them but I settled on using papercut attachments and that seemed to be working well. But now there is a problem.The mechanical toys are not moving because the gesso jammed the moving parts. Failure is essential to success.We as artists need to constantly remind ourselves that "To work without knowing where one is going or might end up is a necessary condition of creation of generation of difference rather than the reproduction of the same" -Nietzsche. Will try with another paint medium.

I chanced upon Ed Pien's shadow installation and want to try to create shadows using papercuts and construct Paul Spooner like moving mechanical toys and shadow boxes with papercuts like Andrea Dezso's.I am also interested in animating my illustrations.These are the five parallel projects I would be working on- transformation of readymade toys, shadow puppet installation, shadow boxes, mechanical toys, hand drawn/ stop motion animation using drawings.Maybe I have too much on my plate? But I am a fulltime artist and I have 8 months so shall give it a chance.