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Clicking
the best There are two sections for entries, monochrome and colour, with several local and international awards being presented in each. The judges for this year's competition are Rani Wickremasinghe, Lakshman Nadarajah and Chandi Chanmugam. The judges' prints will be specially displayed at the exhibition. Wrapping
round a little bit of east, west Working together for ten days in Weligama, Artlink 2003 aimed at an exchange of expertise and visions between Sri Lanka and Europe. Says Prasanna Liyanage, co-ordinator of the workshop, "The artists came from different backgrounds and their experience helped them go beyond the norms." He feels the workshop has opened up avenues for these young artists who are all in their twenties. The participants who were taken around Weligama drew inspiration from what they saw and experienced. They were divided into groups according to what they were inspired by, given a budget and asked to buy the material from the area. "Each group had a painter, sculptor and designer, which was a good mix," said Prasanna adding that their fusion of talent brought about a rich intercultural experience. Looking at the unfinished work of one group the use of colour was quite evident, with their focus being to bring out the identity of the Southern Province. "We also focused on making our clothes beyond the frame and did not want to restrict ourselves to mannequins," says Malithi Ranasinghe from the University of Moratuwa. Another group's main inspiration came from seashells. Having worked individually and getting help from the instructors only when they felt they needed to, they had an interesting design on one of their creations. After applying body paint one of the participants was asked to roll on a piece of cloth, which was used later as material for their design. Working around the theme, 'mystery of the sea' another group focused on feelings. "We tried to bring out the feelings of the sea," says Yojani Upananda from the University of Moratuwa. They presented their work propped up on boats around the beach. Inoka Samarasekera also from the Moratuwa University is the jewellery designer of her group and shows us a necklace made of stones collected from the beach. "I try to bring out the natural elements of the beach through my jewellery," she says explaining that when someone wears the necklace the skin represents the sand on the beach. "This helps also to clearly show off the colours of the sea in its natural element.” "I found I loved fruits for breakfast," says British artist Simon Thorogood laughingly answering the question of what he had discovered in these few days. Adding that he felt privileged to be a part of such a group of youngsters Simon felt that the different cultures blended in well. Katja Then from Germany adds that the influences she gained will help her develop ideas. "Most of my photography revolves around textiles," she says adding that the experience of the new surroundings helped her work. "The architecture of this place, the streets everything influenced me a great deal.” Eighteen creative people trying to get their message across… What was it like to be working together as a group? "It wasn't that hard because ultimately we knew we had to come to one decision," says Yojani adding that philosophically they were on the same wave length. The residential workshop will culminate with an exhibition at the Barefoot Gallery Colombo, from November 16 - 20. Classical, pop
and rock on the guitar Uli, as he is popularly known, will perform in Sri Lanka as part of the celebrations organized by the German Embassy to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Germany. This award-winning guitarist last performed in Sri Lanka during Christmas 2003, which included a performance at the official residence of the German Ambassador in Colombo.He also conducted guitar master classes for local specialist guitarists. This time at the Barefoot Garden, Uli has arranged a fascinating and unique mix of classical, pop and rock music, in addition to performing well-known pieces from composers such as Albeniz, Bach and Vivaldi. Apart from the concerts, Uli will also conduct a master class with Sri Lankan guitarists. A collection of his masterpieces on compact disk will be available for sale during the concerts. Battling war
and silence ‘Mounathin Nillalil’ written and directed by Gratiaen award winner Sumathy is an adaptation in Tamil of "In the Shadow of the Gun", winner of the 2001 Gratiaen Prize for English literature along with "The Wicked Witch" and is played by a cast of three, Sharmini Masilamani, Vijayashanthan and Sumathy herself. ‘Mounathin Nillalil’ narrates the story of women in wartime and how they confront and negotiate with the power of silence overpowering their lives. Savithri, an activist goes in search of women who narrate their stories. She sees herself as the 'mother of the nation’. She runs into an older lower middle class woman who asks Savithri, "What women's group?" In many ways this question haunts the play. What are women's issues, what do women's groups do, how does one delve deep into one's psyche? Her poignant story of light and dark, good and bad, men and women propels Savithri to move on, outside the domestic space. Suddenly she sees a woman shot and wounded in a street corner. What is her story? The lines between home and street are blurred here. What is the nature of the violence perpetrated against and by women? Is it from outside or does it arise from the depths of society itself? Savithri gets caught up in the same cycle of violence that is part of the stories of the women. Savithri in the end becomes a narrative in her own narration like the stories of the two victims of rape who dare to challenge conventional wisdom. The tussle between Savithri's narration and the narratives of the women forms the crux of the play. This production is sponsored by The Sunera Trust and other well wishers. Music for the production is by Vasuki Walker and Sumathy, set and costume by Nimal Ekanayake. Ryan Holsinger handles the lighting with stills by Lakshman Nadaraja. A silent reflection
of the sacred The lens of
the camera sensitive and eager to rekindle the full impact of the
memory and nostalgia, stamped in its more often than not modest
belfries, bears witness to it. Through 57 colour photographs, Maurice Soulié invites the viewer to share with him the joys of this ramble, depicting diverse churches in a district of southwestern France, called Bas or Lower Quercy. Most of them originating from the Middle Ages, and the time of Crusades, were destroyed or ravaged by the savage struggle of men - the "Hundred Years' War", the "Wars of Religion", the "French Revolution" - but always rebuilt. Their presence in this picturesque landscape perpetuates the eternal presence of the sacred. The exhibition will be opened on Friday, November 21 at 6.30 p.m. by Father Martin Quéré, Founder Member of the Alliance française de Kandy. This is the last cultural event organised by the Alliance française de Kandy at 412 Peradeniya Road. From January 1, 2004, the Alliance moves to its new premises at 642, Peradeniya Road. 'Me and my experiences'
Working as an art director at an advertising agency, he is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Kelaniya. "I have been interested in art for as long as I can remember. Since 1993, I have had exhibitions like "Silent Figures", "Broken Dialog", and "Isolated Man" says Ravindra. "What I draw is very much influenced by philosophical thoughts; I think that art and philosophy go hand in hand. Most of what I draw is abstract and sublime and there is more than what meets the eye," he says. Ravindra has done about 500 paintings so far and out of his collection he has exhibited around 400. He uses acrylic on canvas for his creations. "It doesn't really matter what you draw as long as you express yourself through the medium. For me it's another universal language," says the artist who will display around 22 of his works in this showing. |
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Today
is the final day of the Photographic Society of Sri Lanka's annual
exhibition being held at the Lionel Wendt Memorial Art Centre. This
year too, the entries cover a broad range of subjects-landscapes
and portraits, wildlife and nature, glamour and fashion, beauty
and the arts, the abstract and the contrived, news and life.
The
judges met on November 1 to select the best prints and those that
reach the standard for international exhibitions. The competition
follows the rules of the Photographic Society of America.
They
pushed boundaries. Perhaps that was to be expected when 15 creative
and committed young Sri Lankans and three designers from Europe
got together at Artlink 2003. This year's workshop, dedicated to
fashion in a practical sense, worked around the theme of "Body
wrap/ wearable art".
