On the Record

A mammoth ship-shaped structure, decorated in hues of red, yellow and blue, awaited visitors at the studio of renowned contemporary artist Vivan Sundaram. Tucked in the narrow serpentine lanes of Delhi’s Aya Nagar, Wednesday evening saw a host of popular names from the art world — Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher and Achia Anzi — welcomed to sit in the pitch dark hollow of the ship. As they sat in this space, devoid of any light, flashes of circular white lights circled over head, ship sounds and sirens filled up the silence and commands by British radar officers, actor Danish Iqbal’s voice speaking the views of Naval Strike Committee’s President MA Khan and archival sound recordings of eye witness accounts, attempted to recreate the suspense that ensued on February 18, 1946, when a section of ratings from the Royal Indian Navy opened rebellion against the British officers in Bombay to protest against the treatment meted out to them regarding pay, food and racial discrimination. This project — the end result of efforts put in by Sundaram, cultural theorist Ashish Rajadhyaksha, and enchanting soundwork of British sound artist David Chapman — revisits one of the prominent events from the country’s past. Titled Meanings of Failed Action: Insurrection 1946, the installation will be stationed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai.

6 March 2017