Two Germans, one bridge, and a meticulously planned mission in the Garden City — this is not a scene from a war film, but an initiative by two artistes to learn more about Bengaluru and the people who live here.
Artistes Laura Klatt from Berlin and Tobias Daemgen from Dusseldorf arrived in India this year to be part of bangaloREsidency, a programme hosted by Goethe-Institut, Bengaluru, which provides a platform for Deutschland artistes and performers to interact and get involved with the cultural canvas of Bengaluru using their varied talents.
What Klatt, a thespian and qualified chef, and Daemgen, an acoustics and lights artiste, are attempting to do is intriguing.
“We have chosen a spot under the Wheeler Road flyover where we will set up a food cart. I plan to prepare a culinary delight for the locals, with local ingredients, and Tobias will use his illumination and music skills to make the venue lively and captivating,” said 32-year-old Klatt on the planned project.
The two had rehearsed on a few occasions this week and interacted with local shopkeepers and residents. “We heard some interesting stories from locals on a greenery-filled life before the flyover came up. We got acquainted with the people under the flyover and expect their participation on our big day on May 3,” Daemgen added.
Potato salad on a bicyclePutting her culinary skills to good use, Klatt made a rather unique effort to learn about Bengalureans earlier in March. “I borrowed a bike from a friend, cooked Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) and pedalled around selling it to people on Church Street, Bazaar Street and Ulsoor Road for just Rs. 5, or sometimes for free,” said Klatt, on her attempt that fetched her friends, stories and ideas to take her project forward.
Now, having teamed up with Daemgen, they will unveil their food cart under the Wheeler Road flyover on the evening of May 3 to enthral locals with food, sound, lights and choreography.
