Starting this week, an immersive and interactive labyrinth of Bengaluru city will be on display. Curious? Titled Lost in Bangalore, a month-long exhibition opens to the public, and it is the culmination of Circle III, the eight-week new media and tech art residency programme run by Sensistan, tech-art experience museum, in collaboration with Craft 360 and Bangalore Creative Circus (BCC).
For the finale, participants have come together to create immersive installations, interactive exhibits, and cutting-edge visual experiences. This is presented, as seen through the eyes of imaginary character, Sista, a nine-year-old time traveller. The exhibition merges reality and fantasy, offering a phygital (physical + digital) playground that caters to curious and creative spirits of all ages. Each piece reflects the artist’s interpretation of being ‘lost’ in the city
The month-long exhibition features immersive installations, interactive exhibits, and cutting-edge visual experiences | Photo Credit: Nexmag Digital
Manisha Vinod, co-founder, BCC, explains how art, in general, is an effective form of communication. “It helps us change the way we see the world, introduces us to new ideas, to different perspectives and the like. Experiential and immersive art, even more so, since it tickles all our senses,” she says.
Manisha adds, “The ‘medium’ of art is forever evolving and this hybrid structure of physical meets digital throws open boundaries of art. New media art focuses on this beautiful intersection of the virtual world and reality. Through such residency programs, participants can get acquainted with the latest tools and platforms available for new forms of creation and communication. This allows for greater experimentation, creativity, and engagement with the audience.”
She explains how BCC curated an immersive arts exhibition back in 2022 called Ministry of Now, and how the participants of the current residency programme are not considered mainstream artists. “They are architects, engineers, etc who wish to push boundaries and elevate their work using technology. The month-long exhibition is meant to create shared experiences, as a collective, since it is a powerful way of bringing people together. That sense of belonging is the foundation upon which communities like ours exist.”
Bangalore Creative Circus curated an immersive arts exhibition back in 2022 called Ministry of Now | Photo Credit: Nexmag Digital
Shammi Raj Bhalla, co-founder of Sensistan, says his aim with the event is to bring exposure of the genre of new media art to their three stakeholders: the artists, audience, and investors.
As part of the residency Circle III, he explains how artists from across the country come together to learn different techniques to create immersive, interactive experiences. “The exhibition is a showcase of this. Most galleries and art spaces in India are linear in nature and have one artefact or artwork placed one after another. In my experience in the art sector, when you add a narrative to an experience, the memory of it is longer,” says Shammi.
Adding that the character Sista was created to build a similar narrative, Shammi says, “We wanted something that people could connect with. Sista is like Alice in Wonderland, and our brand ambassador. She is like all of us, who wants to see good in society but is stuck in the system.”
Last Plant Alive, a reflection of life’s fragility and the impact of human development on Nature | Photo Credit: Nexmag Digital
A few exhibits at Lost in Bangalore include Flames to Beams, an interactive art installation that explores the ‘transformative power of light in guiding us through uncertainty’; Last Plant Alive, a reflection of life’s fragility and the impact of human development on Nature; Human Synthesizer, an installation designed to play with and educate about the nature of sound and its creation; Virshabhavati – Vishawabhavati, an art installation showcasing the life of the river upon which Bengaluru was built on.
March 14 to April 7 at Bangalore Creative Circus, Yeshwanthpur Industrial Suburb. Friday to Sunday, 6pm-10pm. Tickets at ₹399 on in.bookmyshow.com
