There is Rajnikanth, there are kolams , there is Fairfield by Marriot and then there is a Merc! It was fun and food, as Marriot collaborated with Sundaram Motors (the authorised dealer of Mercedes-Benz in the city) to create a special event on a hot Sunday afternoon.
“Marriot always goes that extra mile to do something special for its guests and, for the first time in the city, we invited Jyotiee Balani who is a food and wine enthusiast to curate a show for us,” said JP Menon, Hotel Manager. The result was an Art Brunch with a resplendent white Merc being used as a canvas by artist Neeti Hegde who had already appropriated the glistening bonnet of the car for Rajnikanth. Neeti then crouched down by the sleek doors and painted kolams on the side. “These are representative of Tamil Nadu and I thought it would be an appropriate thing to paint,” she said.
It must take a lot of courage to paint free-hand on a spanking new high-end car. Neeti agreed. One because the surface was so smooth that the brush kept slipping and, two, because it was a Merc. “I was asked several times if I was sure the paint would wash off,” she laughed. Neeti painted with poster colours so that she could allay those fears.
Why paint on a car? “Art must come out of galleries. It is for everyone to decide how they want to depict art and where. These are new ways of breaking barriers. I hope this will give budding artists ideas and reassure them that they do not have to show only in galleries to be noticed,” said Neeti. Some budding artists were also given space to showcase their work, though not on the Merc. At the entrance the hotel had put up a board to encourage kids to draw and paint.
Kids join in the fun
Jyotiee Balani is no stranger to curating such events and she shared how the idea of an Art Brunch was received with enthusiasm in other big metros. “I have four artists whom we use for the events. In several places the invitees were also invited to take part and, in some, chefs presented art on individual plates made with edible paint,” she said.
There was a buzz, as invitees stood around the car wistfully wondering if they would ever afford it. The Mercedes-Benz representative said many in the city already had the e-version of the car and others had shown interest in buying it. For the rest, there was delicious chaat to compensate. The food was appropriate for a hot afternoon with cooling chaats with thick yoghurt and vegetarian and non-vegetarian grilled snacks. Indoors, another spread awaited the invitees. There were salads and dosas , pasta and paneer and more. A memorable accompaniment to the event was the live singing by Tyron Davey who sang all the old favourites — from George Michael and Kenny Rogers to Harry Belafonte and others — to the accompaniment of his guitar.
It was a Sunday well spent and Menon said he was delighted to have been part of Marriot’s tradition of crafting special events for its guests. “Our hotel is known for promoting art through such events. We have already held it in 12 cities and Coimbatore is the 13th.”
