Commuters at the MRTS station in Thiruvanmiyur who are used to the drab, paan -stained walls and gloomy interiors until now, were pleasantly surprised on Monday. And even those who were just passing by would have found it hard to miss the two large-format photographs pasted on the glass doors of the station entry/exit points. These photographs and similar ones put up on the walls of the station are some of the entries to the photography project organised by Goethe Institut and Travelling Lens as part of the ongoing ‘Art Chennai 2012,' promise to be a welcome sight for commuters as well as passengers waiting for the train. That these are glimpses of the vibrant city that is Chennai makes them all the more easy to associate with too.
Images of your favourite actors pepping from huge cut outs, a deserted station at night, a smiling child a brick kiln … the blow-up images occupying a good portion of the wall space speak a thousand words. The works pasted on the walls were shortlisted based on a workshop conducted by Travelling Lens and the online entries it received at for the photographic event. According to Varun Gupta of Travelling Lens, 120 entries were received as part of the contest. Of them 70 were shortlisted. A similar display of such photographs will be conducted at platform of Thirumalai station too.
The stations have often been criticised for poor maintenance and lack of security; so here is a request from the artistes – please do not deface the pictures. The exhibition will formally open at a function to be held on March 14.
What's on (Tuesday/Day 4)
A solo exhibition by C.Krishnaswamy at Ashvita, 11, 2 Street, Dr. R.K. Salai, Mylapore; Ruth Bisping showcases her works at Goethe Institut, Rutland Gate, Nungambakkam; Cartoons by Biswajit at Burgundy, 94, Sathyadev Avenue, MRC Nagar; R.B.Bhaskaran's works showcased at Artworld, 1/12, Ganeshapuram, 3 Street, Off Cenetoph Road.
