basement 21 is a platform that presents the ‘contemporary’ in art. it investigates contemporary thought and action by focusing not just on the artistic ‘product’ but the artistic process and surrounding discourse. in this way, it aims to provide and allow a necessary context to be reconstructed.

goethe-institut, the cultural institute of germany worldwide, has been promoting indo-german cooperation and friendship for 54 years now. through its cultural initiatives, the institution reflects a variety of ways of living, thinking and acting.

a basement 21 curated event at the goethe-institut

as actions, pause and play are associated with the choice of suspending a flow of activity to create a small rift in time. in this interim period, our experience of ourselves and things around us becomes magnified and immediate. basement 21, a collective of contemporary practitioners, proposes a series of artistic interruptions at the goethe-institut in a playful, yet thought-provoking structure.

A group of parkour artists scale the outer

wall of the institute while musicians

provide the score for their movement.

Outer wall main entrance

Four musicians perform a whispering quartet

in the library. Later they are heard in the

library as they play music from travelling

autorickshaws.

Library

A film of walking feet is seen on the door to the

auditorium. A group of dancers move in unison

up the stairway while from the elevator

come periodical bursts of Bach by a group of

musicians playing live.

Auditorium entrance

A singer engages students in a classroom

with a composition by Schumann.

Classroom

From the spiral stairway behind the building

comes sound of a quartet, played live at

different levels.

Rear side of the building

A group of dancers crawl in unison along the

passage. This is followed by a duet of two violins.

Two screens in the landing show the film of

walking feet.

Level 2 corridor

An installation of plant saplings greets

the viewer.

Level 2 corridor

A singer engages us with a composition

by Schumann.

Level 1 corridor

An actor and a musician occupy the two

motor rooms as they perform a text.

Level 1 corridor

Two dancers negotiate the wall as they move

in tandem.

Level 1 landing

A large group of dancers walk shoulder-to-

shoulder in synchronised time along the outer

parking ramp. Beside them on the opposite side

are pairs of parkour artists scaling the wall

and jumping off it.

Ramp leading to the underground parking

The floor on the foyer is a film of walking feet

filmed within the building as well as around the

socio-economically disparate neighbourhood of the

Goethe-Institut in Chennai.

Ground floor foyer

Four musicians sit playing a score above the

entrance of the main foyer, visible from the

window opposite to them.

Ground floor foyer

A group of dancers crawl on the floor in

synchronised time while two musicians accompany

them. On the screen is a film that captures parkour

artists scaling the wall.

Auditorium

From 7.00 pm onwards, a mix of experts from a

wide variety of backgrounds like law, environment,

medicine, mathematics, politics, art and culture

await you for rounds of quick and intense

conversation. Also on view is a vertical

installation which is negotiated by a climber.

A screen captures action live.

Roof terrace

Pause/Play, curated and conceptualised by

Basement 21

CREDITS

Musicians of the Quartet: Aman Mahajan, Jeremy Woodruff, Suresh Bascara, Maarten Visser.

Dance Choreography: Padmini Chettur

Dancers: P Akila, Anoushka Kurien, Aditi Bheda, Madhushree Basu, M Palani, Chandran, Ramya, Padmini.

Goethe-Institut Chennai / Max Mueller Bhavanth4 Rutland Gate 5 Street, Chennai 600 006.

Tel. +91 44 2833 1314 / 2343 info@Chennai.goethe.org www.goethe.de/chennai

CREDITS

Goethe-Institut Chennai / Max Mueller Bhavanth4 Rutland Gate 5 Street, Chennai 600 006.

Tel. +91 44 2833 1314 / 2343 info@Chennai.goethe.org www.goethe.de/chennai

Installation & Art Design: Natesh Muthuswamy

Film Installation: Preethi Athreya

Plant installation: Aditi Bheda, Madhusree Basu

Parkour Artists: Prabhu Mani, Vignesh, Vishwa,

Vishal and Baskar

Musicians: Harish, Ranjith, Bhaskar

Dramaturgical and Technical facilitation: Pravin Kannanur

Volunteers: Nancy Boissel Cormier, Mrinalini Sekar

nd22 November 2014

8.30 to 10.00 p.m.

Party on the roof terrace

DJ - cocktails - snacks

Come and meet the artists, participants

and experts...

Roof terrace