Billed as ‘the largest contemporary art festival in asia’. every two years, The Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) repurposes a series of abandoned factories and warehouses in Kochi as galleries and cafés that host a variety of activity. Additionally, a pavilion is constructed to host performance and cinematic art at Fort Kochi-Mattancherry’s Cabral Yard — a one acre campus full of large trees.
For KMB 2018, curator anita dube commissioned New Delhi-based firm anagram architects to design this temporary structure.
In previous editions of the KMB, the pavilion served primarily as an auditorium for cinematic and stage performances. however, this year the curatorial brief tasked the architects with designing a more intensive and inclusive structure that could host workshops, lectures, social performances, conferences, and book launches. in addition to the pavilion, the campus houses two eateries, a children’s art space, an ATM, public restrooms, and an organic waste recycling plant.
Curator Anita Dube calls it a give-and-take space, where, “through the freedom that is made available by the Internet, people can come and share their stories”, and V. Sunil, Secretary Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) says special programmes will be organised to coincide with events like the India Art Fair in Delhi and the Jaipur Literature Festival. “One day of the IBA conference will also take place here, and it will be open to the public,” in future.
© Suryan//Dang, Anagram Architects
In return for the generosity shown by the locals, the KBF has plans to raise funds for flood victims. In March, materials from the Biennale Pavilion will be reused to build 12 houses. ARK (Art Rises For Kerala), a live auction scheduled for January 18 at the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty — with works by over 38 artists, such as Dayanita Singh, Subodh Gupta and Anish Kapoor, going under the hammer — will raise money, too, with all proceeds going to the CM’s Distress Fund.1
See also …
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On Stage: Sathenagar Here Samooha. Samooha and MO-OF/Mobile Offices, 2016.