Our trip to the Art Foundation was organised as part of our course work, Digital Cultures and New Media. The journey to our destination was as interesting as the place we visited. This unmapped location with minimal available information caught our attention until we reached the location. Uttarayan Art Foundation was some few kilometres inside the village, Vastrapur in Baroda, Gujarat.
On reaching, we were informed that the place is owned privately by Mr Agarwal, who is an avid art collector from different parts of the country and the world alike. The collection was not only huge and mesmerising but filled us with a feeling of awe. There seem to be no dearth of beauty, both natural and creative; ranging from contemporary art sculptures to traditional tribal art forms. We were accompanied by another art enthusiast, who let us experience the place in a whole different way. His immensely thorough knowledge answered our inquisitive minds. He also shared his experiences from a recent Bangladesh trip where he attended an Art Display.
The place provided samples from contemporary arts, mediums, diverse digital platforms, and art preservations. The mediums ranged from marble, wood, terracotta and so on. The backstage of art display which includes processing, imagination, and preservation, allowed us to understand the nuanced nature of this creative endeavour. The pieces were chronologically catalogued and semiotically understood by the people working there. The people working there had a self-driven motivation and passion for art. The place shared an uncanny resemblance to village-life: peaceful, secluded and beautiful. Unlike, our chaotic and stressful lives.
I personally, loved the unfinished bridge, allowing us to experience a very different genre of creativity. All the art forms presented an opportunity to juxtapose those to look for an intermeshed genre narrative. In a nutshell, that living art gallery presented artists’ creation and imagination which knows no bound. The result of which is felt in a subtle peaceful relief through its aesthetics environment and ambience.
As a digital native, it was difficult to accept that places like these still exist. Places which are not a click away and unlocated on google surveillance. Away from the humdrum of city life, I heard birds chirping after long, saw the sunset and experienced local hospitality. Also, I feel this report won’t be complete thanking the people in the kitchen who made one of the best coffee I have had in Gujarat!
* These assignments are the intellectual property of the students of DCNM 2019. The system administrator(s) have not edited the content of the assignments except for minor spelling and grammar checks. We would deeply appreciate if you could give a citation to the authors/contributors and this website in case the content is used for research, teaching and other academic purposes.
