It will soon be a year since artistes around the world have been deprived of the stage and the collective attention of the audience that fuels their need to create the art they do. To catch a breather from the screens we have been limited to in this pandemic, Artsforward, the art collective, has decided to reclaim the stage, in this case, the streets of Calcutta, to bring to you a two-day festival of three unique mixed-media performances. To mark their 10th anniversary, Artsforward has come together with Calcutta-based artistes on December 19 and 20 to provide the open air as a platform for RECLAIM.

“This is our attempt to mark the beginning of returning to the streets. While we may not be celebrating, the apathy from lockdown will be visible in all the performances,” said curator and director of Artsforward, Paramita Saha.

Passing Through (Shaswati Garai Ghosh)

What: Passing Through

When: December 19, 4.30 pm

Where: Hindustan Park (Sienna Byloom lane)

Expect: About 10-15 classical dancers in traditional costumes will form the crux of a live dance installation as they move around the street socially distanced and masked. Marking mourning instead of a celebration, watch them breathe life into the streets that have been dead for almost a year. Passing Through will be in association with Sienna Cafe and Pickle Factory Dance Foundation.

Ankita Duttagupta

What: Promises. Pandemic. PDA

When: December 19, 6.30 pm

Where: Chaptala Ghar (Between Sovabazar Launch Ghat and Kumartuli Ghat)

Expect: Artist Nilanjan Das will interrogate the nature of public displays of affection that is prevalent in India amidst excruciating moral policing of certain degree in certain places. In association with Hamdasti and Khoj International Artists Association, this will be introspective art installations involving conversations with residents and couples who frequent these haunts and the subsequent effects of the pandemic.

Pintu Das

What: These Are Not Screenshots

When: December 20, 3 pm and 4.30 pm

Where: Ghare Baire, Currency Building

Expect: A series of dance and other performances in various spaces of the Currency Building will mark the final day of RECLAIM festival. While Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee will perform a poem What Do I Perform, other performances will include dance, a video installation called Walking Shadows, a solo journey called Cha Wala, a duet called Mirror Mirror and solo exploration of self by artists like Satakshi Nandy, Pintu Das, Sylvester Mardi, Pavel Paul and Ankita Duttagupta. In association with DAG Museums, the stunning backdrop of the Currency building will surely make this event worthwhile.

All events are in open spaces, free for all but due to the limited space in the Currency Building, one has to register on a link available on Artsforward social media pages for These Are Not Screenshots.