Delhi has often ranked as the most polluted city in the world which is majorly caused by its toxic air. The toxicity is at its peak in winters when farmers in Haryana and Punjab burn stubble despite prohibition. Yet overall the air quality in the national capital remains poor around the year.
This has often stirred concerned citizens which include both government-led as well as citizen groups, organizations, and NGOs who have come forward to raise the alarm and take action in whatever manner they could.
One such entity is Khoj, an autonomous contemporary arts organization based in New Delhi that has been committed to the exploration of ecological issues through art for over a decade. More recently they have been engaged in a three-year project – ‘Does the Blue Sky Lie? : Testimonies of Air’s Toxicities’ explores the troubled ecology of Delhi’s air.
‘Does the Blue Sky Lie?’ asks us to think about the air we breathe and what drives it to be toxic, even when it is ephemeral, invisible, removed from our consciousness by the deceptive blueness of the sky.
The first episode of ‘Does the Blue Sky Lie?’ is Air Expo 2022, a public intervention at Select CITYWALK Plaza that presents a fictionalized space much like a real-life trade fair, selling ideas and visions of what our houses, technologies, and imaginations for a better atmospheric future may look like.
The project has 3 distinct episodes: Public Art intervention: Air Expo 22, Select CITYWALK Plaza from 21st to 29th April, Exhibition: ‘Does the Blue Sky Lie?’ by Khoj Studios from 27th April to 21st May, and Informal Talks: Cafe Classroom by Khoj Studios from 30th April to 30th May.
“One question we always ask is ‘Can art bring social change?’. One doesn’t necessarily think about air when we talk about ecology but it is very much a natural system that our lives and bodies intersect with. For us, this project came into being because, as Delhi inhabitants, struggling with bad air ourselves, we wanted to mobilize attention towards the issue and see how art could drive change,” said Niyati Dave, curator, KHOJ.
Testimonies of Air Toxicity Through Art
Of the interactive works of art and games, there’s ‘Adopt a Piece of Sky’ by ThinkArts, a Kolkata-based NGO, showcasing a series of images of the sky clicked by teenagers across the country. These photographs prompt one to understand their relationship with the sky or air. Visitors can also ‘adopt a piece of sky’ and make a pledge towards cleaner air.
Likewise, photographer Sharbendu De’s ‘An Elegy for Ecology’ ruminates over global warming. His pictures imagine a future where humankind has to cope with excessive heat and lack of oxygen.
Artist Gigi Scaria has showcased ‘Elevator from a No Man’s Land’, wherein viewers get to experience ‘a suffocating reality’. “The project has a deep understanding of where exactly it is happening and each and every layer of exploitation caused on earth,” explains Sacria.
Thukral and Tagra, the artist duo have created a four-player game ‘2030-Net Zero’ that seeks to build environmental consciousness among the players. “We have been working on the climate and finding ways to engage people to take action. We both thought that we don’t have time to wait around for something to happen but it is more to do with the individual, to begin with. We wanted to create a more porous object that goes around rather than a painting, going and seeing in a gallery. We wanted to use the game as a medium,” said Tagra.
‘Dhuaandil’, a game developed by Bengaluru-based NGO, Fields of View, puts citizens in a place of decision making where they get to take ownership and take action to build their own sustainable city.
Similarly, ‘Dumm’ by Bhagvati Prasad, a live art-making performance enhances the idea further. Prasad delves into the interconnections of air, life, and human actions.
Word From Project Partners
This project is supported by Prince Claus Fund, Goethe-Institut and Select CITYWALK, and Media Partner STIRWorld.
Rest there are partners like Warrior Moms, a group of mothers all over the country striving to bring back clean air that have joined hands to empower citizens with Know Your Rights and report violations to the authorities in order to enable action. Bhavreen Kandhari, member of Warrior Moms says, “This public display with art and installation is a unique way for citizens to connect with such a serious issue and a public health emergency. It makes people citizens, politicians all realize the worth of Clean Air and Environment.”
“As a responsible public space, we have endeavored to engage our patrons and visitors with multiple mediums on campaigns that affect our lives. We have taken many measures to play a larger role in our responsibility as a public entity for cleaner and greener air through technology in space as well and this collaboration allows us to take the conversation deeper and in a more engaging manner,” said Gitanjali Singh, VP Marketing – Select Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, another partner of the project.