We are in the middle of a three month art project & immersion in the informal community of Dharavi - also known as Asia’s Largest Slum. Dharavi is right in the heart of Mumbai and is actually a beehive of industry and community.
Our initial project involved coming here to learn about the community in Dharavi through art - by making our own art as well as hosting art classes to people here. Our goal is to go beyond the imagery of a slum and embrace the humanity and identity of the people in this community.
After learning about the realities on the ground, we realized that we can do more that just take photos and make paintings to help tell this story. We are now seeing one of our major roles as a type of artistic intervention and would like to escalate our projects to grand proportions. With the help of translators and community members, we want to turn Dharavi into a multi-media gallery exhibition to help celebrate both the people we have met here and the spirit they embrace.
Kickstarter funds will help us to do public murals, artistic workshops with children, and an interactive, multimedia exhibition that will turn the intense industrial spaces in Dharavi’s recycling district into Mumbai’s most interesting art gallery for one night! When we return we will be recreating our experiences and installations in multi-media exhibitions in Portland Oregon (Spring, 2011) and New York City (Fall, 2011).
