Design
Birwa Qureshi’s Crraft Of Art resides at the intersection of music and architecture
MAY 20, 2024 | By Shriti Das
I’ve always held an unwavering belief and reverence for Indian classical art forms — music, performing arts and architecture. For me, they have been the highest form of devotion, the closest I felt to God, yet never religious. It is a connection that forges and unites with the Creator, performer and the onlooker. Hence, when Birwa Qureshi’s Crraft Of Art came to light, it called for deeper investigation, all the way to Dholavira.
Founded and curated by Birwa, Crraft Of Art is at the intersection of performing arts, architecture, heritage and an extension of her trysts with the same. An alumni of CEPT, she’s a trained Bharatanatyam dancer under Mrinalini Sarabhai, and the force who brings together music festivals at heritage precincts across western India.
“My idea was to reintroduce monuments to people, especially the younger generation, since there is a worrying disconnect and receding interest among the general public and youth towards our monuments and heritage. We create focal points through music festivals,” she mentions. The first festival was at Sarkhej Roza in 2010, a Sufi repertoire set against the magnificent backdrop of the mosque, lit up meticulously and metaphorically for the show.
“The idea is to take on the language of the monument and curate the music accordingly,” she says. The monument is the hero, music is a constant and light is a tool. “We are not just illuminating the monument but showcasing them in a different light,” she adds. And what this does is, it brings back a part of the visual grandeur that may have been in the past, a bit of magic and a modern outlook to music, be it classical (Indian or western), folk or otherwise. Birwa is married to tabla maestro Ustad Fazal Qureshi who co-curates the music. In the past, festival sites have included Kailasa Temple also known as Cave 16 (Ellora), Rani Ki Vav (Patan), Sun Temple (Modhera) and Khan Masjid (Dholka) to name a few.
Cut to 2024, the Crraft Of Art festival at Dholavira was preceded by the annual Water Festival at Adalaj Ni Vav followed by one at the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (UNESCO World Heritage site) in 2023. At Dholavira, the day-long festival began late afternoon spanning across the metropolis of the Harappan civilisation, open to all who visited as tourists.
The main concert took place in the evening at the Ceremonial Ground against the North Gate, a significant site where a signboard with ten unusually large symbols were discovered. From the traditional tabla-padanth jugalbandi to a western rendition on bass guitar and drums to the Rajasthani Khartal (a wood and brass hand cymbal) it was a cross-pollination of cultural dialogues that Birwa wishes to foster within communities, people who are discerned and even those who are uninitiated.
Given the involvement of key personalities from the space of the performing arts, they (delightfully) do not have the disposition of being custodians of their art, but catalysts to further its narrative. The festivals are open to all without a fee, flattening any hierarchies or preconceived notions of elitism despite the names involved. Often, the classical forms, their ancient knowledge also edges on the dangers of being stuck in a time warp, revelling in the nostalgia of yore. But Crraft Of Art is far from this notion.
“The festivals have elements of jazz, fusion, folk and of course classical,” she says. And it is not only an intersection of the arts, of being inclusive, but also the interweaving of architecture and play of light that Birwa achieved at Dholavira. It was a visual and sensorial treat, to walk among mud-brick walls dating over five thousand of years that were dimly lit at sundown, as we waited for the concert to begin. When we returned from the same trail, there was a heightened sense of grandeur, history and pride because the darkness only adds to the illumination.
One does run the risk of over-embellishing, just going a little extra, because when presented with the most beautiful forms of expression in the world, who wouldn’t take that little (huge) risk? And that’s exactly where Birwa’s mettle and precision as a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and designer comes to light. Almost like harking back to the drawing board, or the days of riyaaz.
The rhythm and painful repetition to hone the way the wrist works, be it for hastaks or drafting with perfect lineweight on paper, is nothing short of surrendering to the supreme being. Multiply this with a lifetime of pursuit, not of perfection but that of something divine, something deeper. I am not sure if Birwa has yet found or defined what she seeks, nor can I put it into words. But until then, I’ll see you at the next Crraft of Art festival.
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