Arts Collaboratory

A collaborative project between theertha and No1 Shanthi Road

Historical and conceptual background to the project

South 
India 
is 
only
 22
 miles
 across
 the 
Pork
 Strait 
from 
North 
of 
Sri
 Lanka.
 Archaeologically, 
it
 can 
be 
demonstrated 
the
 links
 and
 cultural 
similarities
 that 
had
 existed
 between 
Sri 
Lanka 
and 
the southern 
regions 
of
 India, 
from 
as 
early 
as 
6th
 century 
BC.

 The 
megalithic
 burials
 of 
6‐7th 
century 
BC 
from 
Sri 
Lanka
 shares 
so 
many
 common
 characteristics 
with 
those 
found 
in
 Southern 
India.
  However, 
it 
can’t 
be
 suggested 
that 
a 
single 
‘ethnic
group’ 
inhabited 
Sri 
Lanka 
and 
the 
southern 
regions 
of
 India 
from 
these 
burial
 data,
 as 
has 
been 
argued 
by 
some
 extreme 
thinkers.
 Nevertheless,
 one 
can 
surly
 argue
 for 
the 
fact 
that
 there 
were 
shared 
cultural 
practices
 amongst 
the 
societies/
cultures 
that 
inhabited 
this 
region 
in
 the 
6‐7
centuries 
before
 Christian 
era.  
Even 
without
 much 
hard
 arguments 
it
 is
 obvious,
 considering 
the
 proximity
 of 
South 
India 
to
 Sri
 Lanka 
the 
possibility
 of 
cultural
 exchange 
and
 human
 migration 
between 
the
 two 
geographical
 zones 
for 
millennia.
 There 
are 
all
 the
 reasons
 to 
believe 
the
 existence
 of
 a 
real
 ‘sethusamudra’
 –
a
bridge
across
the
ocean
–
 between
 the 
two
 geographies 
in 
the 
ancient 
times,
  both 
physically
 and 
conceptually.  
The 
ancient
 bridge 
that 
is
 supposed 
to
 exist 
between
 the
 two
 countries 
has
 also 
been

 called
 ‘Ram
 sethu’ 
indicating 
the 
fact
 that 
it 
is 
Rama’s 
bridge,
 and
 the 
current
 geological
 studies
 have
 shown 
that
 this 
bridge 
is
 a
 natural
 formation.

  However 
this 
bridge 
was
  conceptually
 dismantled
 at 
a 
later
 time
 distancing
 the 
two
 geographies 
from
 each
 other
 as 
imagined
 proximities;
 reinventing 
the
 neighbor
 as
 a 
stranger

.

For
 the 
majority 
of 
Sinhalese 
today, 
who 
make 
the 
majority
 of 
Sri
 Lankan
 population,
 South 
India
is,
 conceptually, 
a 
distant
 and 
an
 alien 
place.
 The
 Sinhalese
 believe
 that 
they
 are 
descendents 
of
 the
 North 
Indians, 
who 
are
 supposed
 to 
be 
‘Aryans’,
 as
 opposed
 to
 non‐Aryans 
of
 the
 South 
of 
India.
  Two 
distinct 
historiographies
 have 
contributed 
to
 this
 popular 
belief
 amongst 
the 
Sinhalese.
  The 
ancient 
chronicle
 of
 the
 Sinhalese,
  titled
 ‘Mahavamsa’ 
compiled 
in
 the 
6th
 century
 AD, 
in
v arious
 ways 
links 
the
 Sinhalese 
and
 their 
royalty
 with 
the
 North Indian 
civilization
 and
 the
 Gautama
 Buddha.  
Thus
 metaphorically 
speaking 
the
 ‘Sethu
Samudram’
 was 
first
 dismantled
 conceptually 
in 
the
 6th
 century 
AD
 by
 the 
ancient
 chroniclers
 of
 Sri
 Lanka .
  Then 
the 
European
 philologists
 who 
developed
 the
 myth 
of 
Aryans 
as 
an 
ethnic
 group
 and 
incorporated 
the 
North
 Indians 
into 
this 
mythical 
straight jacket
 in 
the
 19th 
century 
did
 a 
second 
dismantling 
of
 this
 bridge.



Now, 
the
 ‘Sethusamundram’,
 the
 mythical 
bridge 
is 
under 
physical 
threat 
with 
the
 scheduled
 construction 
of 
a
 real 
bridge 
linking 
Sri
 Lanka 
and
 South 
India
 on 
the 
same
 place
 where 
the
 ancient
 bridge 
supposed 
to
 have
 been
 and
 is
 drawing
 critical
 attention
 from 
various 
interest
 groups,
 mostly 
Indian
 regarding
 potential
 or
 imagined 
ecological,
 social, 
political,
 and
 cultural
 threats 
that
 might
 ensue
 from 
the 
building
 of
 this
 bridge.

 As 
mentioned
 earlier, 
this
 ancient 
bridge 
is
 a 
natural formation,
 which
 has 
thru
 millennia
 acquired 
mythical 
dimensions.
 This
 bridge 
has 
retained 
its
 alluring
 potential
 for 
myths
 as
 late 
as 
the
 19th
 century 
as 
can 
be
 seen
 by 
the
 fact
 that 
the 
first
 survey or
 general
 o f
the
 East
 India
 Company
 named
 it
 Adamas 
Bridge!, 
thus 
adding 
more 
to 
the 
theological
 complexity 
of
 this
 mythical
 bridge.


In
 many
 ways
 SETHU
SAMUDURUM
 project
 will
 be
 a
 point
 of
 departure 
to
 go 
into 
a
 process
 of 
analysis
 and 
inquiry
 of 
the 
contemporary

 socio‐cultural
 and
 political
 anxieties
 and 
issues
 that
 Sri
 Lanka 
and 
India 
mutually 
share 
and
 bare.
The
 two 
countries,
 India
 and
 Sri lanka, 
share
 more 
than 
just
 a 
geographical
 affinity ;
  we 
have 
always 
been
 intertwined 
with 
history,
 mythology 
and
 a
 turbulent
 geopolitical 
situation.  
In
 the
 contemporary 
context
 the 
‘cause
 of 
the
 Tamils’
 and
 the
 violent
 political
 past
 trying
 to
 grapple
 with
 
it
 has 
been 
a 
major 
factor 
that
 created
 many 
political,
 cultural 

and
 social
 issues.  
Throughout 
history
 the
 geographical,
 political
 and 
imagined 
boarders 
of 
two
 countries 
have
 been 
porous
 and 
therefore
 shrouded
 with
 suspicion 
and
 circumspection.
 This 
is 
also 
because
 of 
the
 close 
affinity 
India
 and
 Sri
Lanka 
share 
with 
regard 
to 
their
 historical
 connections, 
exchanges
 and
 experiences 
that 
in
 many 
ways
 reflected
 in 
the
 contemporary
 mediations
 in 
politics 
and 
culture 
in 
both 
countries.




Sethu
 Samudram, 
the
 art
 project
 that 
Theertha 
and 
No
1.
Shathi 
Road
 has
 developed
 collectively 
is 
envisioning 
to 
engage 
with 
and
 address 
this
 highly 
complex
 and
 variegated
 history 
and 
emotions
 surrounding 
the
 concept
 of
 Sethu 
Samudram 
and
 foreground
 the 
links,
 similarities, 
and
 shared 
anxieties,
 emotions
 and
 histories 
between
 the 
two
 geographical
 areas.
  The
 overall 
research 
area
 will 
cover 
a 
wide 
area
 of 
study 
that
  include
 society,
 politics,
 history,
 religion,
 mythology
 as 
relevant 
to 
Sri
 Lanka 
and 
India.
 The 
SETHU
SAMUDURUM 
project 
would 
like 
to
 engage
 in
 the 
wider
 discussion
 of
 history 
navigating 
through 
the 
contemporary
 dynamics 
of
 art
 (involvement 
with,
 and
 discussion
 on 

ideological 
and
 methodological
 innovations 
of
 visual
 arts)

 within
 the 
region.


Art historical and art practice backgrounds of the project

‘Sethu
Samudram‘ 
the
 Art
 Project
 will
 reflect,
 represent
 and 
als o
interrogate
 the
 recent
 developments 
in
 art-
making 
in
 South 
Asia.
  Following 
broad 
themes 
will 
be
 addressed/
 dealt
 with
 or 
simply 
taken
 on 
stride
 within
 the
 Project:

• Renewed 
energy 
to
 emphasize 
the 
local
 identity 
in
 eclectic 
ways:

 Materials
 as
 Message 
and
 Metaphors.

• The
 eclectic
 cross‐cultural
 encounters:

  evolving 
new
 ways 
of 
perceiving 
and
 representing.

• Anxieties
 of
 the
 here 
and
 now:

 "Representing 
the 
Body/
a
 search
 for
 the
 self".



Work Process

The 
SETHU
SAMUDURUM
 project 
will
 unfold
 on
 collaborative
 and
 dialogue
 making
 platform
 where 
Theertha
 and
 No.1
 Shanthi 
Road
 will
 respond 
to
 each 
other.

  As 
such
 all
 their
 programs
 will 
be 
reciprocal 
and 
will 
be 
a 
continuation 
and 
progression
 from 
one 
to
 the
 other.

  The
 thread 
of 
each 
program
me will
 be 
carried 
to
 the
 next
 wit 
its 
own
 variations
 and
 discussions.

 Each
 partner
 (Theertha/
No.
1
Shanthi
Road)
 will 
have 
a 
team
 of
 artists
 connected
 to
 project
 working
 with 
a 
coordinator.


 The 
programs
 will
 be 
executed
 by
 the
 2
 teams.
  The
 selected 
members
 of
 the 
team
 will
 meet
 each
 other
 in 
either
 Sri
 Lanka 
or 
India
 every
 year.

  All
 programs
 will 
contribute 
to 
the 
final
 documentation 
and
 exhibition
 which 
will
 present
 the
 SETHU
SAMUDURUM
 project
 as 
a
 comprehensive
 history
 writing 
project
 at
 the
 end
 of
 the
 3rd 
year 
which 
will
 be 
shown 
in
 both 
India 
and
 Sri
Lanka.
 The 
possibility
 of
 making 
it 
travel
 to 
other
 countries 
will
 be 
explored.



The 
project
 will
 use
 following 
type
 of 
activities:


1. Residencies


2. Exhibitions


3. Seminars/
discussion
forums


4. Book
art
projects


5. Writing
projects


6. Video
projects/
web
publishing


7. Community
art
projects