Met-Fest: Masculinities in the City
India's first ever festival on men and masculinities!

Conceived, Curated and Presented by Red Earth

Mumbai

5-15 October 2005

Supported by UNIFEM; The Fourth Floor

Design Partner: The Grafiosi

Event Partners: The British Council, Mumbai; Gallery Beyond; Working Title; Two Plus Productions; Fotomedia; Breakthrough; Nadrang; COHO; CORO

THE FESTIVAL

The first of its kind, Met-Fest aims to be an inter-disciplinary, cross-cultural insight into varying aspects of contemporary urban masculinity, also known dubiously as metro-sexuality. The term metro-sexuality here is not used to signify any specific fashion or marketing centric definition but used inclusively to refer to several paradigms of contemporary masculinity.

Metro-sexuality and its worldwide, widespread popularity has bought about radical transformations in traditional masculinity. The spotlight is on men like never before. This then, is a good time to talk about men and masculinities. That’s what the festival sets out to do. Not just talk, but to celebrate masculinities in varied art forms – visual art, music, dance, theatre, film and more…

The festival straddles the seemingly disparate streams of arts practice, academics & popular culture in its eclectic and multifarious approach. It brings about a symbiosis of these various streams, with the vision to create a new discourse on men and masculinities. More details....

PROGRAMME

I. ART

Metrospective: Visual Representations of Metrosexuality

Click here for Details and Images

Art exhibition featuring renowned Indian and international artists with works specially commissioned for the thematic exhibition.

Curated by Himanshu Verma

 Artists: Anant Joshi , Birendra Pani, C.F John, Chintan Upadhyaya & Amit Kekre, Coos de Graaf, Dustin Larson & Kiran Subbaiah, Hemant Khandelwaal, Jehangir Jani, Julius Macwan, Justin Ponmany, Kayti Didriksen, Manil Gupta, Manisha Gera Baswani, Merlyn Molly, Mithu Sen, Nayanaa Kanodia, Nikhil Chopra, Pushkar Thakur, Rashid Rana, Ravi Kumar Kashi, Rehaan Engineer, Riyas Komu, Sanjeev Sonpimpare, Shibu Arakkal, Stefan Weitzel, Sudarshan Shetty, Sujay Mukherjee, Sushil Mangaonkar, T.M Azis, Uday Mondal

9-18 October; The Fourth Floor

Gallery will be closed on certain days. Check timings below.

Talk

Abhay Sardesai responds to Metrospective and interacts with the artists

12 October, 7 pm; The Fourth Floor

Miscellaneous Art Displays

Click here for Details and Images

From Violence to Supportive Practice: Family, Gender and Masculinities in India

An exhibition by UNIFEM

The Missing Ling: Perspectives on Masculinity

A display featuring artist Ashim Ghosh’s ongoing photographic works on

masculinity; and studio portraits of men from the collection of The CASA Documentation Centre.

Exiles: Photographs by Sunil Gupta

Presented by Fotomedia

The series (1987) consists of documentary photographs of gay men congregating in various cruising locales in Delhi.

Hakeem Tartoosie’s Sande ka Tel : Extracts from Sarnath Bannerjee’s graphic novel Corridors

The Unfurling by Tejal Shah

Artworks by Abeer Karmakar (Courtesy: Gallery Beyond & Gallery Art Resource Trust); Ashim Purkayastha; and Rashid Rana

What Kind of a Man are You?: Posters from Breakthrough’s AIDS awareness campaign

6 & 7 October; The Fourth Floor

Check gallery timings below.

II. MUSIC (Opening Event)

Celebrating Being

A concert by Hindustani vocalist Shubha Mudgal with texts exploring nuances of masculinity and identities in the traditional Indian ethos.  Accompanied by Aneesh Pradhan (Tabla) and Sudhir Nayak (Harmonium).

Supported by Nadrang

5 October, 7:30 pm; The Fourth Floor

Entry by invitation. Limited invitations available at The Fourth Floor.

III. THEATRE

What the **** is Metrosexual?

Presented by Working Title

A series of monologues, on the idea of masculinity and confusion in identity.

Written by Vijay Krishna Acharya

Directed by Jaimini Pathak

Performed by Satyajit Sharma and Avaan Patel  

11 October, 7:30 pm; The Fourth Floor

 Entry by invitation. Limited invitations available at The Fourth Floor.

Street Play: Haath ki Safai

Presented by CORO and Vishwas Sanskritik Kala Manch

Written by Vilas Sarmalkar

The play deals with issues of sexual anxieties, gender, masculinity, and risk behaviour amongst young men. Duration: 25 mins.

6 October, 7:30 pm; The Fourth Floor

IV. DANCE (Closing Event)

On the Other Side: A Dance-Theatre Solo Piece by Gilles Chuyen

This special choreography explores movement, expression and energies. It is a journey through the issues of a Metrosexual’s life, starting with a superficial questioning that finally merges into the larger canvas of human experience.

15 October, 7:30 pm; The Fourth Floor

Entry by invitation. Limited invitations available at The Fourth Floor.

V. FILMS

Real Men / Reel Men: Films on Masculinity

In collaboration with Two Plus Productions & Gallery Beyond

All films to be followed by a discussion.

• Chitromala, dir: Spandan Bannerjee, 2004. 8:30 mins.
• Men, Muscles and Masculinity, dir: Rohit Dubey, 2002. 11:15 mins. Film-maker to be present.
• Hakeem Tartoosie’s Oil, dir: Sarnath Bannerjee, 2001. 17 mins. Film-maker to be present.

 Respondent and moderator for discussion: Sanjay Srivastava.

 9 October, 11 am; Gallery Beyond

• Rahul Roy Double Bill
  Jahaan Char Yaar Mil Jaayein (When Four Friends Meet), dir: Rahul Roy, 2000. 43 mins.

          Majma (Performance), dir: Rahul Roy, 2001. 54 mins.

          Film-maker to be present.

Respondent and moderator for discussion: Mangesh Kulkarni.

10 October, 6 pm; Gallery Beyond

• La Couer des Hommes, dir: Marc Esposito, 2003. 100 mins.

Respondent and moderator for discussion: Rahul Roy

11 October, 4 pm; Gallery Beyond

• A Matter of Hair, dir: Ana Torres-Alvarez. 2004. 10 mins.
• Screening of Videos:  Il Pelele by Sophie Ernst, 2005. 2:45 mins. Apna Ghar 1 & Apna Ghar 2 by Ashim Ghosh, 2005. 5.43 and 4.07 mins.                                                                                    

          Trans by Marco Paulo Rolla & Tejal Shah, 2004-2005. 12 mins. Tejal

          Shah to be present.

Respondent and moderator for discussion: Paromita Vohra             

• Macho, dir: Lucinda Broadbent, 2000. 26 mins

Respondent and moderator for discussion: Harish Sadani   

12 October, 4 pm; Gallery Beyond

For entry details contact filmclub@iqara.net

VI. TALKS

• Alice Cicolini on The 21st Century Dandy

Fashion Theorist Alice Cicolini shares insights from the project, 21st Century Dandy. The project examines the influence of the cult of Dandyism on contemporary British fashion.

Talk to be held via video-conferencing.

Respondent and moderator for discussion: Anshu Poddar

 

7 October, 3:30 pm; British Council

In collaboration with The British Council, Mumbai

• Sanjay Srivastava on Pedestrian Desires: 'Footpath Pornography’, Masculine Cultures, and the Aesthetics of Fluid Spaces
  Social anthropologist Sanjay Srivastava provides extended discussion of ‘footpath pornography’ and issues of masculinity and desire in the urban context in this presentation.

9 October, 4 pm; Gallery Beyond

In collaboration with COHO

• Presentations by Gary Barker, Sujata Khandekar and Ravi Verma

Gary Barker presents on Program H. Program H stimulates young men to question traditional norms associated with masculinity and promotes both discussion and reflection about the costs of traditional masculinity as well as the advantages of gender equitable behaviors.

Sujata Khandekar (CORO) and Ravi Verma (Population Council) will make presentations on Yari Dosti, an intervention research exploring linkages between construction of gender, masculinity and sexual risk behaviour amongst young men in Mumbai slums

13 October, 4 pm; Gallery Beyond

• What Kind of a Man Are You?

Presentation on human rights organisation Breakthrough’s multi-media AIDS awareness campaign, What Kind of a Man Are You?

Multi-media presentation on the campaign by Sonali Khan (Communication Director, Breakthrough)

Arjun Chandramohan Bali presents Maati, the music video that he has written and directed for the campaign

Respondent and moderator for discussion: Shilpa Phadke

 

14 October, 4 pm; Gallery Beyond     

In Collaboration with Breakthrough

VII. WORKSHOP (Hang-over)

• Playing with male and female movements: A workshop based on visualization, movement and expression by Gilles Chuyen.

 

16-18 October, 7:30 to 9:30 pm; The Fourth Floor

For registration contact Clara / Rosalyn at Kitab Mahal, # 22079119 / 4958 from 11 am to 7 pm.

Maximum number of participants: 30.

Day Wise Event Listings

Oct. 5: Music: Celebrating Being

Oct. 6: Theatre: Street Play

Oct. 7: Talk: Alice Cicolini

Oct. 9: Film: Chitromala; Men Muscles and Masculinity; Hakeem Tartoosie's Oil

Talk: Sanjay Srivastava

Oct. 10: Film: Rahul Roy Double Bill

Oct. 11: Film: La Coeur des Hommes

Theatre: What the **** is Metrosexual?

Oct. 12: Film: A Matter of Hair, Screening of Videos, Macho

Art: Talk by Abhay Sardesai

Oct. 13: Talk: Gary Barker, Ravi Verma, Sujata Khandekar

Oct. 14: Talk: Breakthrough

Oct. 15: Dance: On the Other Side

Oct. 16-18: Workshop: Gilles Chuyen

Gallery Timings

Miscellaneous Art Displays

Oct. 6 & 7: 11 am to 7 pm

Metrospective

Oct. 9 & 10: 11 am to 7 pm

Oct. 11: Closed

Oct. 12: 11 am to 3 pm

Oct. 13 & 14: 11 am to 7 pm

Oct. 15: Closed

Oct. 16-18: 11 am to 7 pm

Event Venues

• The Fourth Floor; Kitab Mahal, 192, D.N Road; Fort, Mumbai 40001; Tel: 22074958 / 9119
• Gallery Beyond; 130/132, 1st Floor; Great Western Building, Opp. Lion Gate; Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort, Mumbai 400023; Tel: 22837345 / 6
• The British Council, British Deputy High Commission, Mittal Tower C Wing; 2nd Floor, Nariman Point; Mumbai 400021; Tel: 22823560

For enquiries regarding artworks, call Utkarsh Sanjanwala at 9324387663

RSVP: Himanshu Verma; Founder-Director, Red Earth himanshu@redearthindia.com

Niloufer Kapadia, The Fourth Floor; eapl@vsnl.com

Entry for events open to all, unless mentioned otherwise.

Entry for all events, including those by invitation, is on first come first serve basis.

Kindly switch off mobile phones before entering event and exhibition venue.

Unauthorized photography and audio/video recording not permitted.

Only limited parking available (pay & park). Invitees are advised to make alternate arrangements for parking.

Programmes are subject to change without notice.