A dose of culture under the coconut trees

Music festivals such as the upcoming Nariyal Paani in Alibaug are bringing the visual arts within their purview as well

Till some years ago, the only art installations at a music festival might have been beer kegs. But event organisers, big and small, now seem to be actively making room for elements of the fine arts. "When you talk of an experience, it involves various aspects. Apart from music, we have to make sure it is visually appealing too," says Tanvi Gupta, of the day-long festival Nariyal Paani, which will unfold on the shores of Alibaug.

Gupta runs Bohemyan Blue, a cafe and design store in this pristine town on the Konkan coast where she sometimes hosts small gigs. A meeting with another entrepreneur, Sidhant Khanna, who builds villas there, led to the idea of a festival. Being an art enthusiast, Khanna suggested including interactive pieces by artists sch as Sachin Pillai, who is known for making music videos. The artists will be encouraged to use natural surfaces like fishermen's boats, palm leaves, wooden planks and whitewashed walls instead of canvas, and most art will be interactive. An installation based on the Bodhi tree and another with recycled bottles that will channel sea winds to create sounds is in the works.

The organisers say they have been careful "not to take away from the music." There will be nine acts, including Delhi-based The Jass B'stards, Neeraj Arya's Kabir Cafe, Vivienne Pocha and UK-based experimental music collective Kefaya. The event will also see the activation of the venue Mora Poda, a village where the team is working with locals and the sarpanch. The theme is Alibaug itself and residents have been helping put up shacks made of palm, coconut and bamboo. A popular eatery in the vicinity, Sanmaan Thali, will serve Konkani food, rubbing shoulders with familiar establishments from Mumbai, Woodside Inn and Gateway Breweries. 

This is not the first case of music meeting art. For the past few years, indie music festival NH7 Weekender has been hosting art installations at its venues. Artist Shilo Shiv Suleman created eight 18-feet lotuses that respond to touch, while Ayushman Mitra made "love beds" or resting spots with Picasso-esque designs for last year's edition. Organised by Viacom18's Integrated Network Solutions (INS), the upcoming Emerge festival will also feature works from Suleman's "The Fearless Project", which spreads the message that women shouldn't be afraid. The day-long event, which will bring English indie rockers alt+J and their compatriots, Rudimental, to the country, will also showcase fairytale-like works by American illustrator Allison Weeks Thomas and whimsical pieces by UK-based Alex Griffiths. 

"Visual art helps bring a new set of audience who want a bigger experience. Secondly, as live music concepts grow, you have to differentiate yourself and make the 'experience' part come alive," says Jaideep Singh, senior vice-president and business head at INS. His view matches that of Aushutosh Pande, who organised Big69, a heavy metal festival, in Mumbai last month. "If you're spending two to three days at a place, you can't realistically just listen to music. Globally, festivals have enough to keep you occupied and art is something that the better ones include." 

At Big69, metal music itself was the inspiration. The venue had drop-down posters bearing extreme and gruesome motifs. The artists who created them, often part of bands themselves, have now been organised into a group called Indies KVLTure project, which will work on other events too. Among them is Gaurav Basu, a member of Bengaluru-based metal band Inner Sanctum, who makes album covers and even live painted a 10-ft high Gibson guitar at the recent festival. "It seems like a good time for visual art to be thriving, especially in music. There is better reception to it compared with two years ago when it was only a subculture," he says.

GIG CALENDAR

• Mahindra Blues Festival - Blues artists such as the Grammy-winning Buddy Guy and guitar prodigy Quinn Sullivan will perform at Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai, on February 15, 6 pm-12 am
   
• Nariyal Paani - Musicians including The Jass B'stards and UK's Kefaya will play on the shores of Mora Pada, Alibaug on February 21, 12 pm onwards
   
• Emerge - The festival, featuring UK's indie groups alt+J and Rudimental, will take place in Bengaluru on February 28 and Delhi on March 1
   
• Fly Music Festival - British singer Ed Sheeran will perform some of his best-known tracks such as Lego House, A Team and I See Fire at Mahalaxmi Race Course, Mumbai, on March 1