An accessibility-forward workshop teaches pre-teens and teens animation through clay-inspired city artist Sameer Kulavoor’s work
Kids can explore their creativity through clay while learning to use digital tools in a simple way (right) Clay art by children from a previous workshop by Access for All
In shifting to their new gallery space, the folks at Tarq have had their minds on accessibility and opening the art space to a larger crowd. Apart from their Saturday summer workshops that begin this weekend and that invite an audience beyond art appreciators and gallery-hoppers, they’ve also made the space more accessible with ramps to the washroom, Braille signage and accessible entry points.
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Siddhant Shah, access consultant and founder of Access for ALL, is currently working with the gallery to ensure accessibility requirements are met. Shah will also conduct the first workshop, a clay animation class for 10 to 15-year-olds. He tells us, “It’s nice that the gallery space is considering inclusion from its inception and not as an afterthought.”
Clay art by children from a previous workshop by Access for All
Shah points out that the clay animation workshop will be in sync with the ongoing exhibition at the gallery — artist Sameer Kulavoor’s Edifice Complex whose sequential drawings reflect the growing architectural landscape of a nameless city that adapts to immediate needs and lives than pre-planned design. Jugaad might be a fun term to view many corners of Mumbai. But it’s the response to need and resourcefulness that captures the way Mumbaikars live and survive in the city. From old nadas tied to doorknobs, to keep them from slamming shut to makeshift box stores wedged in the space between two buildings or an upturned umbrella to display wares making a ‘mobile store’. When placed together, a series of Kulavoor’s drawings progress into an animation.
The ramp that leads to the washroom
Taking a cue from the showcased works, Shah explains, “The workshop draws from the artist’s technique of stop-motion animation on paper. We will share an understanding of animation, taking children through sequencing, creating characters and expressions through clay, a medium that everyone can use.” The clay works will then be shot on mobile phones to create an animation. The workshop comes close to Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which falls on the third Thursday of May. This year, it will be celebrated on May 18, with a focus on digital access issues.
Hena Kapadia and Siddhant Shah
“This is a low-tech activity where we will look to use technology and digital tools in a simple way. Instruction will be imparted in English, Hindi and Gujarati, and further broken down into a step-by-step format,” Shah adds. “This is the first time Sameer has experimented with animation so it will be interesting to witness how children will engage with his art,” gallerist Hena Kapadia notes.
On: May 13, 11.30 am to 12.30 pm
At: KK (Navsari) Chambers, 39B AK Nayak Marg, Fort.
Log on to: tarq.in/events
Cost: Rs 300
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