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Panaji, Dec 19 (PTI) In artist-writer Priya Mani's "Visual Encyclopaedia of Indian Food", the letter 'A' might represent apple, but 'B' doesn't stand for boy; instead, it could stand for banana, black salt, or bread. At the ninth Serendipity Arts Festival, Mani has featured a glimpse of her vast collection at the Directorate of Accounts building, showcasing it on both the walls and tables. Also Read | Who Is Phangnon Konyak? Here's All You Need To Know About BJP Rajya Sabha MP From Nagaland Who Accused Rahul Gandhi of Misbehaviour.
Two posters featuring the letters A and B along with images of corresponding ingredients and dishes, serve as visual cues, prompting curious visitors to engage in conversations, share stories, and at times even break into a smile as they recognize familiar foods from their regions. "Everybody has a food story. Everyone I have met has something to share.
So invariably it's a conversation about food. There are so many workers here, who are helping out with the show, have been excited about looking at these images. They come and tell me different things," Mani told PTI.
Also Read | Who Is the Highest Tax-Paying Celebrity in India? Check Where Shah Rukh Khan, Thalapathy Vijay, Virat Kohli Stand on List of Top 10 Biggest Celebrity Taxpayers in FY 2024. The 'Visual Encyclopaedia of Indian Foods' is an avant-garde project that blends visual art, culinary heritage, and interactive technology. Mani uses an ingredient-led narrative to showcase the many visible and invisible aspects of everyday food items.
A designer by profession, Mani has been documenting Indian food for more than a decade. However, it wasn't until the Covid pandemic that she decided to create a visual encyclopedia from A to Z using Instagram, a snapshot of which is featured here at the arts festival. "Here at Serendipity I have taken this whole project forward as an immersive installation, so when you walk into this room you get a chance to cook.
Because for me the act of cooking defines the project," the Copenhagen-based artist said. Apart from the visuals in the corridor, Mani has also set up a yet-to-be named audio-visual project. The innovative project displays visually stunning shots of different spices and ingredients such as wheat, black pepper, rice, and ginger.
When an orb containing an ingredient is placed in a container, a montage of short videos begins to project on the walls. These videos display the ingredient from its microscopic details to macro photographs, explaining its cultivation process and how it becomes part of a dish finally. "I have received a response I simply did not expect.
It was from a four-year-old child who was super excited and didn't want to leave the room, he wanted to try and learn about every ingredient and then he wanted to share that knowledge with everyone else who came into the room," she said. Mani added that elderly visitors, with a lifetime of cooking experience, were surprised to see chili peppers from a new perspective and learn how sugarcane grows. "The fact that there is a storyline for the imagery, that people feel they are learning something new, and they are excited about it, has been our biggest learning curve in the last three-four days," Mani said.
The Serendipity Arts Festival will come to a close on December 22. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body).
