For decades, Royal Enfield has been synonymous with riding the Himalayan. In December, a first-of-its-kind festival presented by Royal Enfield Social Mission will be held in the capital. This 10-day event called Journeying Across the Himalayas aims to highlight Himalayan art, textiles, culture, sports, conservation, architecture, music and sustainability through interactive installations, workshops, culinary experiences, demonstrations and more.
Royal Enfield’s Himalayan Knot launch event last year highlighted traditional craftsmanship from the Eastern to Western Himalayas, rooted in cultural continuity and ecological sustainability. Photo Credit: Mitsun Sony
A highlight of the exhibition is the Helmeted Hyphae, a six-foot-tall structure designed and executed by ST+ART that resembles a motorcycle helmet. Made from mycelium – an organic substance grown through a delicate process that transforms raw, organic matter into a lightweight yet durable form – it is part of the showcase of artist collective Helmets for India (HFI). A part of Royal Enfield’s road safety initiative, HFI promotes changing mindset towards road safety and safe riding practices. In partnership with the India Foundation for the Arts, his exhibition will showcase the works of 12 artists who use the helmet as “a unique and unconventional canvas to express their personality, emotions, experiences and viewpoints”.
An artist at Helmets for India Photo courtesy: Manish Singh
From Folk to Fabric: Himalayan Knot Textile Exhibition, this project brings together Himalayan artisan communities, conservation experts, craftspeople and designers to preserve pastoral lands and shed light on craft practices. Curator Ikshit Pandey will showcase the textile traditions and folklore of Himalayan communities through “visual narratives that connect these crafts to the broader environmental and cultural landscape”. “Although the Himalayan Knot Textile Conservation Project gained momentum after its launch in 2023, the vision behind it has been evolving for years. The broader idea for this textile exhibition emerged in 2022 when we began documenting the living heritage of the region in partnership with UNESCO. During this process, we recognized the complex interplay of heritage textiles, identity and living legacies rooted in the oral tradition and folklore of Himalayan communities,” says Ikshit, who is also the Brand Strategy Head, Royal Enfield Social Mission. Highlights of this exhibition (which traces the rich craftsmanship across nine Himalayan regions) include curated displays of regional crafts and sustainable textiles. He added, “It captures the essence of the unique storytelling traditions of these regions, where textiles and craftsmanship symbolize the heritage of oral history and folklore.”
Women of Changpa community of Ladakh warp, spin and card the sheep wool fibers in Changthang. Photo Courtesy: Shubham Lodha
“Visitors are encouraged to immerse themselves in the festival’s curated food experiences, hands-on workshops in Himalayan crafts and circularity, and a marketplace offering unique products such as books, products and handmade textiles,” says Ikshit. Must see. “This shows how Himalayan youth are at the forefront of building an ecosystem of change, presenting alternative approaches to climate literacy through their work. Entitled The Shape of the Wind is a Tree, the recipient of The Himalayan Fellowship for Creative Practitioners uses contemporary art rooted in traditional knowledge in a presentation that exemplifies climate resilience.
Rita Banerjee, Project Director of the Green Hub and Founding Director of the Dusty Foot Foundation, has created an immersive, experiential multimedia space for the event through the lens of community, conservation and culture. Here, a living forest ecosystem is envisioned “as a symbol of the interconnectedness of years of work towards conservation and collective action with communities and youth in the Himalayas”. “Films, photographs and soundscapes will bring these stories of Himalayan action to life,” she says.
The Himalayan Hub at Theog goes live with 24 fellows selected for the Green Hub x Royal Enfield Fellowship in February 2024. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
From video fellowships to the Green Hub-Royal Enfield Responsible Tourism Fellowship, conservation grants and the Living Lab, “everything is part of a bigger ecosystem focused on community, conservation and collaboration,” says Rita. She adds, “And for people to come and experience all of it: the voices of the people, the sounds of the forest, the pictures, and films of the landscape and the indigenous knowledge – we felt a place like this would help people understand our The philosophy of the work is such that it is not only informative but also deeply engaging.” A standout feature is the canopy installation, ”where we are trying to recreate the feeling of being in the forest”. In the area, there will be dedicated exhibits where visitors can sit One can relax and watch films depicting life in different parts of the Himalayas.
from still An ode to the snow leopard
Photo Credit: Riverbank Studio
If cinematic experiences are more to your liking, filmmaker Gautam Pandey and Riverbank Studio’s Doel Trivedi will provide attendees with an immersive VR experience of the highly elusive keystone species, the snow leopard. Topic An ode to the snow leopardHe explains how his biggest hurdle was attempting to film Snow Leopard in 360 VR technology. “Filming a wild snow leopard in stereoscopic 8K felt like an impossible dream. Fate finally knocked on the last day of shooting. An ibex was killed by a snow leopard, and we were able to set up and trigger our camera from about 800 meters away. After climbing a very steep slope and setting up the camera next to the ibex kill I hid behind the only rock about 800 meters away. The trigger works up to 300 meters, but somehow that day, I managed to get one bar of connection. With the sun setting and the batteries draining rapidly in the cold, somehow everything worked out and we got the shot!” Gautam says about the film, funded by the United Nations Development Program India and supported by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
From 5 to 15 December at Travancore Palace, New Delhi.
published – December 02, 2024 03:33 PM IST
