Listen and react

A few months back, Romel Dias, a city-based artist, with 15 years of advertising experience, began hosting friends at home to discuss interesting short music videos that he would find online, over cups of chai. What began as an informal set-up soon transpired into full-fledged The Listening Sessions, now held in a curated space for audience specifically interested in the format.

"The short music video format expresses contemporary culture creatively. Being painfully shy, I decided to reach out to friends and requested them to showcase videos they found cool.

Romel Dias

We've taken off with a couple of great sessions on gender fluidity in music videos of the '80s and independent feminist music videos," says Dias, who is ready to facilitate the next session tonight in association with The Mumbai Assembly, a platform for culture-related activities that operates out of KCA Hall in Bandra.

Priyanka Charan

The upcoming session will witness city-based artists Afrah Shafiq and Priyanka Charan present their take on a bunch of quirky videos that have piqued their interest. Shafiq is a filmmaker, researcher and designer while Charan is an actor, performer and a teacher. "Afrah will focus on videos that escape reality while Priyanka has a line-up of videos on drag as symbolic of gender roles," adds Dias.

ON Today, 8.30 pm
AT KCA Hall, 16 Veronica Road, Bandra (W).
CALL 9819900716
EMAIL themumbaiassembly@gmail.com
COST Rs 200