Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Another one bites the dustAn equestrian falls off her horse at the Amateur Ridersrsquo Club ARC in Show Jumping Arena at Mahalaxmi RacecourseAiming for a centuryA man pushes his cart past a wall bearing Biennale lettering in Mattancherry PICS COURTESYKOCHIMUZIRIS BIENNALEThe KochiMuziris Biennale will set a new record of its own this year The sixth edition of the festival will run for 110 days from December 12 2025 till March 31 2026 Curated by artist and founder of HH Art Spaces Nikhil Chopra the curatorial note suggested that the festival will move away from the conventional model of a singular central event to lsquoa living ecosystemrsquo and position lsquofriendship economiesrsquo as the very scaffolding of the exhibitionNikhil Chopra left and Bose KrishnamachariChopra added ldquoWe invite artists to seek resonances across geography and time to trace shared memories mirrored struggles and new affinities rooted in empathy and deep listeningrdquo President of the Biennale artist Bose Krishnamachari said ldquoThose visiting the biennale will be introduced to an immersive atmosphere featuring spectacular artworks and siteresponsive installations The event will also offer abundant opportunities to engage with artists and fellow art enthusiasts and witness the layered cultural life of Kochi a city where global and local currents converge and diverge all at oncerdquoCulture can be lit tooA moment from the 2024 edition PIC COURTESYCULTURE CONHow do you jam with Gen Z in the workplace It might seem like a boring corporate issue but it will be among the many conversations taking place at the third edition of CultureCon that commences on August 7 at the Museum of Solutions in Lower Parel Organised by Art X Company amp Festivals From India the conference will explore subjects aligned with careers creativity and the creative business ldquoWith Gen Z being the future of the creative force we cannot ignore a conversation about their interests and our own understanding The conversations will be centred on aspects from education in the arts AI and creative futures as well as music and generative AIrdquo shared Rashmi Dhanwani its founderRashmi DhanwaniStage is setA view of the new spaceReal estate in Mumbai is so expensive that every inch acquired is worth a little celebration Back in June we wrote about a new amateur theatre group Mitraa Theatre working its way through the cityrsquos stages Now we learn that they have acquired their own production venue in Aram Nagar at Versova ldquoIt is a little space that helps us find steady ground in the cityrdquo shared founder Zafar Warsi While the space might not be much it acts as a place for us to gather and create more structured productions in the future ldquoThough it is early to say we will be looking at a few adaptations to stage in the near futurerdquo he addedZafar WarsiCalling young gunsA moment from a previous performance PIC COURTESYTHESPOSomething interesting is brewing for those who live and breathe theatre Thespo in its 27th edition presents The First Call where enthusiasts and professionals under the age of 25 can meet chat and build a community of their own From stage performances to music and dance programmes participants can immerse themselves into the world of theatre and get to know the events scheduled for the year ldquoIf you are even vaguely interested in theatre and want a space to explore showcase your work or get trained further this is the place to berdquo revealed Srishti Ray associate producer at QTP Entertainment and a Thespo mentor Participants will also get a chance to attend a session where Thespo alumnus and actor Ali Fazal will be in a conversation with Ritika Shrotri fellow alumna writer and director about his life and journey with theatre Check out thespoindia for more details about the upcoming editionSrishti RayVisionaries for a reasonFrom left Ketan Kothari Dr Sam TaraporevalaTwo of Mumbairsquos pioneers in the field of empowerment from the Xavierrsquos Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged XRCVC St Xavierrsquos College Autonomous Mumbai Dr Sam Taraporevala executive director XRCVC and Ketan Kothari managing consultant programmes are being celebrated for their work on an international stage Both educators bagged spots on the Diversabilityrsquos D30 Impact List that honours 30 disabled leaders ldquoIt sends a message to our supporters that our work is not just being recognised nationally but internationally as well It is the recognition of our whole team and people who have put faith in usrdquo Dr Taraporevala told this diarist Initially established as a support service for blind students at St Xavierrsquos College the duo introduced a range of reforms and measures for the betterment of the community ldquoThere is a perceptible change in attitude but a lot more needs to be done at the societal and governmental level for creating an equitable societyrdquo remarked Kothari implying a need for empathy than sympathy towards the disabled